Your drum overhead mic recommendation(s)?

[spiritbass]

I'm looking at four so far. AKG C430, Sennheiser e614, e914, and Shure SM 81. I will be using an SM 57 for snare and Sennheiser e902 for kick, the genre is blues. I may go with more mics later but am presently channel-challenged. Which would you pick or would you suggest another? My thanks in advance!

Ken

[Ron K]

SM81 is a very good choice. As is the KSM137 if you need a bit of a price break and still want the performance.The built in pad on the KSM is really nice if you pull multiple roles with the same mic.It can really handle some very high SPLs.

Of the ones you have listed the AKG is the only other one I have used and as an overhead the Shure is far better! I haven't heard or used many of the newer Sennheiser offerings.

[spiritbass]

Thanks for the input, Ron!

K

[bgavin]

I plugged in various dynamic mics into a system equipped with a headphone distribution amp (Rane).
The drummer played his kit while I hand miced all the various components.

My conclusion: dynamic mics sound like ass on cymbals and hats.
None of my SM57, D1, OM6, ATM-23, sound decent on cymbals.
I have a 30 year old pair of RadioShack SDC electrets. Night and day improvement with the SDCs.

[gdougherty]

I've played with an e914. Wonderful mic. I compared it to my Russian made Octava MC012's and thought it was noticably more defined and pleasant sounding on percussion and acoustic guitar. Feels solid enough to use as a drum stick. I haven't put it up against an SM81, but I'd be willing to bet it's a little smoother given the rest of the 900 series mics up against Shure's older technology. For about the same money I'd go with the e914, but I tend to favor Sennheiser's 900 series over most any of their competition I've heard. If you don't already have an SM57, get your hands on an e905. I found I had to tweak the SM57 on most any snare to get something I liked, same with my Audix i5. 90% of the time mounting the e905 and adjusting gain gets a good sound.
One SDC to try that I liked enough to purchase 4, are the 300C pairs from audiopile.net. I've used them on overheads and close mics for percussion and been happy with the results. They're a little warmer and less bright/harsh IMO than some of the others I've used, especially other cheapies. 0, 10 & 20db pad switch, flat, 75 & 150Hz rolloff switch, solid mic, comes with little windscreens that work well enough for moderate winds. $130+shipping per pair.

[Strapping Young Stu]

Well if its for live I think many of the best options have already been recommended, but if its for Studio recording I believe very small diaphragm Omni pattern condensers are quite a good choice.

The Earthworks microphones I think sound brilliant and a good but cheap alternative is believe it or not the Behringer ECM8000 which is surprisingly good for the money doing the job of studio overheads!

Stu

[spiritbass]

I knew this particular gang of audio enthusiasts would have some informed opinions to share. Thanks again, your experienced opinions are very much appreciated! Gdougherty - I haven't invested in the snare mic yet, I'll probably go with the e905 & e914 (Thanks!).

Ken

[spiritbass]

Well if its for live I think many of the best options have already been recommended, but if its for Studio recording I believe very small diaphragm Omni pattern condensers are quite a good choice.

The Earthworks microphones I think sound brilliant and a good but cheap alternative is believe it or not the Behringer ECM8000 which is surprisingly good for the money doing the job of studio overheads!

Stu

Hey Stu,
I forgot to mention that I was looking for recommendations for live work. I had been wondering about how the ECM8000 would do on overhead. Thanks for curing my curiosity.

[gdougherty]

I knew this particular gang of audio enthusiasts would have some informed opinions to share. Thanks again, your experienced opinions are very much appreciated! Gdougherty - I haven't invested in the snare mic yet, I'll probably go with the e905 & e914 (Thanks!).

Ken

Get your hands on some and give them a demo first. Also check out some of the Beyerdynamic offerings. Those are well regarded as well.

[bgavin]

The Beyer M201 is about the ultimate for a dynamic snare mic.
They retain a very high used value and get snatched up quickly.
Full Compass is the best place I've seen to buy one new.

At my friend's studio we did a comparison between his M201, my ATM-23, and the venerable SM57.
Each had a different sound, with the SM57 being the farthest different. The ATM-23 and M201 were pretty close, but the edge went to the M201.

[gdougherty]

The Beyer M201 is about the ultimate for a dynamic snare mic.
They retain a very high used value and get snatched up quickly.
Full Compass is the best place I've seen to buy one new.

At my friend's studio we did a comparison between his M201, my ATM-23, and the venerable SM57.
Each had a different sound, with the SM57 being the farthest different. The ATM-23 and M201 were pretty close, but the edge went to the M201.

I'd love to hear the M201 up against my e905. Have a friend with a Beyer drum pack. I'll see if it's got the M201.
Edit Nope, it's an opus pack. How's the hypercardioid pattern work out on a snare drum?

[AntonZ]

cheap alternative is believe it or not the Behringer ECM8000 which is surprisingly good for the money doing the job of studio overheads!

That confirms what Bruce said:

I have a 30 year old pair of RadioShack SDC electrets. Night and day improvement with the SDCs.

There's a standard cheap electret capsule in the ECM8000, "you get what you pay for" does not apply here. The ECM is plenty value for money.

[gdougherty]

cheap alternative is believe it or not the Behringer ECM8000 which is surprisingly good for the money doing the job of studio overheads!

That confirms what Bruce said:

I have a 30 year old pair of RadioShack SDC electrets. Night and day improvement with the SDCs.

There's a standard cheap electret capsule in the ECM8000, "you get what you pay for" does not apply here. The ECM is plenty value for money.

True, but I don't think I'd want an omni capsule on stage. For $30 more than a pair you can get the 300C from Audiopile that are made for the road and have handy switches that aren't on the ECM8000. Used just a pair on percussion overheads tonight and was very impressed. Used a pair on a Ugandan children's choir last night and had excellent sound. For $130 it's almost worth the purchase just to demo.

[producerd]

I used ECM on percussions once, everyone was asking after "How can you get such clarity from percussion, and what kind of mic you use?" Very good mic for the money. As for snare I like Beta 98. Love the sound and placement is easy (just don't place it too close to Hi-hat)

[Larry Acklin]

I've used ECM8000 as well. I place it on a tall stand/boom over the drummers head, aimed down at the kit. Not in monitors anywhere! A light touch in FOH and it sounds great. I have to flip phase sometimes with the Hi Hat mic to keep the phasey sounds out. I have made excellent field recordings and live acoustic jazz combo recordings using a pair on a Jecklin disk.

Larry