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[Mike Sullivan]

I'm in the market to look at some more mics to expand my (limited) collection.  Right now I use Audix drum mics and vocal mics, a few SM58's, and several SM57's, which get me by with little to no issue, but I would like to improve my collection, to better suit some of my needs..Here's what I have in mind right now

4-6 Beta 58A's
Couple more SM57's and SM58's
1-2 Sennheiser e609's
Beta 52 and Beta 91 as kick alternatives
SM81's for overheads/misc use
2-3 clip-on Audix instrument mics for horns
Extra Audix drum mics as well as condensers for acoustic/bluegrass shows

Anything else I should look at getting?  I do mostly rock/country shows, and I have a friend who may call on me for bluegrass on occasion, but he has his own set of Audio Technica AT4041's he favors for bluegrass.

[Chris Tsanjoures]

You are actually off to a great start.

My idea of a standard - day to day 'git r' done' mic pack is -

6x SM57
6x SM58
2x Senn e609
3x SM81
2x beta 52
1x Beta 91
4x Tom Mics (ev 468's are great because you get the adjustable capsule)
4x Mono DI (passive, eliminates potential phantom issues)
2x Stereo DI(same as above)
2x LDC (depends on your budget, I like the AKG214's for a starter pack)

There is no sense buying boutique mics for live shows, especially if you are the provider. There is so much that can happen on the stage, and the last thing you want is for some band guy to walk off with a nice mic, or mis-treat something you value. If you like certain things go for them, it's your money. If you prefer 835 instead of SM58, that's fine, just know that a guest BE is never really going to give you crap for providing sm58's.

Keep in mind that everything you buy is going to be multi purpose. Stray away from buying specialty mics that are one-trick ponies. You can take the extra 57s, wrap them in cloth and place them inside a baby grand. You can take the extra beta 52 and mic the bass cab, or do the same with an extra tom mic if the drummer only uses two toms, the 81's can be spot mics for the 214's as the main stereo pair for a bluegrass gig, the 57's can go to aux percussion, you get the idea.

Also, figure 4-6 short boom stands, 8-10 tall boom stands, 3-4 straight stands (round base), and some clamps for drums etc.

Have Phun!

[Russel Murton]

This is my kit with a few additions that will eventually end up in it.

4x Sennheiser e935 - great vocal mics, ditch the crappy SM58's
4x Sennheiser e945 - depending on the monitor setup
3x RODE M1 - great for handheld screamers
8x Beta 57A - I prefer them a lot compared to normal SM57's
4x Beta 56A - Alternative Floor tom mics, good bass mic and percussion spots and horns
4x Sennheiser e904 - Go to tom mics, snare bottom, snare top when running low on stands
1x Sennheiser e901 - personal preference over the shure options
3x Sennheiser e906 - guitar option over the Beta 57A as some BE's prefer the 906, good for horns and snare bottom
2x AKG C391b - hats/general purpose SDC for pianos, strings etc
2x AKG C414 XL-II - OH's, piano etc
2x Audix D6 - the go to bass drum outer mic for most people, also a great floor tom mic and bass cab mic
Audix D2 - great snare mic
8x Mono passive DI's with Jensen transformers - radial
4x Active DI's - radial


Things to have for BE preferences if you want to cater to riders:

1x AKG D112 - dislike it personally, only good for jazz in my mind but YMMV
2x Beta 52A - again as above but a lot of guys like them
8x SM57 - always good to have, I just prefer the Beta 57A
8x SM58 - dislike them personally, again good to have for riders
3x SM81 - never had a problem with them, just prefer AKG, many BE's use them
6x Beta 58A - I like them but like Sennheiser more
4x e604 - some prefer them over the e904

[Kemper Watson]

I have a few not listed.
 Audix I5.. great snare mic
 Heil PR 22.. My new favorite vocal mic
 Sennheiser E 906.. Absolutely great on guitars
 AT Pro 37. All purpose condenser. I've used this on hi hat (always) acoustic guitars, mandolins ect

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

I have a few not listed.
 Audix I5.. great snare mic
 Heil PR 22.. My new favorite vocal mic
 Sennheiser E 906.. Absolutely great on guitars
 AT Pro 37. All purpose condenser. I've used this on hi hat (always) acoustic guitars, mandolins ect

And horns...

