Overhead Mic Showdown

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CanopuS

Amateur music since 1847
Basically, what are the best Overhead mics, and what would you recommend? Sorry for posting yet another "Whats the best" thread, but this seems a very open subject, I haven't found anywhere that has a definitive or anywhere near certain opinion. Thanks a lot!
 
you're not going find such a thread b/c there's no such thing.

some mics sound great on some drums in some rooms using some pres (and other outboard gear), and they sound like shit on other drums in other rooms using other pres (and other outboard gear). there is no such thing as the "best ever". ever. there are just too many variables for there to ever be a "best ever".

couple that with the lack of budget you give. fletcher likes a pair of josephsons (at around $800/each, give or take), while others like mc-012s (at quite a bit less than that). two different ends of the price spectrum there. some folks love km84s or 184s ($700-$1000/pair), while others like akgs. some people like u89s or even vintage u47s, while others have done fine jobs with a pair of behringer ecm8000's. therefore, there's a lot of "good" overheads in that $35-$7,000 price range.

i use a pair of mxl 603's b/c they're the best at that task given the mics i've got right now. they do ok for me on my drums, in my room, with me as the drummer, but i'm sure there's something better out there. i just haven't had the time or budget to check anything else out. i'd love a pair of km84s, but they're down the road quite a ways....and no way they'd be "only" overhead mics. and no telling if they'd sound any good in my room.


again, as is the answer to ANY "what's the best" thread is: it depends on your source, your room, your signal chain, the performer and your budget. and even then, the "best" for you may sound like crap warmed over in someone else's room. it's even worse with drums, change heads or cymbals and you change the complete character of your kit, and thus changing the micing requirements.


wade
 
Well that's all true. I guess it's hard to guage what would be the best, but I'd like to know what everyone uses and likes. That way, I know atleast a few choices ;)

Thanks for the input
 
in the not so expensive price range, i really dig my Mk012's. they sound cool as overheads and on acoustic guitar. although im sure all that has to do with pre's/rooms/drums/acoustic guitar/planetary alignment.
 
First you ask for the definitive answer (stating no thread exists telling you the definitive answer). This is true - no thread does exist. But now you are saying you just want opinions (and there are plenty of threads with just opinions). Here is a SMALL sampler
It would also help if you know what you are using them for and how much you have to spend (or will have to spend). And like the 2nd post - it depends on many things...

http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=47588&highlight=overheads
http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=64300&highlight=overheads
http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=83249&highlight=overheads
http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=92001&highlight=overheads
http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=94590&highlight=overheads

Btw - the josephsons that Fletcher likes are about 450 a piece not 800...C42s.
 
no problemo. :D again, it mostly depends on your budget. are you talkin $150 for a pair of mics or $1500? everyone's got their opinions, and it almost always breaks down on budgetary lines.

for instance, those with extensive mic cabinets (usually the more "pro" of the bunch around here) will almost always favor mics on the "more expensive" side of things (near/around $1000/pair or more), as opposed to the guy who's doing this in a basement and can't spend more than a couple bills on a pair (and even then, it means they'll be doing double or triple duty on other sources).

and it also comes down to style of music (and hence your sources). are we talkin soft jazz or swing here, with big shallow drums with coated heads and zildjian k's? or heavy metal with a guy who pounds the everliving crap out of the kit (which is outfitted with deep toms and dead pinstripes) and has a shitload of Z's and Rocktagons (which btw, traditionally are great on stage but record pretty poorly)?

so, if you could fill us in on some of these "depends ons", we could better help ya. i guarantee different folks will have different opinions, and i laid a few of the "more talked about" mics (in these parts, at least) out for ya above. there are a LOT of threads on this around here, too, so do a search on "overhead", grab a drink and sit back and do some reading......as opposed to asking people to type in (yet again) that which they've already typed. :b

my personal experience in my room is only with a stereo set of mxl 603s and a mono (single) studio projects B1. they both performed well enough, but neither was something i'd run out and shout from the mountaintops about. and again, it could be partly due to my room, drums and cymbals, too (pearl exports with mostly zildjian a's and k's). not great, but more usable than what a pair of sm57s gave me. ;-)

i've thought about picking up a set of oktava mc-012s just to have another flavor in the toolbox, but don't wanna crapshoot mailordering the "cheap" ones from musician's fiend (due to poor oktava QC), and i've got other things i need to spend $425 on before i pick up a matched set at the sound room....so i'm "making do" with the 603s for now. it's one of those budgetarily-driven decisions i was talking about earlier. ;-)


wade
 
<< Btw - the josephsons that Fletcher likes are about 450 a piece not 800...C42s>>

doh.....fat fingers and sloppy editing on my part. i meant "at around $800/each PAIR". typing too fast leaves important details out. moo moo, my bad. :b

