An Audio Technica drum kit high quality yet reasonable and versatile

[hairylarry]

Hi,

I like to mic drums with 4 mics. A stereo pair of overheads, a kick mic and a snare mic. This gives a stereo image of the drum kit and good control over the drum mix in post.

Now I'm retired and recording is my hobby and obsession so the most famous kick mics were out of reach for me. After doing a lot of reading I decided to get the Audio Technica ATM25. This is a really good kick mic and it's also a versatile cardiod dynamic good for horns and any bass instrument.

More reading convinced me to try the AT Pro 37 mics for overheads. These are cardiod condensers. I got a Pro 37r first and loved it for acoustic guitar. When I read what people were saying about them for overheads I was determined to get another one. I contacted Audio Technica and they told me the Pro 37 and the Pro 37r are the same mic. At some point they decided to drop the r. So now I have one of each.

I used them with my SM57 or my SM56 on snare and really liked the sound I was getting. Then browsing on ebay I noticed the ATM63HE looked a lot like the ATM25. After more reading I decided I would like to try one on snare. So back to ebay and several months later I lucked out and got one in my price range.

I just finished mixing down three Jazz songs recorded for a Jazz clinic. I'm knocked out with the drum sound. I really love it. The cymbals and drum rolls are very detailed. The kick moves air and the snare snaps. I'm extremely pleased.

Now for the nitty gritty. I bought all these mics used. I work hard at getting good prices on ebay, I don't get carried away and I have a lot of patience. You may get by cheaper or you may spend more. This is what these fine microphones cost me, shipping included.

1 - Audio Technica ATM25 kick mic cardiod dynamic $62.11
1 - Audio Technica ATM63HE mic hypercardiod dynamic $52.00
1 - Audio Technica Pro37 - cardiod condenser - drum overhead $68.77
1 - Audio Technica Pro37R - cardiod condenser - drum overhead $55.99

So that's 238.87 for the whole kit. Most studios have more than that into their kick mic. (EV RE20)

And that's not the end of the goodness. These mics are all versatile. I'm using the Pro 37 pair on acoustic guitar on another project. I'm sure the ATM63HE makes a good cabinet or horn mic. And, like the RE20, the ATM25 is a good all around dynamic. I mean, I'm not using it for voice over but I probably could.

One trick I use with the ATM25 when miking drums live instead of sticking it in the kick drum I stick it in front of the kit a foot or two from the kick and it picks up the whole kit. Cymbals and all. Sweet.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

 

[sockswithshoes]

Post up a sample of these drums, if you don't mind. I'm one of those guys with the kick mic investments (re20, d6, e902, d122) but have never heard the atm25

 

[hairylarry]

sockswithshoes,

I'll see if it's ok to post. I always wanted an RE20. I'm an EV fanatic. Maybe I'll get one sometime.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

 

[hairylarry]

Samples of drums with the ATM25 on kick

Post up a sample of these drums, if you don't mind. I'm one of those guys with the kick mic investments (re20, d6, e902, d122) but have never heard the atm25

I haven't found out about the Jazz session yet but here's a link to my Blues CD, Lil Sonny Boy Hisself.

Lil Sonny Boy Hisself : Hairy Larry : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

I used the Audio Technica mics listed above except I have an SM56 on snare.

The .flac files are CD quality. Exactly the same as the .wav files I used for the CD.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

 

[moresound]

Hey HL those are good AT microphones, in fact I have use the ATM 25 live on the snare for several years now with great results.

 

[hairylarry]

Hey HL those are good AT microphones, in fact I have use the ATM 25 live on the snare for several years now with great results.

I never thought about it as a snare mic but it's very small and I bet that helps placing it. I like the ATM25 for it's versatility. It's a good general purpose dynamic cardiod that you can try anywhere you would use a dynamic cardiod. You do need to be careful placing it in the kick drum unlike the tailored kick mics but the tailored kick mics are really good only for kick. If everything you record has a kick drum in it (or if you have way too many mics like me) that's not really a problem.

The ATM63HE is in the same series and designed for snare. I've used it on one session so far and it did great. It's also general purpose. I'm sure it would be a good cab mic although I haven't tried it for that yet.

The Pro 37s are little jewels. They have been recommended by Steve Albini and Bob Weston. Here's a thread on tapeop that speaks to their versatility.

Tape Op Message Board :: View topic - Audio-Technica Pro 37?

They have them at buy.com for $120 new now. They list them as handheld???

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

 

[sockswithshoes]

I like this drum sound. Very natural sounding and seems to be a good representation of what a drum kit sounds like. I will have to keep my eye out for the ATM 25

 

[drumslinger]

HL,

nice blues tunes. makes me wanna break out the liquor bottles.....lol

 

[moresound]

I like this drum sound. Very natural sounding and seems to be a good representation of what a drum kit sounds like. I will have to keep my eye out for the ATM 25

SWS ..... they have become a microphone that everyone wants now.
Every so often you can find them used on evilbay.

 

[hairylarry]

HL,

nice blues tunes. makes me wanna break out the liquor bottles.....lol

Yeah, when I heard John Shepherd's lyric "Johnny was my best friend" I thought he was talking about Johnny Walker Red. But later her told me it was a reference to staying up late and watching Johnny Carson.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

 

[hairylarry]

I like this drum sound. Very natural sounding and seems to be a good representation of what a drum kit sounds like. I will have to keep my eye out for the ATM 25

Yeah, and having a great drummer like Luke Reed didn't hurt the drum sound either. I have added more sound dampening to my drum area since I recorded the Blues CD and I like it even better now.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

 

[hairylarry]

SWS ..... they have become a microphone that everyone wants now.
Every so often you can find them used on evilbay.

Hi,

They have one listed now at $160 with 4 days left. I'm glad I got mine when I did.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

 

[moresound]

Hi,

They have one listed now at $160 with 4 days left. I'm glad I got mine when I did.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

Wow Really? They may start to get right up there surpassing the gold standard give it time.
Imagine The country's economy Finance backed by microphones.