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Author Topic: Drum Overhead Mic Suggestions  (Read 9378 times)

Luke Geis

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Re: Drum Overhead Mic Suggestions
« Reply #10 on: October 27, 2020, 01:38:12 PM »

I LOVE AKG C414's, but at the level I provide for, I can't justify the expense, so I purchased a set of AKG C-214's. They are purportedly a C414 capsule in a chassis that has been dumbed down to a single pickup pattern and only has a HP and an attenuation circuit. I think they sound amazing for the price and was ( before the scamdemic ) looking to acquire a second pair. They are just natural sounding with an airiness to them. The C-214's is not the same caliber as the 414, but is close enough considering it is less than half the price. I love them anyway. I have used them for voice-over work, walk up's and announcements and they pull a win every time.

I have never really been a fan of the SM81's. To me they always seemed too dense and heavy sounding, stuffy I guess you could say. I have used the Shure KSM-32's and they are also a great option. What I didn't like is that they are a full-size mic, so they are bulky, and perhaps a bit less robust. In terms of SDC options, they are more apt for the job honestly. The Rode NT5 is a great option and I have and still use to this day, a pair of Behringer C-2's. For a budget mic, the C2's are hard to beat. They have a little more self-noise than perhaps your higher-end mics, but they sound good and are rather utilitarian. I have used them on snare, tom's, conga's, stringed instruments, and of course as overheads. I would take the C2's over a pair of the Shure PG81's any day of the week if that is any indication. I was going to pick up some NT-5's or a pair of SE Electronics SE7's, but I opted for the C214's and never looked back.

The AT4041 is another good option if you again don't mind a big bulky mic with the isolation cage going around it. I have AT2010's which are the AT 2020 capsules in a handheld microphone. They are my go-to vocal mic, sound great, and perform well. So an AT 2020 may also be a more affordable option if you really want an LDC.

As for overheads, while the general consensus is that you really don't NEED them, they really do glue the kit together and give it some dimension. With mild to moderate use and clever EQ, you can use it to enhance the drums to great effect. So while not a requirement, for me I would rather have overheads than not if the situation affords it.
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Tim Weaver

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Re: Drum Overhead Mic Suggestions
« Reply #11 on: October 27, 2020, 02:07:09 PM »

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

Currently I'm leaning towards getting 3 Audio-Technica Pro 37s.

I'm also considering a sE Electronics sE8 matched pair for the OH, and then getting either an Audio-Technica Pro 37 or Shure SM137 for the hi-hats.

I'm personally unfamiliar with the sE8s, but I've seen a lot of great reviews for them recently, and I listened to some audio of them being used on drums. Maybe I'm crazy, or they were just mixed really well, but they sounded as good to me as many recordings with $1000+ mics.

Does anyone have any experience with them?

Also, we have a few spare SM 57s at my church, so I might throw that on the snare side. I’ve used them on my snare side previously. That’s a good option, right?

What do you mean by snare side? Snare bottom mic?


Honestly if you have some 57's, throw them up for OH's and Hat and just try. There's nothing wrong with a 57. Are there better options? Sure. But many famous recordings have been done with just 57's and nobody complained.



https://www.sageaudio.com/blog/recording/two-critically-acclaimed-albums-recorded-100-microphone.php
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Matt Davis

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Re: Drum Overhead Mic Suggestions
« Reply #12 on: October 27, 2020, 03:17:46 PM »

What do you mean by snare side? Snare bottom mic?

Honestly if you have some 57's, throw them up for OH's and Hat and just try. There's nothing wrong with a 57. Are there better options? Sure. But many famous recordings have been done with just 57's and nobody complained.

https://www.sageaudio.com/blog/recording/two-critically-acclaimed-albums-recorded-100-microphone.php


Yeah, on the resonant head side where the snare wires are. If I’m not mistaken, we have two spare SM57s. Would it be best to use them on the bottom of the snare and on the hi-hat, and get different mics for the OH?
« Last Edit: October 27, 2020, 05:52:41 PM by Matt Davis »
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Tim Weaver

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Re: Drum Overhead Mic Suggestions
« Reply #13 on: October 27, 2020, 06:29:50 PM »


Yeah, on the resonant head side where the snare wires are. If I’m not mistaken, we have two spare SM57s. Would it be best to use them on the bottom of the snare and on the hi-hat, and get different mics for the OH?


That would be fine I think. Many people use a 57 for the HiHat.

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Mike Caldwell

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Re: Drum Overhead Mic Suggestions
« Reply #14 on: October 27, 2020, 07:22:38 PM »

I have AT2010's which are the AT 2020 capsules in a handheld microphone. They are my go-to vocal mic, sound great, and perform well. So an AT 2020 may also be a more affordable option if you really want an LDC.


