Mic questions... lots of questions

[Mongoo]

Alright, this might get a bit hairy but stay with me....


- If you had to use a SM58 for toms, what tom would you use it with, If you had two MD421's on two other toms that is? Or would you use just the two MD421's?

- I've heard you always want to buy Mic's from local shops so you can personally addition them. But what if you can get a good financing plan through buying online. Would you skip your quality control, where you could try to get the best mic of a bunch in the store?

- What is a good Dynamic mic? Like High Quality. Like $300+ and also good, not just expensive.

- If you could pick between the Rode NT2000, Rode K2, or Blue Dragon Fly, what would it be?

- Can you buy matched pairs of SM 57's, MD421's? Not where the store has them ready to go, but you check them out and match them up. What I mean is, is the effort worth it on these mics?


I've been thinking about a shlue of mic's to get as a sort of starter set up that could record live bands/jams. Here's what I came up with. Your opinions are welcome to critic.

- 2x SM57, (One for Snare, One for Guitar)
- 1x SM58, (Not sure, maybe a tom thats not covered, maybe vocals)
- 2x MD421 (One for Floor Tom, One for Middle Tom or Booth Higher Toms)
- 1x Electro Voice ND868 (Bass Drum)
- 1x Rode NT1A (Vocals)
- 2x Rode NT5/MXL 603's/Studio Projects C4 Pair, (Drum Overheads)

Total 9 Mics.

Would this get the job done to record full bands? The bass guitar would just be direct in. Feel free to make comments or changes as to what you would do differently.

Thanks

Mongoo

 

[reshp1]

1. It doesn't really matter that much which tom you use it on. The SM58 will do well on all of them, as they aren't one extreme of the audio band or the other (except maybe floor tom). I would spend some time auditioning each drum through the mic at various mic angles, pointing at various points on the head to find the sound you are looking for.

2. Yes buying in the store is the way to go, but keep in mind the mic may sound drastically different through your signal chain, so try it through something comparable if you can. Also, for higher priced mics from reputable brands, one mic will sound pretty much like another of the same model, so you can always try it in the store and order it online. Keep in mind that many retailers ( and some state laws) prohibit returns on microphones for health reasons.

3. Haven't tried all that many, but Beta SM58A has worked very well for me. I can't say that I would ever pay 300+ for a dynamic though.

4. Wow, tough choice. I'm leaning toward the Rode mics, the K2 if you are looking for a vocal mic, the NT2000 for a workhorse all around. But this is only because I haven't had that much experience with the dragonfly.

5. I don't know of anywhere that sells "matched" pairs of these. I'd bet you'd be able to pick two SM57s that sound identical pretty easily, they make a b-zillion of these things in an automated plant so part to part variation is a non-issue.

6. Looks like it'll work, I'd get a mic for the hi hats too. another SM57 would do the trick. The NT1A is going to bleed like hell though, keep your singer and drummer as far as possible and facing each other (back of mic toward drumset). If you are planning to put everyone together in a small room, it's just going to sound like soup, so if that's the case use a dynamic for vocals too.

 

[gumplunger]

I'd put one MD421 between the two higher tom's facing down and angled a bit and the other 421 on the floor tom. I've gotten pretty good sounds doing that before. Get the positioning right and EQ it a little bit and you'll have some nice, stereo toms.

And like reshp1 said, depending on how much emphasis you want on the hat's/how loud they are you may want to mic those with a 57 or whatever you can afford. If you can afford another bright SDC for the hats, that would be the way to go IMO. I had the pleasure of recording hats with an AKG 451, which worked beautifully. But I bet one of those MXL 603's would do the trick though I haven't tried it personally.

 

[Mongoo]

If I was to get a 3rd SM 57 would you recamend me getting a SM 57beta or just a regular 57?

What is the difference? Which is better for Snare and which is better for High Hats? What about Guitar? What about Stereo Guitar, Mix with 57 & 57beta or try to match two regular 57's?


thanks

Mongoo

 

[whattaguy]

If I was to get a 3rd SM 57 would you recamend me getting a SM 57beta or just a regular 57?

What is the difference? Which is better for Snare and which is better for High Hats? What about Guitar? What about Stereo Guitar, Mix with 57 & 57beta or try to match two regular 57's?


thanks

Mongoo

Get a Sennheiser e609 Silver for your guitar cab. You won't regret it.