and yeah, i'd love to have a set of those in my tool box. i'd like a couple distressors while i'm at it, too. :D


wade
 
What MRFACE said. The question you've asked is too broad. The only thing I'd add, is that sandwiched in between the cheap but functional (ECM8000, MXL603s,Octava MC012) and the high priced spread (Josephson C42, AKGC451,Neumann KM84/KM184, Schoepps, Earthworks, etc.), there are some middle of the road solutions. Namely- Studio Projects C-4 ($380/pair) and Rode NT5 (about $300/pair). I've had good luck with the Oktavas as overheads, but I like the C-4's better on many sources. This is one where you have to balance off the you-get-what-you-pay-for against the fact that people don't always agree on what sounds good.
In my price range, the Oktavas and the C-4's both work very well, but I would take any of those high priced spread mics in a heartbeat, for the right price.-Richie
 
My favorite overheads are AKG 451's and Josephson C42's... and the Beyer M201 is my favorite snare mic with the Sennheiser MD421 being my favorite kick drum mic.
 
If I could have any overhead I wanted Id opt for a Royer dual ribbon. But until my lottery numbers come through Ill use my 603s, or the PZMs.
 
There's no "one mic for overheads" but I tend to lean towards Earthworks SR-71's. I also like AT-4033's or the Octava MC-012's sometimes.
 
I bought mk012s because i heard they were good oheads, i hated them, i like them for other applications but as oheads they seem to pick up everything i dont want to hear. Here is the surprise, I just bought 2 mxl v57ms for 40 bucks each at musicians friend and i love there sound as oheads and in my piano. My set is a pretty small mapex v series set, i am somewhat anal when it comes to the sound of my cymbals and the v57 seemed to replicate their sound perfectly, also the bass drum sound was picked up nicely, huge surprise

in short, oktavas were dissapointing and v57s are extremely surprising
-Jake
 
Jake, just my opinion based on my experience but whatever you liked or didn't like about your overheads are more of a funtion of the cymbals (and the entire kit for that matter) and the room they're in. A kit that's set up for playing out live (thicker cymbals that have less fundametal "crash" and too much overtones and ringing) usually records poorly and that's where I like darker mics (like the Octavas) to counter the brasher sounding cymbals.
 
Right, sorry guys, was a bit rushed last night, now a bit of time to put detail into what I'm doing.

My drummer has his kit in quite a small room, but which is quite echo-y (not that this couldn't be solved with a few rugs and carpets around the place...). The heads are worn, but will be replaced soon. The sound I'm going for is a pretty normal drum sound, the kind you'd find in indie-rock music. Our style is similar to that of the Foo Fighters or Radiohead, slow-mid rock (so not bashing the hell outta them). I'm looking at the $300 and below price range.

Sorry for the question!
 
CanopuS said:
Right, sorry guys, was a bit rushed last night, now a bit of time to put detail into what I'm doing.

My drummer has his kit in quite a small room, but which is quite echo-y (not that this couldn't be solved with a few rugs and carpets around the place...). The heads are worn, but will be replaced soon. The sound I'm going for is a pretty normal drum sound, the kind you'd find in indie-rock music. Our style is similar to that of the Foo Fighters or Radiohead, slow-mid rock (so not bashing the hell outta them). I'm looking at the $300 and below price range.

Sorry for the question!
Click to expand...
The first thing you do is replace all the heads and other parts that need replacing and tune the drums and room so that the drums sound exactly how you want them to sound... after all that, your ready to audition overhead drum mic's.
 
CanopuS said:


My drummer has his kit in quite a small room, but which is quite echo-y (not that this couldn't be solved with a few rugs and carpets around the place...). The heads are worn, but will be replaced soon. The sound I'm going for is a pretty normal drum sound, the kind you'd find in indie-rock music. Our style is similar to that of the Foo Fighters or Radiohead, slow-mid rock (so not bashing the hell outta them). I'm looking at the $300 and below price range.
Click to expand...

CanopuS, in small condensers in that price range, I'd recommend either a pair of Oktava MC012's or Studio Projects C4's.

You can also use large condensers on OH's that often work better than SDC's, and I would recommend Oktava MK-319, Studio Projects B1/B3. Here's a thread in this forum on using LDC's on OH's.

Dan Richards
Digital Pro Sound
The Listening Sessions
 
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Thanks Dot. Looks good. I've been looking at a lot of Large Condensers but it seems that people just take it as a rule that you HAVE to use Small ones.
 
Yeah, I've come to see that now. At the beginning of that thread you said you'd post some MP3's of the examples. Do you have any to hand at the moment? I'd be interested to hear (B1 sounds like it might be a pretty good choice). Thanks
 
Groove Tubes GT33's and 44's are in that low - middle ground too, depending on what deals are still out there?

I have a pair of 33's and they seem good on everything!
 
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