Best possible overheads for drums

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nick The Man
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Nick The Man said:
please provide a price if possible
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ABout $2000 each. A few U87s will do the trick nicely.

Also two Shoeps CmC6's will do better for $3000 each.


Two of the best mics for overheads.
 
Best?

C'mon guys, there is no such thing as "best". Harvey Gerst summed it up really nice (in a great thread that I can never find) when he said that asking about the "best" mic is like asking about the "best" guitar. There is none! I'd really like a '59 Les Paul Custom, and it would be really expensive, but that doesn't make it the "best" guitar.

You've gotta say what you want the mic to sound like (to continue the guitar analogy, a '59 Les Paul Custom would be perfect if I wanted a Bluesbreaker sound).
 
mcolling said:
C'mon guys, there is no such thing as "best". Harvey Gerst summed it up really nice (in a great thread that I can never find) when he said that asking about the "best" mic is like asking about the "best" guitar. There is none!
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In theory, there is some merit to what you're saying.

But in this case, I'd have to say Acorec is right when he says two Shoeps CmC6's. :D If, theoretically, there was such a thing as "the best" ... those would probably come pretty damn close to fitting that description.
 
Anyone using ribbon mics for overheads? I've heard good things and want to try them out, but don't have any at this point.
 
chessrock said:
I'd have to say Acorec is right when he says two Shoeps CmC6's. :D If, theoretically, there was such a thing as "the best" ... those would probably come pretty damn close to fitting that description.
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I'll have to take your word for that :D

And ya, a '59 Les Paul Custom is probably pretty close to the "best" guitar, and a strad is pretty close to the "best" violin, but these are definitional issues. For instance, the strad is considered the best violin, because it is what a violin is supposed to sound like by definition.
 
I don't want to understimate a good mic,but i would like to point out that in today's recording market,(this by being a session musician,and percussion-sound-designer),the tricks are in the equalization of tracks and the software used to process the sound.Then a few cookies,(equipments),used for mixing and Mastering.Gerry Zaragemca
 
i would say an american srat would be the best..... ever realize most of the legends used strats .... jimi, stevie, BB King, Clapton...etc.
 
I agree that it could quite possibly be schoeps cmc6/mk4's. They are only about $2500 for the pair though. That being said, I've never stuck a pair of 251's or anything like that up there.
 
Nick The Man said:
i would say an american srat would be the best..... ever realize most of the legends used strats .... jimi, stevie, BB King, Clapton...etc.
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BB King does not use a strat. Clapton used a les paul for a while too. :)
 
Sure all the blues guys played strats.

I want a guitar with balls!
 
AKG 414's have long been a proven standard for recording rock drums. Can't go wrong with those. The Peluso 22 251 is close to what you'd get with a multi-pattern tube version of the 414. Both the 414 and the 22 251 have the C-12 in their heritage.

While certainly not a complete list: I have experience using the following mics on drum OH's with great results and would recommend any of them for that application. I'd also recommend using them with a good mic preamp. And if you only have 2 channels of good preamps, OH's would be the most important drum application to use them.

AKG 414
AKG 451
Neumann U87
Red5 Audio RV8
Peluso 22 251
Peluso CEMC6
Audio Technica AT4040
Schoeps CMC64
Neumann KM84
Neumann KM184
Josephson C42
Pearl CC22
Coles 4038
Royer 121
AEA R84
Oktava MK319
Oktava MC012
Studio Projects B1
Studio Projects C4
Groove Tubes GT44
Groove Tubes GT33
Crown PZM
Earthworks QTC1
Earthworks SR77
 
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I really enjoyed using the AT4051 for overheads. About 250.00-300.00 each on Ebay. I'm tinkering with a pair of KSM44's right now. I'll get more overall mileage out of the Shures.
 
Nick The Man said:
i would say an american srat would be the best..... ever realize most of the legends used strats .... jimi, stevie, BB King, Clapton...etc.
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BB does not use a strat. I read an article on this recently, Gibson designs a new custom Lucille ever 3 or 4 years for him. Exactly to his specs.

Wouldn't that be nice, but play 300 and some odd sold out shows a year, and you get that sort of respect
 
zaragemca said:
I don't want to understimate a good mic,but i would like to point out that in today's recording market,(this by being a session musician,and percussion-sound-designer),the tricks are in the equalization of tracks and the software used to process the sound.Then a few cookies,(equipments),used for mixing and Mastering.Gerry Zaragemca
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Um, I would have to disagree. While equalization and other "tricks" as you put it, help. If you don't have a good sound to begin with, from proper mic placement, and mic selection, those tricks mean nothing. You can't make a bad recording sound great using tricks. Great recordings come from great performances, on great instruments, recorded with great gear.

While I agree, with todays equipment, you can make a good recording with a smaller budget than ten years ago, but to say that good recordings are made with tricks and cookies, rather than mics, is false!
 
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