Using "vocal" mics on drums.

[Dani Vondoom]

This is my first post but I'm a long time lurker of the forums.
I'm gogin to be recording a friends band soon, and right now for mics all I have are:
1 sm57
2 sm58's
1 Unidyne III
1 Sennheiser e835
1 Audio-Technica ATM27HE

I've used both the 57 and the Unidyne on drums before with great success but I've never really used 58's or similar "vocal" mics (like the 2835 or the ATM27HE) on anything other then vocals. Does anyone think I would be wasting my time using these mics for toms? Should I try tracking down some more 57's, even though I don't think I'll have much luck? If anyone has any suggestions feel free to help me out. Thanks a lot.

EDIT: I should say that I plan on using the 57 on the snare and I DO have a kick mic, and overheads.

 

[mikeh]

The specs on a 58 are for all practical purposes the same as a 57 - so they can pretty much be used for the same general applications (I've used 58's on drums when I had nothing else available - and they worked).

I've not used the other mics you reference (well, I did have a Unidyne a while back, which may be in a box somewhere)

The main concern with mic'ing toms are the lower frequencies and the spikes (a lot of sound pressure in a short spike). Some mic's don't response well to that - however, as you've indicated the 57's and the Unidyne have worked for you in the past.

I think anyone who records should learn how to best use what they have - I would suggest any of the mics you've listed should be able to capture the frequencies of drums - so use what you have and simply figure out the best placement.