What drum mics are you using and why?

[sunburst79]

Just getting into miking live drums and wondering what people were using on their drums? Snares, Toms, Kicks, Overheads, What rocks your boat? Whats your secret weapon? Whats you favorite budget mics? High end mics etc. What do you like for live sound vs the studio.

[Ryan Young]

I love the Audix i5 for snare over the SM57 1000 times over!

[1ace1]

So much of this dependent on production style, musical genre and what you have available to use.

57's on the snare are great, just the right amount of softening of detail (top and bottom, sometimes I use an octavia mk219 on the bottom but it can be very bright).

sennhieser 604's are a good tom mic (nice clip mics with a good balanced round sound), although I have just tried the beyerdynamic opus 88's yesterday (not sure about them yet, they sounded a bit thin and lacking).

I love the Shure Beta 52a on the kick doubled with an EV re20. I find the AKG d112 not as accurate as these two mics. Also the beta52a has a great low frequency boost for mega fat kick sounds.

As for overheads.....

Phew...

C414's (matched stereo pair) are great, as are GT33's or the small diaphragm sennhieser 614's also sound very good. A ribbon placed in front of the kit at about ear height can also sound very good. Also trying differing overhead techniques can change greatly the way a mic performs (there's a great thread on that in this part of the forum).

If I had my way I would have u67's and 87's everywhere (even in my shower if I could!!!)

As I said at the beginning of this post so much of this is dependent on genre, production, what you have available etc....

Most of the mics mentioned hear come within a decent budget (414's excluded, but worth every penny for a matched stereo pair, every penny...!).

A:)

[Maddawg383]

akg c414 b-uls on snare top,b-band internal piezo mic (sounds horable by itself ,too much hi mid detail but great as a blend with the top).

audix D-4 internally on toms and D-6 internal on floors (i love it).

shure sm-81 for overheads, audix D-6, shure B-52 and yamaha subkick for the kick drum (yes all three at the same time).

cheapo mxl 603s on the hats ( will eventually get another sm 81 for the hats).

i used to have a pack of CAD low budget mics that i picked up for 100 bucks. the tom mics did surprisingly well (sounded very much like my 57's on toms) i was blown away by how good the littly condensor mics worked on the hats. super smooth and detailed. my band always used to compliment on how good they sounded when i would play back rehersals.

i gave them to a friend who needed drum mics. i wish i never gave him the little condensors.
however;the kick mic that came with the pack sounded hidious. it sounded like some beating the dust out of a carpet with a 2 by 4.

funny thing though....it sounded great on the bass amp.

[albee1952]

My choice on a budget
Kick-Beta 52, D6, Sennheiser 902 (never liked the 112)
Snare-SM57, Beta56 or Audix I5
toms- Sennheiser 604, Shure KSM32, AT3035
hat- AT30301(discontinued) is the best thing short of a Neumann
overs-Cascade Fathead II or MXL 2001(stupidly cheap but a workhorse).
Most of my drumtracks these days are done with a Roland V kit triggering Superior Drummer, with real cymbals and 3 mics.(I don't have a great drum room).

[ejwells]

Here's what I use, no real reason except that I can:

Kick- Sennheiser 902 or an EV RE20, or both
Snare- SM57, always
OH- Pair of Neumann TLM103s
Toms- Audix D2 and D4
HH- AKG 451

[1ace1]

OH- Pair of Neumann TLM103s


Wow! Will have to try that.

Have just been using the bayerdynamic opus series on a kit over the last week and am starting to like the opus99 kick mic. At first thought it was a bit to 'real' but it is growing on me. Am yet to check the clip mics accurately.

A:)

[D3lta]

Using the Mojave MA-100's on OH's the Audix i5 on snare, and the Audix D6 on kick. I use a pretty basic setup, but once the new studio space is built I suspect I'll add a few more mics...maybe. It works out so well.

[TLK Tom]

Snare: Beyer 201 (I love these for pretty much anything, and it's hypercardioid so you get great rejection) possibly a sennheiser 451 or a c414. 414 on the bottom most times though.

Kick: U47 FET and/or Audio Technica AE2500 (I blend the condensor/dynamic signals from this mic to one bus before going to tape). Sometimes NS10 sub, but I find I never really use it anymore and it gets lost anyway at the mastering, so it just eats up my headroom (I like to mix hot).

Overheads: Coles 4030 or c414s; used to use u87s a lot but they sound a little more brash than the 414s on bright cymbals. 67s if they are available.

Toms: Audio-Techinca 4050s or Sennheiser 421s or both (421s on the top, ATs on the bottom).

Hat: km84, or c451 (although I find the 451s are often to bright). Failing either of those, the trusty 414 ;-).

AMBs: Coles/Royers/Ribbons of some description. At the studio i used to work a lot at there was an amazing corridor with plaster walls, I always stuck a stereo xy pair of Beyer 201s in there if i had some spare. I like dull room mics so they don't get full of cymbal splash. If I have a great drummer I use 87s or 414s on omni (spaced pair), and normally a ribbon about a metre infront of the kit in line with the top of the kick drum.

For ride/cymbal spot mics I tend to use c451s.

Always try new stuff out though if I have time and mics available.

T

[mmarxetc]

So my question applies to this but I dont want to get this thread of topic.
Here the thread that applies to my qt.

http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread.php?t=260348

Do you guys think it be an unwise decision to purchase good mics if your kit is set up in a practice space or anywhere else that might not be a very good room acoustically? I'd hate to go about grabbing good mics only to have the room severely handicap them.