The AT 2020's are decent mics, I have a few and have used them for over heads.

I would not call them a LDC though since the mic element is only about a half inch in diameter.

Steve M Smith

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Re: Drum Overhead Mic Suggestions
« Reply #15 on: October 28, 2020, 04:15:39 AM »

Honestly if you have some 57's, throw them up for OH's and Hat and just try. There's nothing wrong with a 57. Are there better options? Sure. But many famous recordings have been done with just 57's and nobody complained.


Indeed. Back in ye olden dayes, we would have had nothing but 57s and 58s on the drums. A 57 between the snare and hat, another one shared by two toms, a 58 on kick and anther one as overhead. No one in the audience complained about our mic choice.




Steve.
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Dave Pluke

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Re: Drum Overhead Mic Suggestions
« Reply #16 on: October 29, 2020, 04:03:41 PM »


I'm also considering a sE Electronics sE8 matched pair for the OH,

I'm personally unfamiliar with the sE8s, but I've seen a lot of great reviews for them recently, and I listened to some audio of them being used on drums. Maybe I'm crazy, or they were just mixed really well, but they sounded as good to me as many recordings with $1000+ mics.

Does anyone have any experience with them?


I'm generally a fan of sE mics and have a matched pair of sE5's (pre-sE8).  They work very well for overheads, both live and recording.

Cannot compare them to the AT Pro37's, though, as I haven't used those.  I was, however, impressed by a pair of less expensive AT2021's when used on a jazz kit in a live situation.

Dave
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Chris Sieggen

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Re: Drum Overhead Mic Suggestions
« Reply #17 on: October 29, 2020, 04:31:50 PM »

Hello,

We’re needing some new overhead mics for our drum cymbals at my church. This is for live drums application, playing mostly contemporary music.
The snare will have a Shure SM57, the toms will have Sennheiser e904s, and the kick will have a Shure Beta 52A and a homemade sub-kick.

I’m wanting to get some opinions for the overheads for the cymbals. We’ll have two crashes (18” and 16”), a ride (20”), and hi-hats (14”). They will all be Zildjian K Custom Dark. Our intention is to use two overheads. The mics should have enough room in the enclosure to be able to be placed up to 3ft above the cymbals. Our budget for both mics combined is up to $500, but I could probably go a bit over if I can convince my pastor.

Some of the mics I’ve been looking at are the Rode NT5, Rode M5, Shure SM137, and Audio-Technica AT4041. I am 100% open to any and all ideas and suggestions.

Thank you so much!

Matt

I’ve had to resource drum overheads on a budget many times, thus the choice usually comes down to what I can afford and what’s available. A go to scenario for me has been looking for a barely used matches pair of Rode NT5’s. They are not my absolute, go to favorite, but often can snag a pair off EBay/Reverb for 250-300.00, leaving some extra cash for some mic stands/cables/clips that I always need as well.

The Rodes are a really nice SDC, and work well for overheads. And you can use them for other sources if say to I don’t have a drummer that day and need an extra cajon/mango/fiddle mic.

They are a little “cloudy” in the low mids, but can be easily tweaked via EQ.

AKG 214’s can often be found barely used in the 250ish range. I snagged a pair to mic a piano and they work great.
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Tim Weaver

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Re: Drum Overhead Mic Suggestions
« Reply #18 on: October 29, 2020, 06:01:52 PM »

The AT 2020's are decent mics, I have a few and have used them for over heads.

I would not call them a LDC though since the mic element is only about a half inch in diameter.

 A lot of people like the 2020 and other 2xxx series mics, but to me they sound way too hyped in the high end. They are very sibilant, which is the opposite of what I want in an overhead. Cymbals already have too much high frequency, so a flat, or even a slightly rolled off mic does me better.

There is a remarkable difference stepping up to the 3xxx and higher range in AT's lineup. I have a pair of 4045's and could not ask for more for any live situation.
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Matthias McCready

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Re: Drum Overhead Mic Suggestions
« Reply #19 on: October 29, 2020, 09:37:59 PM »


Yeah, on the resonant head side where the snare wires are. If I’m not mistaken, we have two spare SM57s. Would it be best to use them on the bottom of the snare and on the hi-hat, and get different mics for the OH?

An SM57 is one of my favorite hat mics. In most mix contexts when I have a nice detailed pair of overheads, I rarely need more sizzly hats, and thereby the SM57 provides lots of body. I often go farther down this rabbit hole by turning it into an even dirtier sounding mic, liberally using the high-pass and low-pass filters, digitube (or the NLS plugin) and lots of compression. I only use a little a bit of the channel, but it adds some crunchy character and body to the kit.
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Re: Drum Overhead Mic Suggestions
« Reply #19 on: October 29, 2020, 09:37:59 PM »


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