i've done this lots of times, mainly due to not having a working set of matched mics.

it works fine, wouldn't say it makes anything "wider" however it does make it more "interesting".

sounds like it could work
but with overheads i try and make that as real as possible.. i rely on the close mic's to get the tone and wholeness of the drums etc and then use the overheads for imaging which means the stereo pair is alot more accurate at representing that..
my view :)

I agree with mixing_nic on this. I don't even pan overheads more than 80% to either side either unless they were miked x/y. Reason being - it brings the whole kit together and gives a much tighter image. Once you start widening out the overheads you are gonna find that your snare and kick might start shifting out of that center alignment and favoring one side or the other. Another thing to consider is that nothing is more annoying to a listener than toms that are too widely spread or too widely panned apart. Same goes with crash cymbals. The first mix I ever did had that problem and I played it for a lot of non-audiophile friends and they all said they didnt like how the drums seemed to "jump" from speaker to speaker. I think wideing the stereo image any more than it already is capable of being on drums is a mistake but thats just my opinion.

Let me tell you why I ask.

I want to start recording drums with mics that will work just as well
on other instruments. I was thinking a Josephson C42 and a Peluso CEMC6 as overheads, 57 on snare and toms and a Beta 52 for the kick.

If I had both of those SDC's then I would have more options for acoustic guitars and not just "hmmm, should I use C42 no.1 or C42 no.2" etc.

Obviously later I could buy a second one of the mic that I prefer for overheads.
Any experience with these mics?
Is acoustically matched mics a good idea?

Thanks for your time.

Hey Wilde,

I just did 2 drums sessions with the Peluso CEMC6s as OHs.
The first session we spaced 'em close x/y right above the kit - toms sounded REAL nice!!

The second session we set them up wide x/y about 5' behind the kit. Again they sounded great. Although this time we also used a spaced pair of '60s gefell mv692s with omni capsules right over the kit. These gefells are unbelievable!!!

I use the 57 on snare a lot. Although I prefer it on metal snares than wood.

You mentioned that you wanted to use mics that will work with other instruments as well. I'll use the Beta 52 on kick, but I usually blend it with a EV RE20. The RE20 is sooo smooth on bass and kick. You'll find a lot more uses for the RE20 than you will with the Beta 52.

-skinsincyn

I use Nuemann Km184's in a X/Y config centered over the snare out in front of the kit. panned hard L/R , the proper placement or what you like for placement is important sometimes more so than the mics.

The Beta 52 is a finicky mic it is VERY sensitive to proximity effect ( check the freq sweeps at diff. distances so placement is VERY important on a 52 , it is currently mt goto mic for kick but I have to work it to get it right .

Later
Buzz

PS: you can also try the front/back overhead thing for a different sound

I second the suggestion of an EV20. They do wonders at providing that "click" and capturing the movement of air out from the batter head.