I can't decide on drum overheads!!

[Jsn7821]

I currently have a Senheiser e609, SM57, and audio technica pro25.

I get a good sound from the e609 on my guitar cab. In fact I love the sound I get, I was amazed. My bassist's amp has a line-out, and I think that gets a pretty good sound as well.

SM57 gets a pretty nice chunky sound on the snare, as does the pro25 on the kick. Couldn't ask for more for the price of those. For a while I was using Behringer C2 pair (the pair that goes for only $50 so i tried them out), they made my set sound like it had three of the same tom's, and a hollow splash. Half of that was due to not knowing how to tune them properly, but I decided to return the C2 pair anyway. Now I am looking for another set, and I have a bit more money. I would love to do the 4 mic technique...

I've been hearding a lot about the behringer ECM8000 used as overheads... but i'm very skeptical that they will sound just as hollow as the C2's. Im also looking at Samson C02 matched pair, but I haven't heard many good things about them. I have also been thinking about a B1, because I don't have a vocal mic (then again I'm not too worried about vocals, we don't have a singer)

My budget is $200 max, $100 preferably... ebay would probably be a nice option. I think I want to go for a led-zeppelin/ratm/rock/funk type of sound, instead of a metal/punk sound.

Any help is much appreciated

 

[hotwatertim72]

Hey I may not be as knowledgable as some the other guys here, but for your budget I would reccomend the MXL 603's. They go for 200 a pair on musicians friend, but here's a link to some on ebay brand new for 70 bucks each
MXL 603 on ebay

That's what I would suggest and have used myself. Wait for some more replies to see what other mics are out there.

 

[cpl_crud]

Mybe some Rode NT5s. They sell in mathced pairs for around AUS$500... maybe a bit too much for you, but I find that the majority of Rode's stuff has decent clarity, espicially for the price... I've never had a problem with mine, nor my NT-4 (which I occasionlly crack out for overhead duty.

Plus, they're australian, and it's about time the rest of the world started buying stuff from us.. heh...

Otherwise, you could have a look at the SE1A. I haven't had a chance to check one out personally, however I've heard half-decent things about it; maybe you could find one in a shop somewhere and ask for a quick demo.
There's also the PG81 by Shure, not my favourite mic, I usually haev to EQ the shite of it to get a good sound, but on a buget and with a bit f practice you might be able to get away with it...

At the end of the day, you're limiting yourself with your budget here; you really want to have a condensor overhead (to pick up the brightness of the cymbals and such), but with your pirce range, it might not happen.

So yeah, that's my two cents (which is worth about 1.2 of your cents, so someone else's opinion sould, finincally, count more). Have fun.

 

[jkokura]

and once again, the other suggestion compared to these is the Oktava MK012's!

But to be different, think about using M/LDC's as your overheads, like the AT 4033 or the SP B1. Because you aren't using tom mics they'll help bring them out and balance your overall kit sound.

By the way, I love the e609s I have on my cabs too! If you're just doing guitar recording try using the e609 and the 57 and the pro25 all at the same time...then balance the various tracks - just try it out, play around with it, and see if you like the different blend you can get using all three. Someone once said to me that it's better to have too many mics on a signal..."mic the heck out of it, and then pick and choose what you want!"

Jacob

 

[donger]

I would definitely recomend Oktava MC012s. They sound very goooood.

 

[Jsn7821]

ive heard a lot about the mxl603.... but got confused between them and mxl603s, got scared, and ran away... does anyone have anything to say about the sound that these microphones get?

 

[jkokura]

I don't think there's a difference. I know lots have asked this question here and everytime I think the answer is there's no difference between a 603 and a 603s.

Jacob

 

[PhilGood]

I just switched over to the 603s for overheads. I was using V63's before them and before that a pair of cheap CAD mics. The CAD's sounded almost fuzzy. Too much high end. The v63's sounded good, but still a little grainy in the high end. I tried the 603's this week on a test and found them to represent my cymbals pretty clearly. I took out a teenie bit of the high end on the mixer and found I was getting exactly the sound I was looking for. The cymbals sounded very real in the test recording. Very true to what I heard behind the kit. I would imagine by rolling off the high end a bit they sounded more like the MC012's with no EQ. Wish I had a pair of Oktava's but for now the 603's are doing the job.

 

[Jsn7821]

I just switched over to the 603s for overheads. I was using V63's before them and before that a pair of cheap CAD mics. The CAD's sounded almost fuzzy. Too much high end. The v63's sounded good, but still a little grainy in the high end. I tried the 603's this week on a test and found them to represent my cymbals pretty clearly. I took out a teenie bit of the high end on the mixer and found I was getting exactly the sound I was looking for. The cymbals sounded very real in the test recording. Very true to what I heard behind the kit. I would imagine by rolling off the high end a bit they sounded more like the MC012's with no EQ. Wish I had a pair of Oktava's but for now the 603's are doing the job.

603s's or 603's?

 

[Jsn7821]

I don't think there's a difference. I know lots have asked this question here and everytime I think the answer is there's no difference between a 603 and a 603s.

Jacob

well i believe the difference is the 603s has a slightly better wiring (mogami??), but I would like to know what difference that actually makes... is it one I will notice? Will it just reduce some hissing?

 

[PhilGood]

603s's or 603's?

Their really is no difference! 1-2 inches of Mogami cable really will have no effect on the sound. There isn't enough distance in cable to effect any loss, nor exhibit any real change in capacitance. The Mogami ploy by manufacturers is just that, a ploy! The real difference would be if it was something like silver wire, and even then the change would be imperceptible as the circuit and components are more important than what type of wire is used.

 

[jkokura]

well i believe the difference is the 603s has a slightly better wiring (mogami??), but I would like to know what difference that actually makes... is it one I will notice? Will it just reduce some hissing?

That's what I said...everytime someone asks the answer is that there's no difference.

Jacob

 

[ermghoti]

You could get a couple of SP B1's. They work on OH, and a ton of other stuff.

 

[Supercreep]

You could get a couple of SP B1's. They work on OH, and a ton of other stuff.

I second the B1s - I like them for OH over the 603s.

 

[Jsn7821]

I second the B1s - I like them for OH over the 603s.

Can you elaborate on why you like them better? How hard would it be to use the B1's as a stereo overhead pair and could I get good results with the 4 mic technique with those?

I think I've narrowed it down to the B1's and 603's. B1's would allow me to do acoustic guitar and vocals too...

 

[jkokura]

The thing about LDC's versus SDC's is I find the LDC's will give you a better balance of your drums and cymbals. If you mic the toms I like using SDC's, but with 4 mics I think LDC's will give you a better picture of your drums on playback.

As for the B1 on vox, I know a lot of people don't like it, but a lot of people like the B1 as overheads, tom mics, and on acoustic guitars...you could probably use it on guitar cabs too.

Jacob