Drum Mic Kits..

W

without a trace

New member
any recommendations??
or is buying a kit not the way to go?
i'm just looking for the cheap, yet decent quality, set of mics to record my buddy...

suggest something good please : )
 
Yes you can get a kit, but none I've ever worked with made the cost worth it. I've seen some from Samson and AT and yes they cost lest, but usually all they contain is some tom mics and some mics that 'say' they're for snare or kick but rarely do them justice.

I think you can get the mics you need without buying a kit... get some 57's or e604's for your toms and they'll be better than most of those Nady or other mic kits... you can pick up a few at 50 bucks each... and for a kick mic get a used D112 or Beta 52 for 125 or so... overheads get yourself a matched pair like the Oktava MK012's or the MXL 603s...and for snare you can use a 57, or if you want try a Beyer M201 - you won't regret that...

total: toms 150, kick 125, overheads 200, snare 50-150 = $550-650

if you have to skimp on cash, I would say skip the toms and get a kick, a snare and a pair of OH's...that's 400 now...and you'll get great results if all you're doing is demo work.

Jacob
 
Don't buy a kit. You might end up with a tom or snare mic that you like, but the kick will suck or vice versa, and every combination you can think of. Test drive and/or ask questions until you find the right mic for the right drum, or overhead. You will be much happier in the long run.

Trust me! I wish someone told me this before I bought my first mic kit.
 
I concur

These guys are right - the only kits worth looking into are WAY too expensive for most of us, like the Earthworks kit and the Beyer Dynamics Opus kit.
 
thanks boysss i was gonna waste my money on a kit just cause it seemed like the easiest thing to do but i think ill opt for the mix and match
 
I just got an audix kit for $379 with a D6, 3 AD-X90's and four 20' cables and I like it just fine (it was advertised by Musicians friend for $399 and ten foot cables but the lady gave me $20 off and when it arrived it had 20' cables). I compared it to using all 57's and the quality is similar but the D6 is way better than a 57 on bass drum IMHO. Using the audix condensor's and thier attachments freed up my boom stands for other tasks (I record live sometimes) and they sound fine. Just as good as the 57's and cheaper.

I still use a 57 on snare drum.
 
it's not always necessary to use a maximum mic technique.

try spending a while getting good placement of OH, but don't think of OH as cymbal mics as they're not! they are whole kit mics..

if you're using a spaced pair, it's quite important to have them equi-distant from the snare drum as when they are pan'ed this will give you the snare in the middle. having them spaced will give you a much wider stereo imagine than having them coinciding. however, there will be more phase problems with having them spaced, so you might want to spend some time flipping the phase on all mics until you achieve the sound you like. a coincident pair of OH will give you a tighter stereo image but you may have problems getting a proper balance between each kit piece.

i would try getting a good pair of OH's, a D112 for the kick and SM57 for the snare bottom. with that you should be able to get a good sound. look at a pair of C414's if you can afford them, or also look at the AT 4033s and 4060s.

you may find it easier messing about with OH placements than trying to mix a fully mic'd up kit!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top