Are shure sm57's good?

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msblaze

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i was wondering if a couple of sure sm57's would be good for overheads on my drums?
 
Some people use dynamic mics, such as 57s as overheads, but it's generally not recommended. Most people use condensor mics for overheads, because they pick up all the frequencies of the kit better (i.e. dynamics mics won't pick up cymbals as well as condensors).
 
It's not a matter of placement, it's the type of mic that they are.
If you already have them, by all means, use them, but if you don't I would seriously look into a pair of decent condensers.

For years I recorded without overheads. I just mic'd the drumkit, and instead of close mic'ing the toms, put them about halfway between the toms and cymbals, and aimed them at the toms. What I always called "underheads". It will pick up the cymbals, but they'll be lower in the mix that the toms. Then just EQ the tracks to sound good for the toms - the cymbals will cut through them.

The only thing is, you can't use a noise gate on the toms if you do this because your cymbals will get cut off when the noise gate shuts.




Tim
 
yeah, i don't have them i could just get a deal if i 3 or 4 haha what cheap condensors would you recomend?
 
The 57 is basically a good, all purpose dynamic which can be used in a variety
of mic'ing situations & applications. Though hi'ly recommended & widely used for amp-micing, you can get by utilizing 57's as overheads provided you can find that right mic placement (experiment) that captures the sound you want and/or adjust the dynamics (either thru your perf, signal proc'ing or both).

However keep in mind that overheads are way more important than mic'ing a drum individually. Overheads should be where the majority of the kit's sounds come from with each drum's individual mic basically used to "fatten" the
stereo image of the overheads. In this regard, like Ride the Crash stated, hi-sens. condensors are much better suited for this job than dynamics.
 
so then i should get condensors? and just a couple sm57's for a snare and an amp?
 
msblaze said:
so then i should get condensors? and just a couple sm57's for a snare and an amp?
Click to expand...

You learn very quickly gwass-hoppa'! ;) :p
 
Yeah. I believe there is a non-matched pair of MXL 603's in the for sale forum here. Those would most likely do a decent job.
 
Agreed. Go with condensors for overheads. 57's are a totally different beast. They're better suited for close miking and the snare is where they primarily excel. Depending on the type, condensors are more sensitive, catch more high-end crispness and are tailor made for ambience miking than the 57's because of their differing intention of application. Get a couple condensors AND 57s to get the best of both worlds.

To append to all the valid points stated so far, there's two different condensors you can go with- Large diaphragm (LDCs)and small diaphragm (SDCs) and to my ears, LDCs work better as modern overheads simply because of the wider frequency response they pick up.

For starter condensors, you could go on the low-budget end with MXLs. They do a mighty fine job with drums for the price. Right now, I'm really liking the 990's (LDCs) as overheads for my drums. They seem to more acurately capture the sound of my kit closer to as I actually hear it with my ears in the room itself but any condensor you go with should get the job done great as overheads. Adding condensors along with close-miking seems to make your close-proximity miking make more "sense" to your ears as opposed to just one or the other. The sum is greater than the whole of the parts when you mike both ways (close and ambient).

I don't know what the other gurus around here may think about this general approach but the LDCs as overheads seem more ideal than the SDC's to me....all the SDC's I've dealt with sound too sharp alone where I'm looking for a fuller, richer overhead sound including the SDC sharpness that the LDCs seem to accomplish better. .
 
fritzmusic said:
Agreed. Go with condensors for overheads. 57's are a totally different beast. They're better suited for close miking and the snare is where they primarily excel. Depending on the type, condensors are more sensitive, catch more high-end crispness and are tailor made for ambience miking than the 57's because of their differing intention of application. Get a couple condensors AND 57s to get the best of both worlds.

To append to all the valid points stated so far, there's two different condensors you can go with- Large diaphragm (LDCs)and small diaphragm (SDCs) and to my ears, LDCs work better as modern overheads simply because of the wider frequency response they pick up.

For starter condensors, you could go on the low-budget end with MXLs. They do a mighty fine job with drums for the price. Right now, I'm really liking the 990's (LDCs) as overheads for my drums. They seem to more acurately capture the sound of my kit closer to as I actually hear it with my ears in the room itself but any condensor you go with should get the job done great as overheads. Adding condensors along with close-miking seems to make your close-proximity miking make more "sense" to your ears as opposed to just one or the other. The sum is greater than the whole of the parts when you mike both ways (close and ambient).

