drum mics vs. crappy set

  • Thread starter Thread starter artCROSS
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artCROSS

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I have a very crappy pulse drum set (sells about 150 on musiciansfriend) but i love it to death. It does what i need it to do, which is mainly to let out some aggression :) However, i've been wanting to record it, in a mix with piano, distorted, clean, and acoustic guitar, and a bass, and I'm completely new to drum micing. My question is, is it worth it to buy an atm25 for the bass and a sm57 for the snare (using my existing condensers as overheads) or should i just buy one of those nady/samson/at drum mic kits that are $200 or less. Since the drums aren't high quality, would it be a waste of money to shell out for a nice kick/snare mic that would be limited in recording a decent sound source, or would using crappy mics just make a crappy set sound crappier?

also, i heard i could make the worst set sound better if i just put some decent heads on it...true or false? Any constructive advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
i also forgot, i would be using these drum mics in micing my real drummer's set, which is a very nice pearl custom.
 
ditto above. a 57 and an atm25 is a safe long term purchase.

also, i have never heard your drums, but the RIGHT heads will make a big difference, and might make your drums sound pretty cool.

sadly, a few sets of heads for your kit for experimenting purposes will probably cost you more than your drums did.

oh well, might as well start now. some nice new heads and good tuning are MUSTSSS
 
Thanks for the advice. I'm off to the store to get the 25 and 57, as well as some ebony heads (i know someone who has the exact set w/ these on and they sound wonderful on tape...well, computer...for what i want to mix it with).
 
Get the 57 and atm 25 ... unless you're interested in coming back to us a month from now asking why your drum sound sucks.:D IMO, homerecordists have no money to waste. You don't have time to get stuff that you'll end up selling. Buy once ... buy quality ... buy the best you can afford ... and grow!
 
yeah, putting good heads and tunning it well can make a crappy set sound a hell of alot better. I have a pearl forum that sounds 20 times better than it used to when i put new heads on it. so, i'd say shell out a little of money for heads and put the rest into some good mics.
 
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