Audix Drum Mics

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wesmsl

New member
Has anyone had experience using Audix Drum Mics? I am looking to upgrade my tom mics to nicer condensers. I'm specifically looking at the Audix F90's and the MicroD's for toms.

Also, Are the Audix i5 mics better than a Shure SM57 when micing a snare?


If anyone has any insight on these mics, it would be greatly appreciated.
 
mixsit said:
my only opine' is
i5 / 57 on snare = different' rather than better.
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Was having this exact same discussion with a friend today and the i5/57 comparison came to same conclusion; different, not better. He really wants the D series drum kit set, i mentioned the F series, his final point (which i couldn't argue with) was that even if he got the F series (which we both agreed from our limited use are pretty good) he'd still lust after the D series stuff so would rather save up the extra cash and only spend once. He constantly preaches the "Buy cheap; spend twice" mantra at me
 
I had the F series stuff (3 f10s, 1 f12, and 2 f15s).

The f15s are pretty blah once you upgrade to a nice pair of SDCs. Honestly after doing what I did, I totally regret cheaping out on the OH mics, if your gonna put money into mics these should be first and everything else second.

The f10s were ok, kind of muddy. They sound nothing like their D counterparts.

The f12 was just all around bad in my opinion, I hated that mic the most.

I had a friend with the F14 kick mic and that was actually really usable, it was similar to the D6 (that I own currently) but didn't pick up quite as much of the super low end stuff. Very hyped smily face response though like the D6.

I have the i5 and 57. They are indeed just different IMO. One plus to the i5 though is that I think it would survive better if someone hit it with a drum stick.
 
moresound said:
Not really an Audix fan myself.
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Unusually, I'm going to disagree with Henry. I'm a huge Audix fan for a couple of applications.

First, I think their drum mic kits represent excellent value for money and give a great sound. In particular the D6 kick mic is my tool of choice for any drum miking. The rest of the kit mics all sound very good to me--I might do better buying a bunch of individual mics for specific jobs but to get the same quality I'd be spending many times the money. I'll agree that the i5 mics are "different" from the SM57 but different in a way that is pleasing to my ear--for the majority of my jobs I'd choose the i5. (Sorry Henry...I know that to an SM57 fan like you that must seem like sacrilege!)

Note that my my experience is with their D series kits--I've not tried the F series which seem unpopular in here.
 
Oh don't get me wrong Bob. I have a few i5's and the little brother f5's also two of the condensers f15's that came in on a group buy. They get used every now and again.
 
Guitargodgt said:
I've heard these clip really easily which boggles my mind as they are drum mics. :facepalm:
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For me, clipping wasn't the problem. They just have a distant/undetailed sound overall. My SM57s blew them out of the water. And the worst part about it was I already had the 57s when I got the Audix set.

I love love love the Audix D6 though, so the set wasn't a total loss.
 
I'm a big fan of Audix mics myself. Have been using a D1 on snare for years and D6 on kick. I use my i5 on guitar mostly because my 57s are usually in use elsewhere and I only have 2. The D1 is great on snare where I had traditionally used a 57 for years. Can't go wrong with the D1 and D6 combo IMHO.
 
I ordered some audix mics a while back. Unfortunately the package was stolen from my door so I never got to use em. During a live show 2 weeks ago the sound guy used a D6 on the bass drum and it sounded fat!
 
I've only used the D6 and the I5. The D6 is nice for metal - it's a more compressed, less fluffy sound than I get with the D 112 that I normally use. The I5 seems more mid-scooped than the 57 to me, but have both and use both - kinda depends on what the snare sounds like and what you want to recorded snare to sound like as to which to choose. Yeah - different but not better.

edit: I bought the D6 non-functional, so I had to deal with Audix to get a replacement capsule - it was pretty cheap, and they were really easy to deal with, if that makes a difference.
 
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