Positioning for overheads with omni directional mics??

Lexus507

New member
I am familiar with many of the techniques for overheads with cardioid microphones but I plan on getting some of the msh-1o's soon and I was wondering what would be the best placement as drum overheads??
 
What I do with my MSHs is I place them on either side of the kit about 1/1.5 feet above cymbal height. I mostly do this because the only mic stands I have avaible for them are straight ones, that's really the only place I can put them! Also though, it gives it some fairly nice and subtle stereo spacing. You'd need them a certain distance apart to achieve much stereo separation with them.
 
It might be a different ball game with the MSH-10s, due to their small size, I dunno yet...(maybe ask the maker in a PM)

However, omni mics tend to reveal more of the sound of the room. You really have to experiment with placement. Take into consideration the dimensions of the room, the ambience of the room, where the drums are in that room, etc.

If you have a normal or low ceiling with no treatment above the kit, maybe "overhead" wouldn't be the best place. Maybe the sweet spot in your case is in front of the kit. Maybe it's 3ft off the floor and 2ft to the side. You really are best off moving the mic around to find it.

For instance, in my particular situation, omnis sound best as ambient mics but the distance is tailored to the type of music. When playing loud, the mics tend to sound better further away from my kit.
 
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