Matched pairs...worth it?

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RideTheCrash

RideTheCrash

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I'm looking to buy a pair of MXL 603's soon, but online it's a hundred bucks more for a factory matched pair. Now...I want to use them for drum overheads, and I know ideally you want them to be matched, but how big of a deal is it? Can I get away with un matched ones? I'd rather not shell out another hundred...thanks.
 
Seriously? Like how much of a difference? I've been looking for reviews of this and I've found 2 different ones saying they suck as drum OH's, unless you have "old, dull or dark cymbals".
 
they are a bit on the bright side, unlike, say, the studio projects c4s, which are a little more dull. It is really just your preference. These really bring out ride cymbols and crashs/splashes, I think. Mabye too bright on hihats, but eq can usually fix it.
 
Well, I'm not shooting for pro quality, just not total crap...guess that is a fairly wide range, eh? Anyways...my biggest concern is whether it'll sound a lot crappier if they aren't factory matched, I'm not a very heavy hitter, so I don't bash the crap out of my cymbals or anything so...

Thanks, keeps the thoughts rolling people.
 
RideTheCrash said:
I'm looking to buy a pair of MXL 603's soon, but online it's a hundred bucks more for a factory matched pair. Now...I want to use them for drum overheads, and I know ideally you want them to be matched, but how big of a deal is it? Can I get away with un matched ones? I'd rather not shell out another hundred...thanks.
Click to expand...

There are a couple of places that sell the matched pairs for $199-$229 (much better than the $279 that many places advertise), making them only slightly more than the individual mics. Check out:

http://www.audiogear.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?key=MXL603SPR&preadd=action

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3755375189&category=41466

I think there is another store, but I can't find it right now. I bought mine from Musicians Advocate and am very happy.
 
FWIW, i think the 603's ROCK.......but i'm not a big fan of them as overheads. at least, not with my drums and in my room. they've got a bump in the upper freqs that, while great for acoustic guitar, isn't so great for cymbals (even my A Customs, K's and K Customs). i've had a lot better success with my V67, actually--so much so that i'm gonna pick up a 2nd one for overhead duties. i'm guessing that the V67 is similar in timbre to the oktava mc012's.

i'm not saying "don't get the 603's"--they're my "go to" on acoustic guitar. i'd replace them in a heartbeat if something happened to them. but i AM saying that you may find yourself "less than thrilled" with em on drums (as i was). especially if you have cheaper cymbals (or heaven forbid, something like Z's).


so.....i'm agreeing with harvey--i wouldn't worry about factory matched for "low budget overheads" when it comes to the 603's.


cheers,
wade
 
scrubs said:
There are a couple of places that sell the matched pairs for $199-$229 (much better than the $279 that many places advertise), making them only slightly more than the individual mics. Check out:

http://www.audiogear.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?key=MXL603SPR&preadd=action

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3755375189&category=41466

I think there is another store, but I can't find it right now. I bought mine from Musicians Advocate and am very happy.
Click to expand...

here's the other site that sells them for $199 (US):

http://macmidimusic.com/prod.itml/icOid/4671

Froogle is your friend. :)
 
Wow, I'm slow, I thought Harvey meant yes it is a big deal *slaps forehead*. Anyways, I can find tons of places that sell the 603 it's just a matter of whether they ship to Canada or not. Now that this issue of using them as overheads has come up I'm starting to wonder. I have some cheap drums but some good cymbals (AAXs, Mike Portnoy sigs, etc), and I don't want an overpowering cymbal sound.

Any thoughts or suggestions on other mics in this price range for overheads?
 
The Oktava MC012's are a good OH choice, and probably the SP B1. Also the V67 might work well there. At ITR, we usually use either the 603's, the MC012's, or the AEA R84 ribbon mics as overheads, depending on the music.
 
so which mics would you use for which music harvey?
 
Can I just say how nice it is to find a young drummer who DOESN'T want obnoxiously loud, overbearing, cymbals :D :cool:
 
I imagine it is. Anyhow, I'll check out some of those mics later on today when I have a chance. I'm planning on buying a SP B1 in the future for vocals and have heard they are good for drum overheads, but I don't know how much large diaphragm condensors differ from the "pencil" style ones. The type of music I'll mainly be recording is your run of the mill rock, probably just putting a twist on some 60s music or something.
 
My drummer left the country and we had this gifted 17 year old for a couple of months. In practice he was all rods, brushes and delicate cymbal work - unfortunately when he got on stage he beat the absolute piss out of the kit. I had people coming up after the gig asking me if he was on PCP :))
 
i've dealt with that before..fired the guy after the first show
 
RideTheCrash said:
I'm looking to buy a pair of MXL 603's soon, but online it's a hundred bucks more for a factory matched pair. Now...I want to use them for drum overheads, and I know ideally you want them to be matched, but how big of a deal is it? Can I get away with un matched ones? I'd rather not shell out another hundred...thanks.
Click to expand...
Hey RTC, if you want to take your chances and try and save a $100 by trying to match a pair of MXL 603S's yourself... checkout this thread...

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=38175
 
i've used a SP B1 as an overhead before and i like the sound i've gotten out of it. *not* a big fan of the B1 on vocals.....only had 1 vocalist where it was the "right" mic.

the B1 has got a different sound than the V67, which i think makes them a good pairing for OHs......at least, on my kit. obviously, i'm not that concerned about using matching mics, or even mics of the same kind, as overheads. there's something to be said for that--if one part of the kit has different frequency/timbre requirements than the other, then why not match your mics to that? of course, i've never been one to follow rules much, and if i think it sounds good, regardless of source, i'll go with it.

still, i need to pick up a pair of mc012's......


cheers,
wade
 
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