Help with choosing mics...

G

goldie

New member
I'm looking to set-up a home studio and have about $800 to work with for mics. My goal would be a set of good drum mics for a 4 piece kit (2 toms, bass and snare) and a good vocal mic. If it matters, the interface will most likely be a firepod.

Here is some mics I've been looking into:
1 SM57: Snare, Guitars, (maybe 2 more for toms) - $90
1 Beta52: Bass Drum and Guitar - $190
2 JM27: Overheads - $90

If these were good choices I would need something for toms and vocals.

Thanks!
 
i have almost that same setup(firepod too), except a shitty kick mic. the jm27's are awesome for the money. i don't mic the toms, but the drums always sound real good with those mics going straight into the firepod.
 
If you really want a great sound, buy a Beta52 used, and don't worry about tom mics quite yet. MXL 603 Small diaphgram condensers are killer for drum overheads. You can get a matched pair with shockmounts for 200 bucks. The JoeMeek SDC's are OK, but the 603's are much better for drum OH. Keep in mind the OHs will provide the main drum sound, while the kick and snare mic are mixed in to add more punch and body. OH's are the important part!
 
I've said it before, but I think anyone in your situation needs five mics, and it looks like you've got four of them figured out. Everybody needs 1 common dynamic (SM57), 1 Large dynamic (Beta 52, AKG d112), 2 SDC's (JM27, MXL603, Oktava MK012) and 1 LDC (Lots of choices)...

So you've got 800 to work with? Where do you really want to sink your money? Do you want a GREAT LDC, mediocre for the rest or do you want it pretty equal across the mics you get?

Here's what I would do:
SM57 - 90 (try to get a used one - 60)
Beta 52/AKGD112 - 200 (used 150 and I like the D112 personally)
Oktava MK012 (russians) - 250ish (used 200) (I've had 603's and JM27's and I'd pick the 012's first, the 603's next and the JM27's last)
So far that's somewhere between 410 and 540...That gives you somewhere between 390 and 260 bucks to play with for an LDC.

My top choice, ringing under 350 used would be a Rode NTK. I love mine. Right after that would be steeper at about 400 used for a At 4050, simply because it's very typically called a workhorse mic and as far as I understand everyone has one...I liked the one I got to try out very much, and wish I had the Cash to get one. If we're looking at cheaper mics I would say that the AT 4040, the CAD M179, and the SP C1 are typical examples, and if you work it right you could get 2 of those three choices, especially if you look for used mics. I've used all 5 of the choices I've listed, and with all of them I have had great experiences and little to no problems. If I were to add to the list I had up there I'd go with the CAD M179 (used 150) and the AT 4040 (used 200).

That's just my opinion.

Jacob
 
jkokura said:
I've said it before, but I think anyone in your situation needs five mics, and it looks like you've got four of them figured out. Everybody needs 1 common dynamic (SM57), 1 Large dynamic (Beta 52, AKG d112), 2 SDC's (JM27, MXL603, Oktava MK012) and 1 LDC (Lots of choices)...

So you've got 800 to work with? Where do you really want to sink your money? Do you want a GREAT LDC, mediocre for the rest or do you want it pretty equal across the mics you get?

Here's what I would do:
SM57 - 90 (try to get a used one - 60)
Beta 52/AKGD112 - 200 (used 150 and I like the D112 personally)
Oktava MK012 (russians) - 250ish (used 200) (I've had 603's and JM27's and I'd pick the 012's first, the 603's next and the JM27's last)
So far that's somewhere between 410 and 540...That gives you somewhere between 390 and 260 bucks to play with for an LDC.

My top choice, ringing under 350 used would be a Rode NTK. I love mine. Right after that would be steeper at about 400 used for a At 4050, simply because it's very typically called a workhorse mic and as far as I understand everyone has one...I liked the one I got to try out very much, and wish I had the Cash to get one. If we're looking at cheaper mics I would say that the AT 4040, the CAD M179, and the SP C1 are typical examples, and if you work it right you could get 2 of those three choices, especially if you look for used mics. I've used all 5 of the choices I've listed, and with all of them I have had great experiences and little to no problems. If I were to add to the list I had up there I'd go with the CAD M179 (used 150) and the AT 4040 (used 200).

That's just my opinion.

Jacob
Click to expand...

Good post. I've got a Studio Projects C1, a pair of MXL 603s's, and an sm57. I've also got an audix OM5 for live vocals, but I feel if I had a large dynamic for kick (which would complete the 5 types listed above), I could get a pretty decent drum kit recording.

I picked up teh pair of 603's and the C1 for $300 total - buying used is definately the way to go.
 
Thanks everyone, all the posts are very helpful.

I understand I don't NEED them but what would be good mics for the toms?
 
goldie said:
Thanks everyone, all the posts are very helpful.

I understand I don't NEED them but what would be good mics for the toms?
Click to expand...

On the cheep - 57's, Beta 56's
Little more expensive (worth it) - MD421's, MD441's

Jacob
 
goldie said:
Thanks everyone, all the posts are very helpful.

I understand I don't NEED them but what would be good mics for the toms?
Click to expand...

For now, on the cheap, get a 3 pack of GLS ES57's from ebay for under hundred shipped. Haven't used them myself but the few clips I have heard of them in action on toms, they will probably satisfy you for now. And since you only have two toms, you could use the third es57 on snare bottom or something.
 
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