Which of these these do you think would do the better job at recording 2 floor toms (14" + 16") ...placing the mic in the middle of the two.
AKG D550
AKG D22
Audix F12
CAD KM212
plain old SM57
please don't suggest something like the md421 or d112, we're talking small budget here.
Pfft! The SM57 would be my first choice out of that batch!
It's the most widely used tom/snare mic in history! How could you possibly make it your last choice?
Record much?
Record much?
Pfft! The SM57 would be my first choice out of that batch!
It's the most widely used tom/snare mic in history! How could you possibly make it your last choice?
Record much?
It's the most widely used tom/snare mic in history! How could you possibly make it your last choice?![]()
If you want a little extra "thump" out of the floor tom, you might also check out the Audio-Technica PRO-25. I saw these on closeout at MF last week for $50. I've used them on kick drums before with very good results.
Yeah, only 100's of studio sessions and 1000's of live shows in the past 25 years.
Whatever. A late night/early morning response, let me add a little: If I were on a budget, I wouldn't be looking at a 57... Although I might go for the ES57 cloned version at a 3:1 ratio. And frankly the fact that the 57 is IS used so much, and is so overpriced, makes me loathe to use it or recommend it.
By the same token, the Ford Escort sold more units than almost any other car for most of its reign.
My gut says that the SM57 is used so broadly not because it is necessarily the best for the job, but because it is the most common. Any number of dynamics should be fine on floor tom, and the SM57 lies somewhere in that continuum.
Yeah you know that most of the big PA guys like the 57 because its so common.
Yeah, because professional engineers in the record industry don't really care what sounds good on something, they just grab whatever's handy.![]()
PA guys like it because its response curve is tailored for feedback rejection---precisely the opposite of what I look for in a mic for recording, generally speaking.