BigYinUK Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 I have tried searching before posting, honest, but didn't really find anything other than a multitude of posts slagging off the C1000s :) So here goes - Which microphone would be a good buy to use to mic up the high hat in a live rock band scenario ? I use a Beta 91 for kick and SM57 for the snare btw. Currently use an old (battery only) no-name condenser for the hat which works surprsingly well but it is *old* and sure to die eventually so I need to update asap really as we have a lot of gigs upcoming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabba Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 whats your buget first off?as a drummer myself I use a akg c451eb with the ck1 capsule and it's an absolute gem but will set you back around 200 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Hi-hats have tons of top end energy - so a small diaphragm condenser is the usual popular choice - to be fair, a decent dynamic doesn't do a bad job on cheap hats - but those that have very thin edges sizzle a bit more. For anything where a player does complex stick work on the hats, then a decent condensor is essential if you want it to sound different to rocks more simple tick tick tick. Even the cheap chinese ones do a pretty good job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigYinUK Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Budget - I'd like to stick around £100 but that could be second hand, most of my microphones are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mervaka Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 I could recommend the SE1A, I've used the SE3 mics before and they're nothing short of spectacular for the money! according to soundonsound, the only big difference is the low end response. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul05/articles/se123.htm http://www.thomann.de/gb/se_electronics_se_1a.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 I agree with the suggestion of small diaphram condensors and cabba has already recommended my personal favourite, the C451/CK1. (It's worth noting that the version with removable capsules was discontinued some years back so any second hand ones you find will be a bit long in the tooth. Unless looked after well, they can suffer from loose grub screws and a poor fit of capsule to body. The modern re-release is a single piece unit.) If the 451 is out of your budget, I've have similar/good results with the much-cheaper SE1A from SE Electronics. This is a Chinese mic, but SE design and make their own kit and I've been impressed with the sound and consistancy of their gear. Bob Edit: Mervaka got in there while I was typing, hindered by this new puppy thing we seem to have acquired trying to eat my fingers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trunker Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 It all down to what your ear likes and whatspec you PA is. I never like mic'ing up toms in a small/medium size vwenue and never mic up Hi-Hats. I use a D112 on the Kick Drum, SM57 on the Snare and a pair of AKG 414's as over-heads. Easy set-up great sound. Can you go to a local shop and see if you can test out some different mics? Recording Wise I have had reasonably good results with a SM 58 on the Hi-Hat. Don't think there is right and wrong with this, only interpretations on what people like. PS I like the AKG C1000 as a 'Kit ambience mic when recording a Brass Band as the cymbals shimmer and the drum end up being punchy and lively, but other people don't like the mic. Experiment is the key........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigYinUK Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 It all down to what your ear likes and whatspec you PA is. I never like mic'ing up toms in a small/medium size vwenue and never mic up Hi-Hats.... In small venues (<150) I rarely mic up anything other than the kick. We did find the other night that the snare was getting lost so we mic'd that and then felt that perhaps the crispness of the hihat had been compromised. I hadn't brought along all my mics so that was the end of it. Like you, I only mic toms in larger venues (with a bigger FOH rig) otherwise you find the kit is overpowering, you then need to mic up guitars and then there's nothing left and the vocals all go to **** (and its all too loud anyway). Having said that, I really like the sound of a full close mic'd kit so I'm happier playing bigger venues with a big rig. IMO a drumkit just doesn't have that "rock sound" unless its all mic'd up. (Or am I talking baloney ?) We've recently been measuring SPLs at the desk and last week's showed a maximum of 108db, not excessive for a rock band and pretty typical for us although we've played louder :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 In small venues (<150) I rarely mic up anything other than the kick. Having said that, I really like the sound of a full close mic'd kit so I'm happier playing bigger venues with a big rig. IMO a drumkit just doesn't have that "rock sound" unless its all mic'd up. (Or am I talking baloney ?)Jon - fence sitting maybe? If you want the contemporary (or for that matter, any classic rock sound since Deep Purple) you need it miked up and loud - this does kind of mean that small venues don't sound 'right'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigYinUK Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Jon - fence sitting maybe? <SNIP> :biggrin: .....My middle name..... That's why I don't like the smaller venues.....Problem is, as a band, beggars can't be choosers and we play whatever we get given. Its only when I've got my sound engineer's hat on that I get fussy about the sound of the kit. From a playing point of view at small venues, I prefer a little guitar through FOH so I don't have to crank it up so much on stage, then we get a sensible monitor mix, we can all hear what we're doing and we also get a little kick drum coming back from the FOH which tightens the whole thing up nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 I'm not a drummer but know what BigYinUK means. People have got used to the sound of a close miked kit from numerous recordings and/or big concerts. The natural live sound of a kit can be very different and, if you're after the "rock" sound, "natural" is probably not what you want. The trouble is, even without mics a drum kit is often the loudest thing on the stage so small venues have to be a compromise. Bob Edit: Dang...this just isn't my thread! Again somebody got in before me! Ah well, while here I might as well mention that sometimes you can get away with putting perspex drum shields around the kit, then miking up as if the venue was bigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 On a budget, look at Thomann's EM800. They're cheap as chips but IMO give a great sound for Hats, OH, Brass , Acoustic Guitar, pretty much anything you'd tend to use a mic like this for. Can't grumble at all and you can get a few for you £100 budget. THe clips are very tight so I tend to push them in and leave them on the clips, at least they don't fall out (we've all seen C1000's hanging through the clips by the cable). If you're in my area you're welcome to have a listen to the EM800 and I've also bought a couple of pairs of the even cheaper EM700's which I've yet to try. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigYinUK Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Thanks everyone for your replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
london sound Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Hi Beyer M201 dynamic very foregiving mic, good balenced sound. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightsource Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 When doing small jobs, we opt for the C1000 :) as hi hat, and cymbal overheads as we've got them in stock. For bigger gigs with riders, my normal choice is the AKG SE300B, with the CK93 (I think) capsule. Although at a combined price of about £200 ish, this is probably too far over your budget. We hire them from Stage Electrics as we need them, for £6 per day per mic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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