what kind of drum mics and why...

C

cmick

New member
Hello all,
I work at a pro-audio outfit in Pickering, Ontario and I was wondering if some of you might be able to help me out with this.
A friend of mine is looking to invest in some dedicated tom mics, and I really only know the sound of mics that I have worked with. Usually I am using EV N/D 468's for rack toms and a 421 for the floor tom. Kick for me lately has been either an SM-91(older) or a Beyer M88.
My question for this forum is, what drum mics do you use for what kind of sound. My friend Chris plays lots of beats using just the toms, as opposed to riding on cymbals and such.
Thank-you,
Craig McMillan
 
You might want to post this in the mic forum.

That said, the sound of the toms will come from the toms themselves. Certain mics might highlight different qualities in the toms, but for the most part, you should focus on getting the toms to sound the way you like them before you pull out a single mic.

After that, you can pretty much use anything and it should sound fine, although it should be something that can handle a loud source. Most people prefer dynamics -- shure sm57 should do the trick, as will your senheiser. Those are probably the most popular. Any and/or all of the ones you just mentioned as your kick mics can also work, as well.

The idea is to go for less sensitivity, tight pickup pattern and high SPL handling. Obviously you need those qualities in order to isolate the tom as much as possible and to prevent distortion.
 
for a nice change of pace, try using 414's on your toms. (or 414/EB's, if you can find them). Use the -20dB pad on the mic.
 
what I am after

I was more hoping for a I use xxxx mic, when I want a xxxx kind of sound and so forth. I searched the mic forum, but didn't find any answers. I felt that the question may be better answered in this forum.
 
ok, let me rephrase...

i use AKG 414/EB or AKG 414b/ULS mics on Toms when I want the toms to sound like they are exploding in my face, and when I want to hear all the subtle transients, like the sound of the stick striking the skin. and so forth.

Happy now?
 
C414 B-ULS

And only $3750 canadian (or about $2300 USD) for three toms worth! I'm sure they sound great though.
 
Re: what I am after

cmick said:
I was more hoping for a I use xxxx mic, when I want a xxxx kind of sound and so forth. I searched the mic forum, but didn't find any answers. I felt that the question may be better answered in this forum.
Click to expand...

I'll rephrase this in the hopes of helping out a fellow home-rec'er:

If you want a xxxx kind of sound, then buy or rent a xxxx kind of kit with a xxxx kind of drummer in a xxxx kind of room.

I don't think any of us here can stress this enough: For drums, your mic selection will be responsible for maybe 2% of your sound, tops. This applies even moreso when you're just talking about toms.
 
Re: what I am after

cmick said:
I was more hoping for a I use xxxx mic, when I want a xxxx kind of sound and so forth. I searched the mic forum, but didn't find any answers. I felt that the question may be better answered in this forum.
Click to expand...

I'll rephrase this in the hopes of helping out a fellow home-rec'er:

If you want a xxxx kind of sound, then buy or rent a xxxx kind of kit with a xxxx kind of drummer in a xxxx kind of room.

I don't think any of us here can stress this enough: For drums, your mic selection will be responsible for maybe 2% of your sound, tops. This applies even moreso when you're just talking about toms.
 
Like chessrock says, isolation and hi spl handling are the most critical factors, and then after that it depends on who the drummer is

if you got a drummer that plays slow and HARD and/or you know youll have a lot of space in the mix or the music, AKG D-112's or Sure Beta 52's on the bottoms of the toms sound great

if you got a lot of space or angle between the toms and the cymbals, AKG 414's can be killer, and you can point them a LOT more at the shell than other mics and really get a ' being there " sound

for Mr. Flammypants, a mic capable of going VERY close and haveing a REALLY hi degree of isolation is ideal. These could be Sennheiser E-604's or some of the newer Audax clipons. These mics are very fast to set up and dont take mic stands either, and put out a lot more bass than you would think
 
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