RawDepth
New member
The reason I asked...
I have been looking for good tom mics. By good I mean having lots of full rich low end without being hyped like a kick drum mic or cheap tom mics. I heard a recording that had just the sort of gorgeous sounding toms that I've been dreaming of. I later learned that they had used Shure KSM32 on each tom. I studied the specs of that mic and discovered that it was very flat from about 2000Hz all the way down to 20Hz. Something that most cheap tom mics do not have. They generally drop off at 50 to 100Hz. That strong support in the bass region must be the key to sweeter sounding toms. But alas, at $500+ for each mic I could not buy three or four of those honkers.
I searched the frequency response charts of other mics and found the SM27 was similar. It sells for $300. The CAD M179 also tests flat down to 10Hz in cardioid mode, for about $170 but I never had a CAD before. They may work just as good.
I ended up buying one SM27 recently and ran home to try it out. To my delight my tom(s) sounded far better than they ever have before. It was so damn easy to EQ the sweet spot right in on them. I A/B'ed it with SM57 and a cheap tom mic. Shit, not even close. It blew them both out of the water. The difference was so obvious even my little sister could tell. Wow, I need 3 more of these things and fast.
I am considering going into debt to get a few more but then, I noticed a new mic on the front of a recent mailbox catalog. Shure added a studio mic to their PG line. It is a 27mm side address condenser very similar to the SM27, but at half the price again at $150. It has almost the same frequency response as its big brother. I wonder if it is the same diaphragm and how it compares in sound.
Anyone tried it yet?
I have been looking for good tom mics. By good I mean having lots of full rich low end without being hyped like a kick drum mic or cheap tom mics. I heard a recording that had just the sort of gorgeous sounding toms that I've been dreaming of. I later learned that they had used Shure KSM32 on each tom. I studied the specs of that mic and discovered that it was very flat from about 2000Hz all the way down to 20Hz. Something that most cheap tom mics do not have. They generally drop off at 50 to 100Hz. That strong support in the bass region must be the key to sweeter sounding toms. But alas, at $500+ for each mic I could not buy three or four of those honkers.
I searched the frequency response charts of other mics and found the SM27 was similar. It sells for $300. The CAD M179 also tests flat down to 10Hz in cardioid mode, for about $170 but I never had a CAD before. They may work just as good.
I ended up buying one SM27 recently and ran home to try it out. To my delight my tom(s) sounded far better than they ever have before. It was so damn easy to EQ the sweet spot right in on them. I A/B'ed it with SM57 and a cheap tom mic. Shit, not even close. It blew them both out of the water. The difference was so obvious even my little sister could tell. Wow, I need 3 more of these things and fast.
I am considering going into debt to get a few more but then, I noticed a new mic on the front of a recent mailbox catalog. Shure added a studio mic to their PG line. It is a 27mm side address condenser very similar to the SM27, but at half the price again at $150. It has almost the same frequency response as its big brother. I wonder if it is the same diaphragm and how it compares in sound.
Anyone tried it yet?
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