ManInMotion711
New member
I'm looking for a mic I can use to record my hi hat other then using an over head mic, any suggestions? And would the AT2021 be a good choice?
M
moresound
Loud Sun Studios
Dags
New member
Depending on the style of track and the sound you're after, I found a Shure SM57 mic to work well on hihat, especially when the drummer is smacking the rattly open hat like it needed to be knocked unconscious. The overheads still pick up all the brightness/air/transients from the hat, and the close mic SM57 doesn't make it sound too shrill.
Dags
Dags
T
Tomm Williams
New member
Another nice choice is the Beyer m201
xaudia
New member
Positioning is very important too.
I don't think I've ever used a hi hat spot mic in a mix, other than for special effects. Usually the hats come out way too loud anyway, and the problem i have is keeping them under control.
Does anyone know a mic that would make them actually quieter?!
I don't think I've ever used a hi hat spot mic in a mix, other than for special effects. Usually the hats come out way too loud anyway, and the problem i have is keeping them under control.
Does anyone know a mic that would make them actually quieter?!
JimmyS1969
MOODerator
Justsomeguy
Quiet is the new Loud
99.99% of the time i'm the same and, as such, very rarely use a spot mic on the hats.
on the rare occasion when i do use a HH mic i'm still yet to find something that i really really like. More than anything though the positioning of the mic is the crucial part here.
i've not tried the SM81 but from all i've heard from it i'd expect it to do a great job. The Oktava MK012's can do a great job (although i'd rather use them as overheads).
there was a great article that i read a while back with regards to drummers who hit the hats too hard. their solution was to close mic the hats and then feed the hats mic back into the drummers headphones quite loud. if they don't start playing lighter, just turn up the hats in their headphones until they do. it may verge on bullying but i've tried it a couple of times and found it's worked great
JimmyS1969
MOODerator
I must have lucked out, because I have never really had an issue with HH's too loud. Bleed through snare mic, a few times. But that was more of a wimpy snare hitter, than a HH beater. SM57 at an angle from the HH usually works. I think there is a null in high frequency just back and to the side of a 57. Directly behind it, don't work so well. That as always worked for me anyway. Otherwise, a boom stand with a towel over it can work. Best over the head of the crappy drummer, while you pummel him with eggs tho...lol
Did I mention that I am a drummer?
Did I mention that I am a drummer?
Steenamaroo
...
+1 to the sm81. If I ever see a hi hat mic it's usually an sm81.
Having said that, I agree with the guys who don't mic their hats. I usually find they're too loud rather than too quiet.
If I did have to mic a hat and the arsenal had already been deployed, I'd have no problems putting up a 57 or something cheap like a samson co2.
I'm sure either would do a fine job.
Having said that, I agree with the guys who don't mic their hats. I usually find they're too loud rather than too quiet.
If I did have to mic a hat and the arsenal had already been deployed, I'd have no problems putting up a 57 or something cheap like a samson co2.
I'm sure either would do a fine job.
Justsomeguy
Quiet is the new Loud
i've got no issues with 57's but i got very much put off the Samson CO2's after working with them as spot mics for rides and hi-hats live for a couple of years. in their defence, i don't think the only problem was the mic (the stage and PA setup was god awful, as was the desk i was using, but there was little i could do to change that
) but i found the CO2 to be very brash and almost aggressive sounding. They seemed ok for acoustic guitar and OH's but i don't think i'd ever grab one of them over a lot of other SDC'sAnd jimmy, i'll have a play around with a 57 and the angles because i'm quite intrigued now (i alway forget the best null points aren't always directly behind the mic). And how hard to you have to throw the eggs for it to be effective?
JimmyS1969
MOODerator
Usually eggs just find a way to hit drummers. Just toss one in the air, and I bet it finds one. Just run if it hits Greg. lol
HERE
Justsomeguy
Quiet is the new Loud
Cheers man, so it's not quite behind for the high end rejection, it's kinda just to one side of the backside. when i get a chance i shall play. I'm glad when polar pattern plots like this exist rather than the standard "it's just cardioid" pictures that mean very little
JimmyS1969
MOODerator
Yeah, that 150 degree mark is the goal for the angle of the mic, facing away from the HH's. It actually does help quite a bit. A thick towel, draped over a boom stand, can also help if there is room with the drummers kit setup. It will actually tame the 3-8k that seems to kill the snare tone with bleed. I must say tho, that I haven't had to use this for a while. Guess fear of eggs may have helped. lol
Farview
Well-known member
Just about any sdc or a 57. My placement tends to be a half inch off the edge of the hat pointed straight down at the ground. But there are situations where I don't like that. placement really depends on the drummer and the style of music.
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
For the first couple of years that I had the luxury of recording drums onto multiple tracks, I'd use a mic on the high hat. It was never "too loud" but it was certainly anything but quiet. I don't use a hat mic anymore because the way I place my overheads {they're actually more like underheads} means that the hat gets picked up so well. When I'm mixing the drums, I can always tell where I put the mics just by where the high hat and floor tom are.
In those high hat miking days, I'd use anything to hand, an S m 5 8, a Shure prologue, a Behringer eagle or a Superlux. I never used a condenser, always a dynamic. But they all did the biz. The hat mic was always just to bolster the overall overhead sound.