best mic for congas/bongos etc

[ian hatch]

Hello

Just a quick little question.

I'm looking to get a couple of mics for micing up congas/bongos etc, in a gig not studio enviroment.

I'm looking at real world prices, up to £120 each.

Any suggestions would be most welcome.

PS. a friend suggested SE Electronics Se1a (£57 each, seemed very cheap)

Many thanks

Ian

[Big Dave]

SM57 would do the trick

[MarkPAman]

So would the Shure beta 56. I attach them to the drums with claws to save on stands & space + it helps when the percussionist decides he's going to move everything two feet to the left. :)

[Matt Pengelly]

Personally, my first choice would be a Sennheiser MD-421. If you scout around you might find one in your budget. Be careful of fakes though.

 

Failing that the good old SM57 would certainly do the trick, or for a slightly more condenser-like flavour maybe a Beyer M201. As with so much though, mic positioning and the player's technique are both FAR more important than mic choice here.

[mal421]

SM57 or Senn E604 . I've used both on congas and bongos

[andy_s]

Personally, my first choice would be a Sennheiser MD-421. If you scout around you might find one in your budget. Be careful of fakes though.

 

Failing that the good old SM57 would certainly do the trick, or for a slightly more condenser-like flavour maybe a Beyer M201. As with so much though, mic positioning and the player's technique are both FAR more important than mic choice here.

I'd second that -dug our 421 out of the "old mics we hardly ever use" box not long ago, and it worked a treat on the congas.

[fogg]

Got anymore of those old 421's that you might never use? Let me know!

[JakeCTG]

Personally I like to Beta57a's a good general mic I have a few in my mic collection and they work really nicely on anything I put them on.

 

I would also have my reservations on clip on's as they don't always fit on every type of drum.

[berry120]

My mind (like others previously) jumped to the 57 for this one - does the job, used everywhere and they come in well under your budget. Clip on's could be useful, but I wouldn't go down that route unless you were sure they fitted! In terms of the 421's, I do like them but they're a bit pricey, a quick google search seems to suggest a single one is more than what you want to spend on both.

[Bobbsy]

Well, I'm going to bring this full circle and suggest the SE1A again.

 

As a general comment, I really like small diaphram condensers on bongo/conga drums and, for the money, the SE offering does very well on the fairly sharp percussive sound. They're hard to beat at the price or even double the price and have a fairly inobtrusive profile...not as tiny as a "clip on" but smaller than some of the things suggested.

 

SE used to do a week's free trial--it's a couple of years since I've spoken to them but it might be worth a phone call to see if they'll still do this.

 

Bob

[andy_s]

Got anymore of those old 421's that you might never use? Let me know!

sadly not - we've got a couple of old bits and pieces which get pulled out when we have strange percussion in shows... not that congas are particularly strange, but last time it had been used was on a pianoframe - an old upright piano that had all the bits (keys, hammers, pedals etc) taken off, and was then hit, plucked, scraped, strummed with a variety of implements. the 421 was good for that as well - not least because if it accidently got bashed by the "instruMENTAList", it didn't break.

other mics in our obx that get occasional use include some AKG D190s which had been the show relay pickups at our old theatre - they are quite good for percussion as well.

[ian hatch]

Well, I'm going to bring this full circle and suggest the SE1A again.

 

As a general comment, I really like small diaphram condensers on bongo/conga drums and, for the money, the SE offering does very well on the fairly sharp percussive sound. They're hard to beat at the price or even double the price and have a fairly inobtrusive profile...not as tiny as a "clip on" but smaller than some of the things suggested.

 

SE used to do a week's free trial--it's a couple of years since I've spoken to them but it might be worth a phone call to see if they'll still do this.

 

Bob

Cheers Bob and the other replies, I have tried a '57 on the congas etc and thought it sounded a bit boomy, hense why a friend suggested the se1a or other condenser.

I must admit I don't know anything about the SE range of mics but I keep seeing them crop up on lists, is this a new trend?

I would like to go to the 421 but price won't let me.

[Bobbsy]

SE are a Chinese manufacturer, but unlike most from that area, don't just assemble rip-off copies of other microphones. The owner is also a mic designer with a somewhat eccentric (but often very good) set of ideas and he's come up with a very wide range of mics, ranging from a few small diaphram condesers through a number of interesting large diaphrams and even so pretty pricey valve mics. Build quality and consistency is impressive, especially for the price, sound quality varies as widely as the large range but some mics are very good indeed. I have a few SE1As and find them good, useful instrument mics with a slightly bright sound that can suit things like cymbals...or the congas/bongos we're talking about here.

 

I'm not sure how long SE have been around...probably about ten years. Before I moved down under I used to live only a few minutes from their UK distributor so when I saw an early ad...which offered a free trial...I gave them a call and have been following their range since. I don't always like the sound...but the mics I do like I often like a lot. I recommend a listen!

 

Bob

[ian hatch]

SE are a Chinese manufacturer, but unlike most from that area, don't just assemble rip-off copies of other microphones. The owner is also a mic designer with a somewhat eccentric (but often very good) set of ideas and he's come up with a very wide range of mics, ranging from a few small diaphram condesers through a number of interesting large diaphrams and even so pretty pricey valve mics. Build quality and consistency is impressive, especially for the price, sound quality varies as widely as the large range but some mics are very good indeed. I have a few SE1As and find them good, useful instrument mics with a slightly bright sound that can suit things like cymbals...or the congas/bongos we're talking about here.

 

I'm not sure how long SE have been around...probably about ten years. Before I moved down under I used to live only a few minutes from their UK distributor so when I saw an early ad...which offered a free trial...I gave them a call and have been following their range since. I don't always like the sound...but the mics I do like I often like a lot. I recommend a listen!

 

Bob

Many thanks Bob for the info, it sounds like they are better mics than the price tag implies.

I emailed them today to ask what they would recommend for the congas etc and they recommended the Se4 condenser, about £190, how do you think this stacks up against the Sennheiser 421 or that sort of mic?

[Bobbsy]

I've not had a chance to try the SE4 yet but the SE3 that it replaces was a very nice sounding mic that I found useful for a lot of things. I note that, with the SE4, they've gone for interchangeable capsules which let you select hypercardioid and omni patterns. It'll depend on your work whether that's useful.

 

As for the SE vs the 421, my personal preference is for a small diaphram condenser over the dynamic for percussion...but perhaps I like a slightly brighter sound than some. I know lots of people like the 421 but I find them a bit lacking in detail compared to what I like/am used to.

 

I guess this is where an audition comes in!

 

Bob