Pro 37:  if you're going to have SDC's in your kit, you might as well have a dozen matching units.  The Pro 37 is good enough and affordable enough to do this.

I have more SDC's than I can remember, probably over two dozen.  I've got 6 of one, four of two others, three of another and pairs of a bunch more. 

[Dave Dermont]

I'm in the market to look at some more mics to expand my (limited) collection.  Right now I use Audix drum mics and vocal mics, a few SM58's, and several SM57's, which get me by with little to no issue, but I would like to improve my collection, to better suit some of my needs..Here's what I have in mind right now

4-6 Beta 58A's
Couple more SM57's and SM58's
1-2 Sennheiser e609's
Beta 52 and Beta 91 as kick alternatives
SM81's for overheads/misc use
2-3 clip-on Audix instrument mics for horns
Extra Audix drum mics as well as condensers for acoustic/bluegrass shows

Anything else I should look at getting?  I do mostly rock/country shows, and I have a friend who may call on me for bluegrass on occasion, but he has his own set of Audio Technica AT4041's he favors for bluegrass.

The glaring hole in your collection right now is condenser mics.

The SM81s are a good idea, and probably what you should immediately look into. The AT Pro37 is a very good lower priced small diaphragm condenser.

You mentioned the 4041. I happen to like these a bit more than the SM81, and they are a tad cheaper than the SM81.

For clip-ons, I really like the ATM-350. I don't think the lower priced Pro 35 is nearly as good, but then, the price difference between the two reflects this. There is always the Beta98, but some people love to hate them.

The Audix I-5 has the advantage of being sturdier than the SM57, and is much better at taking drum stick hits.

The Audix D2 is a very good horn mic. If you want to expand your selection, the EV N/D468 is one of the all time great workhorse dynamic mics.

[Ned Ward]

+1 on the Pro37's. Bought 2 on the recommendations of folks here and have used them for multiple things for our band and helping out.

On the e609, save and get the e906 - it's a much better sounding mic. I had the 609, and then bought a 906 for guitar. Quickly sold the 609 and bought another 906.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

The glaring hole in your collection right now is condenser mics.

And perhaps a multi-pattern condenser or a ribbon like a FatHead...something with nulls on the sides.

Everybody talks about pickup patterns, but sometimes it's the "no-pickup" pattern that you need.

[Jason Glass]

And perhaps a multi-pattern condenser or a ribbon like a FatHead...something with nulls on the sides.

The Royer R-121 paired with an SM-57 is all the rage here in Nashville for country electric guitar in the studio.  The problem with duplicating the setup on the road is that you'll invariably blow out the ribbon on a Royer.  Trust me.  I own a Fathead with the Lundahl trafo, and it's the perfect substitute without breaking the bank or breaking your heart if the ribbon gets stretched.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the Beyerdynamic M-88.  It's a great general purpose "middle of the mix" mic, and absolutely kills on horns.  For decades, it was the secret weapon for heavy metal kick drums.  I've heard it sound great on just about every type of percussive source, including conga, djembe, and even hi-hat.

Also an honorable mention for the MD-421.  Has there ever been a better tom mic?  Also kills on Marshall 4-12 cabs, tenor & bass sax, bass guitar cabs, and trombone.

[Tim Perry]

Anything else I should look at getting?  I do mostly rock/country shows, and I have a friend who may call on me for bluegrass on occasion, but he has his own set of Audio Technica AT4041's he favors for bluegrass.

Beta 57's  (my vote for the best all round multipurpose mic in existence.)

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