What OHs won't make the cymbals too thin??

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mplnckstrat

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I wanna get new OH mics, ones that don't make the cymbals sizzle too much, and bring out the toms a bit. Any suggestions...my previous post on this subject tells me the NT5s may be the ticket. I want tone, not tin.
 
I love my MC-012's in X-Y as overheads.

Great cymbals, and decent on the tom bleed.
 
H2o, are you talking about the Oktavas?? They're on sale this month and I was tempted to grab them, but I got scared off when the kid at GC of about 17yrs recommended them over the NT5s. I was afraid he was just pushing something on me.
 
The problem with o/heads with cardiod mics is that you are hearing just the cymbals without much in the way of room acoustics etc.
The output from the Mics can then sound very thin.
Buy a decent pair of SMD's and experiment with E.Qing

A good mic does not lie, thats just the way it sounds
 
Well, this problem is not entirely unheard of, and I guess the best way to deal with it is to have darker sounding cymbals for recording. Not a very practical solution for most people though...
 
mplnckstrat said:
I wanna get new OH mics, ones that don't make the cymbals sizzle too much, and bring out the toms a bit. Any suggestions...my previous post on this subject tells me the NT5s may be the ticket. I want tone, not tin.
Click to expand...
mplnckstrat,

if you like, I'll post a clip with my mk012's. I already have several clips available (click here) with a pair of Josephson e22S mics (ten times the price of mk012's) as overheads. I've compared the mk012's to several mics (NTK, 4050, e22S, 460, C1) and they hold their own. if you can get good ones. the mk012's are well worth the price for Overheads and if you can get two that are closely matched. do the best you can in the store, but you should really compare them at home... not in the store... spend some time with them to decided if they're fairly close in response.

also, depending on mic positioning and the mic (and the room size [ceiling height]), cardioid overheads can capture a lot more than just the cymbals... as was alluded to earlier.

the sizzle may be your cymbals... in which case you may be dissappointed with new mics. my Sabian AA's have an annoying ring (sizzle during the decay) at 11K and 2.6k... i've tried several mics but mic positioning with a bit of EQ solved it... not new mics.

check out this thread (click here) and try the modified spaced mic positioning before you buy...
 
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mplnckstrat said:
H2o, are you talking about the Oktavas?? They're on sale this month and I was tempted to grab them, but I got scared off when the kid at GC of about 17yrs recommended them over the NT5s. I was afraid he was just pushing something on me.
Click to expand...

Yep.

Sonixx makes some great points in his post, as well.

Do a search of the mic forum using the key words "Harvey Gerst", and look for the thread where Harvey talks about how to do a quick-and-dirty mic match while you're at a store. Print the thread and put it in your pocket.

Go back to GC, and have the 17 year old fetch ALL the 012's they've got. Break out the thread, and get to work...:D

When you find a set you like, you're set-until gear lust takes over and you find yourself looking at Josephsons or Earthworks....

I've posted some tracks in the mixing forum using the 012's as overheads, and have gotten a lot of positive comments about the cymbals. The drummer on my current project uses Sabian cymbals, and I haven't had as many issues as Sonixx has with them...YMMV.

For the price, they're hard to beat. If you can get in on a 2-for-$99 or 2-for-$149 deal, they get even better. I bought mine for $99 each, and they get more use than any mic in my studio.
 
mplnckstrat said:
H2o, are you talking about the Oktavas?? They're on sale this month and I was tempted to grab them, but I got scared off when the kid at GC of about 17yrs recommended them over the NT5s. I was afraid he was just pushing something on me.
Click to expand...

I have been using a pair of the MC012s that I picked up on sale a couple years ago at GC almost constantly. I had read about them and checked them out in the store. I A/B them with a Blue mic and the only difference was that they aren't real great on vocal. As drum overheads they work better than most any of the dynamic mics.
 
H2oskiphil said:
... The drummer on my current project uses Sabian cymbals, and I haven't had as many issues as Sonixx has with them...
Click to expand...
I have several AA Medium Thin Crashes and they're the ones giving the decay problem. I have one 17" AA Thin that's much better. But going to the Custom-K Fast Crash the volume difference is significant. For recording, the Custom-K volume much better matches my kit. I find the AA's are generally too loud and robust when recordng my kit.
 
Well, its funny, but my drummer also uses Sabians...AAX I believe. The Oktavas sound like what I'm looking for and are cheap enough to allow me to get a couple other things. Thanks guys.
 
When they're that cheap, get three or four - Mark the two that match up the best, use the others for... other stuff... and dual/stereo micing where matched pairs aren't important (piano, acoustic guitars, strings, winds, etc.).

They really are pretty sweet - For the bucks, they can't be beat.

They'll probably knock you off your seat... Green Eggs and Ham... :rolleyes:

I really didn't mean that first rhyming part... Just thought I'd run with it. Sorry, long day.

John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com
 
funny,


i usually have a problem with the cymbals being too thick for some reason. But i blame the cymbals more than anything.

Danny
 
Harvey refreshed the mic-matching thread I referenced above...you don't even have to do a search... :)
 
H2oskiphil said:
Harvey refreshed the mic-matching thread I referenced above...you don't even have to do a search... :)
Click to expand...

Yup. And it went straight to my printer -- so I can pull it out when I go to Guitar Center next week!:D
 
could be the cymbals and the room, too....

.....i run a set of MXL603's (sometimes X-Y, sometimes spaced pair) and prefer the sound of the K's to the sound of the A's. and let's not even talk about Z's. yuck.

most of the "inexpensive" SDCs have a high-end bump/hype, which tends to make the cymbals sound "too sizzly". even worse if your room sucks. thus, the cymbals that tend to cut through best live (like Z's) are not generally the best in the studio. i prefer darker, mellower, faster-acting cymbals when recording. actually, i prefer the K's all around anyway.

in fact, just bought myself a 20" K Custom Dark ride yesterday.....i pick it up tomorrow. can't wait! :D


wade

PS--flip side, try some mics without the high-end hype.....those MC012's might do the trick.
 
The Oktavas are good, I prefer them on acoustic guitar cause they gotz bite... but for a little less high end try the Rode NT5's. They really are very full sounding overhead mics.

The CAD M179's are meaty on overheads without too much brightness also. Then they do a lot of other coolness around the studio with multiple patterns and shit.

Studio Projects C4's are a good overhead mic also without over-sizzleness.

War

Warren Dent
www.frontendaudio.com
 
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