A little test

Herm

Herm

Well-known member
Ok guys I know this is not the right place to do this but would rather you guys listen instead of some computer boys.

I have a couple of mics to use on drum over head and would like some opinions on the two mics. The sound file is split with about 10 seconds in the middle for the two mics. First one then the other.

The signal chain is 22-4 recorder with a m-30 mixer. and then transfered to my 22-2 and then to the computer.
I will tell what the mics are later.
The reason I ask this is my hearing is very bad and cant hear well enough to make a good judgement of the two.
Thanks
And hear is the link


I guess I should mention there is only a overhead and a kick mic in this mp3
 
Herm,

I vote for mic #1...mic #1 has more air and ambiance to it. Sounds really nice. Can you tell mroe about the positioning of the mics (including kick mic, and what kind of kick mic it is)? Mic #2 kinda sounds like there is a towel over it compared to #1. The floor tom is more prominent than the rest of the kit with both #1 and #2. Positioning?
 
Thanks for the Reply Sweets. The Mic is center over the drum kit maybe a little closer to the floor tom come to think of it. The mic is about 3 sticks above the kit.
The kick mic is a Audio technica atm25 inside the kick about half way pointing at the head at a angle
 
Kick mic points to center of head or somewhere in between center end edge? What are you using to dampen the kick?
 
Thanks guys for the help here. The kick mic is aimed more at the center between the beater and edge. There is a real thin kinda blanket in the bottom of the kick.
I am not real crazy about the sound of the kick And am going to work on that next.
 
Man your quick on the mouse there. Yea it a 1965 ludwig 22. both heads are the eq kind I think thats what they call them. They both have that muffling ring built in. They came with the kit and I just have never got around to changing them. Have been spending my money on other things.
 
Oh and I have had this 22-2 for over 4 years and this is the first time I have ever put anything on it. It seems to do a pretty good job.:)
The only reason I used the 22-2 was cause my recording computer shot craps so yesterday I installed my m audio delta 44 card in my office computer on second floor and it was the easiest way to get a mix upstairs from the basement.
 
Well I think it sounds great...The older USA made kick drums are great because the bearing edges really stink...lookit any 60's vintage Ludwig kit or especially Slingerland...Older Slingerland shelles were 3-ply maple-poplar-maple...really thick middle ply of poplar which is soft, means lots of air-space, but also means it flattens somewhat over the years from the pressure of the head, but that also means that the head is going to be controlled somewhat (i.e. mid and upper tones dampened leaving the lower tones). I used to reshape bearing edges when I was building drums and those kinds of drums were a bear of a job because the customer wanted the contemporary back-beveled 45-degree edge which I think sound terrible...my favorit edge now, if I'm shaping a 100% maple shell is a round-over bit cut on the inside and the outer counter-cut...just makes a semi-circle profile and I think that mimics some of the controlled meaty sound of a vintage kit but still with the power and cut of a contemporary profile. Haven't found the right combination of heads yet for toms, but I'm really happy with the kick and snare sounds I get. Again, I think your kick is sounding great.
 
Thanks for the good report. Anyway for the microphones. They are both mxl 603 small condensers. I just got one back from having micheal Jolly from Oktavamod mod one of them. And that would be the first one you guys choose.
Using it with a drum overhead its kinda hard for me to hear if one is better than the other but if I sing into it I can tell its a much better mic now.
I hope to try it on acoustic next.
Again thanks for the help guys.
 
A little late (sorry)...hope you don't mind me chiming in. I write this before reading any other posts. Mic #1 sounds much better to me all by itself, but isn't it hard to know in advance which would work better in a full mix out of context like this? Just wondering. Anyway, the first mic sounds brighter, clearer and more well-rounded to my ears. Sounds really nice actually :).
 
I like the sound of both; I like that they're both different.

If #1 is brighter, #2 is "darker," which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I just don't know how mixing it against other instruments would go.

As for posting recordings here (instead of the MP3 forum), I'm all for that, too! I think it's a good idea to post analog specific recordings on this site, since most of us converse mainly within this forum and we can keep tabs on each others' progress.

Keep the great sounds coming!
-MD
 
And another thing...

It took me a minute to realize why I like the 2nd recording as much as I do (compared with everyone else): It reminds me of the drums in the Dirty Harry soundtrack that play whenever Scorpio is around; definitely a real '70s kind of tone, which can be a great thing for that kind of music and old sounding prog-rock, so I wouldn't totally rule all modding all MXL 603's.

-MD
 
Sounds good! I also prefer the first, though the second isn't bad. If the drums were backing a rock n roll outfit, you might not really notice in the mix?

I noticed that the tom was a bit loud in the mix, too. I usually go three mics on a kit, but am always careful to get as much snare as possible with my 'overhead' mics (which usually end up about four or five feet in front and behind the kit somewhere). Of course I'm not claiming to do great recordings or anything, but I've been pleased with the overall mix of the kit (with my drummer and for my band) when I've focused on getting the snare.

I didn't think modding those mics (of which I have a few!) would make much difference, but I'm convinced. Now I just need to find some DIY instructions on how to do it... Thanks for posting!
 
I hope I'm not too late, too. I agree and think #1 is best. Those are great drum sounds. I spent four hours last night trying to get a good kick sound with the head on and drum sound with one overhead (I was engineering myself and running 30 ft back and forth twisting knobs and listening to playback. But I got some sounds I'm happy with. I'm using a Rode NT 2 for overhead and a D112 on the kick about 2 feet in front of the head. The overhead is just about 3 feet above the snare and floor tom. I'm using real skin heads and trying for that late 50's early 60's sound.

Okay, I'm rambling. All I meant to say was, those are great drum sounds and it's very informative to hear home studio recordings of good sounds. Too many instructional videos and cd's use professional studios and you can only hope to get somewhat close to their examples!
 
Herm,

What is involved in the MXL mic mod? What did it cost you?

I'm really impressed with the difference...its a totally different mic after the mod...
 
What was done I cant really say cause I dont know. Here is the link for the oktavamod shop that did it. It was 89.00 plus about 7.00 shipping.
I have seen mods on the net that you can do yourself but I decided I just didnt want to do it myself. I have done my share if soldering and building kits and things like that when I was big into ham radio. Even built some high powered amps. But I just cant get into it anymore.
So I decided I would just pay the bucks and let Micheal Jolly do it. And I am glad i did. Like I mentioned earlier I cant hear the differance so much on drum overheads but on vocal I could hear a big improvement in the sound.
Here is the link for the Oktavamod page
http://www.oktavamodshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=117&osCsid=bnthlnhsciqu1ugln8241t09s6
 
I guess I should mention that I am trying to stay as simple as I can with micing and recording tracks and machines.
I Have 8 tracks and have had 16,s but my favorite way to record is with a 4 track reel to reel. Its just fun for me, I guess I am going back to when I was in my early 20,s and all me and most of my friends that where recording could only get 4 tracks.
I used to use adats and would put up 6 or seven mics and still hate the way everything sounded. So it seems for the sound I am looking for comes easier with less gear and I am having a bunch more fun now.
Now I just wish I could play guitar a little better so I could start recording more tunes. I have a few to get out before I catch up to Dave A Reel person:D
 
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