Tom mic's

[Mr.Si]

So, now for my next question...

 

I'm looking to get some AKG 418's (the phantom powered version) because of their sheer lack of size and good reputation. - what would you guys/gals think of them?

 

has anyone used the Beyer Opus Mic's for Toms? or are there other mic's which are nice for them?

I'm aware of the 604's and the SM57's which I currently use.

 

Are there any others? - I'm not interested in the JTS mics.

 

 

How would the 418's do in recording? - I'm mainly a live engineer, but I'm recording this week and thinking of getting a couple of 418's for this purpose.

[paulears]

I find them a bit 'thin' for recording, but great for live - cut through fine. They are quite tough, but do tend to become a bit wobbly and loose. The cable is a little thin, and needs taping down to keep it tidy, gaffer not alway welcome on the shells of drums. I sometime use small cable ties on the tuning screws, this works ok. Don't forget the long length of the XLRs.

[Mr.Si]

I find them a bit 'thin' for recording, but great for live

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That was what my thought of them was initially. - talked to a drummer today and he said the college he went to, had them and they sounded good in recording.

 

I'd have thought a larger diaphragm'd mic would have been better

[paulears]

I found the opposite - just not quite enough real guts. A bigger diaphragm mic works better for me on toms. They are less visible and a lot less in the way, though.

[david.elsbury]

Ideal mic: Sennheiser 421. Second choice: Audix D1/D2 (very small clip on mics). Third choice: SM57.

 

Don't forget the long length of the XLRs.

You could always use right-angle XLRs.

 

David

[Mr.Si]

Second choice: Audix D1/D2 (very small clip on mics).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Do they come with clips by default or do you have to get these seperately?

Size-wise, how do they compare with the AKG 418?

 

Ta, Si

[charlyfarly]

I have been exclusively using Shure SM98's (not the Beta versions) for a few years now. More than happy with them and they have other uses as well as on toms.

'Spose I'm lucky though, I get all Shure products on permanent loan from Shure. :)

[Ben Lawrance]

I use Shure Beta 98's on toms

 

They sound the dogs (in my opinion)

 

 

Just my 2p worth

 

 

Ben

[david.elsbury]

http://www.warhogsaudioshop.com/ProductImages/product%20pictures/audix/D2.jpg

Its a fair bit bigger- didnt associate the number with what the AKG mic actually is, ** laughs out loud **. And yes, comes with clip.

And its D1 for snare, and D2 for toms.

[Mr.Si]

tis a nice looking mic, - thought it looked larger! is it intrusive in the way that some mic's take up alot of space of the tom head and the drummer complains? or is it discrete?

[James]

I use MD241 for preference and e604 for convenience.

 

£35 for a replacement clip on a 421 is enough to make me cautious about using them.

 

James

[david.elsbury]

tis a nice looking mic, - thought it looked larger! is it intrusive in the way that some mic's take up alot of space of the tom head and the drummer complains? or is it discrete?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In my opinion it's pretty good- bearing in mind that you dont have it right up against the skin anyways, to allow the drum sound to 'breathe'.

 

Here's a pic of them on the clips- the clips allow them to back off from the drums a wee bit.

http://www.bbproaudio.com/products/microphones/Images/audix%20D2%20DEFLEX.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/davidelsbury/audix_sw.jpg

The red circles are where the clips rotate- so you can pull it towards the right of the pic at the bottom, and get it away from the drum if you want.

 

I guess discrete is all down to personal preference, but I (and the drummers we work with) don't seem to have problem with it- on the odd occasion we use the AKG's the drummer seems to hit them, and being smaller I think it may be a little rougher on the capsule.

 

Oh, and for what it's worth, the AKG C1000 windsox fit great on the Audix's, just use a rubber band to hold them on.

 

HTH

David

 

Edited to add a pic of the swivelly clips

[Simon Lewis]

Although the 418s are quite versatile, the four that I used for teaching were destroyed fairly quickly....

 

either the drummers totaled them, or people closed the flightcase lid on the cables.

 

Switched to to Sennheiser clip ons and haven't looked back....

 

If you look after the 418s yourself, they may work for you - otherwise, I;d consider buying something more robust!

[J Pearce]

I have used the Sennheiser clip ons in the past, when sharing kits with another drummer. They seem to stay out of the way, but when I did knock one it bounced around for a while which can't have done the sound any good.

 

I personally prefer just bass, snare and overheads, but there are valid reasons for using tom mics in conjunction with overheads.

If you keep them well away from the centre and the drummer should manage to avoid them; this is easier on larger drums.

[steve_zabba]

So, now for my next question...

 

I'm looking to get some AKG 418's (the phantom powered version) because of their sheer lack of size and good reputation. - what would you guys/gals think of them?

 

How would the 418's do in recording? - I'm mainly a live engineer, but I'm recording this week and thinking of getting a couple of 418's for this purpose.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Right I'm letting myself in for it now :( .... I recorded my drums using 4 x AKG C418s (snare + 3 toms) and a D112 in the bass drum. The mics were all positioned about 2 inches from the batter skins and I didn't use any overheads (as I haven't got any). The drums were recorded using a Boss BR1600CD digital recorder. I'm sure you'll notice that my recording/mixing/mastering skills leave a lot to be desired (hence the snare is a little low in the mix) but I hope the recording will give you an idea of the mics....

 

http://www.mydrums.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

 

(Test Drum Recording One 7.96mb is near the top of the page)

 

Cheers,

 

Steve