I don't know what the other gurus around here may think about this general approach but the LDCs as overheads seem more ideal than the SDC's to me....all the SDC's I've dealt with sound too sharp alone where I'm looking for a fuller, richer overhead sound including the SDC sharpness that the LDCs seem to accomplish better. .
Click to expand...


Ahh! They fooled ya! The 990 is a Small Diaphragm Condenser! They just stuck it in the big case. It's pretty much the same condenser that's in the 603's.


I think the reason that the 990's seem to work the way they do has to do with the case design. I like the 990's as overheads, but I also like the 603's and 991's as overheads as well.

The 2003, or whatever I have I didn't like as an overhead.(I just went and looked and it doesn't even say what model it is on it. It's one of their black "Vocal" models. Actually I liked it for vocals and it was KILLER on a Bass guitar amp.


Tim
 
You can also look into Behringer ECM8000s. They aren't the greatest, but they are pretty accurate sounding to me. They are also omnidirectional, which means they pick up sound around them at equal levels, unlike a cardiod, which would have a pickup pattern for what's directly in front of it.

They're better if you have a good sounding room. Unfortunately, while they sound accurate for me, my room also sounds like crap. But if you can get your hands on the MXLs, I'd go for those.
 
RideTheCrash said:
You can also look into Behringer ECM8000s. They aren't the greatest, but they are pretty accurate sounding to me. They are also omnidirectional, which means they pick up sound around them at equal levels, unlike a cardiod, which would have a pickup pattern for what's directly in front of it.

They're better if you have a good sounding room. Unfortunately, while they sound accurate for me, my room also sounds like crap. But if you can get your hands on the MXLs, I'd go for those.
Click to expand...

A few years back, esteemed audio engineer Harvey Gerst posted in the Mic Forum here, a "BUY" order for the ECM's. His recommendation & hi opinion of the ECM's as a capable performer for overhead duty had many of us bum-rushing 8TH STREET MUSIC with purchase orders for these omni's (your's truly bought 2 of 'em @ $35 a piece)! These mics used in pairs (packaged in old multi-cassette cases), does a decent job of picking up sounds in all directions (which one want's from overheads) fairly equally & the ability to capture an adequate "stereo image".
If you're on an extremely tight budget and your room has decent-to-above-avg acoustics, ECM8000's will provide you with a nice, workmanlike alternative to hi'er-priced condensors.

(This comin' from a guy,ME, who is a confirmed BEHRINGER-HATER!!)
 
true Q, my first condensor mic. and i still put it up these days. i might even get another, and i keep forgetting it's a Berry!! (maybe it's not! :) )
 
i have also used the ecm 8000 's with good results. they are a great bang for the buck option.
 
Tim Brown said:
Ahh! They fooled ya! The 990 is a Small Diaphragm Condenser! They just stuck it in the big case. It's pretty much the same condenser that's in the 603's.
Tim
Click to expand...

You're right. You got me on that one. Never messed with 603's yet but if they aren't better than the 991's, I'm not interested. The housing does makes it a unique mic for drums because of it's sweet frequency response. I've used a Neumann TLM 103 before as overhead and frankly, the 990 has thusfar blown it clean out of the water in terms of general versatility for the drums but vis-a-vis, the 990 sucked for vocals over the Neumann.
 
drum overheads

it really depends on the sound you're going for.
a lot of people would definately say get a reasonbly good pair of condenser, but for the dynamic mics or ribbon mics can make wonderful overheads if you're going for that sound.

they often used 1 dynamic mic for an overhead on beatles records -at least up to revolver- and also used one ribbon mic for an overhead.

if you want a "modern" sound, with very crisp high end, then go with 2 condenser overheads,
if you're looking for a 'dirtier', 'fatter' sound, try a 57 or two. or mix it up from song to song.
sometimes a crappy radio shack mic across the room might offer just what you want.

i also would be a little leery of a the 2 overhead condenser, simply because your drum sounds will be very similar to many, many other peoples'. but maybe that's what you're looking for.
experiment.
 
i have AKG C430's for overheads. very satisfied. $199 for a Pair.
 
in a nutshel: 57's are good and can be great. many many major studios have 57s... check a list of mics at any studio and i promise youll find atleast one. theyre very commonly used for drums too. Ed Rose (The Get Up Kids, New Amsterdams, Reggie and the Full Effect) uses 57s on every cd he has made to this day and im sure hes not the only engineer who puts them to use.
 
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