Yeah it does sound good not to mention it is built like a freakin tank too. I give Fletcher from gearslutz credit for turning me on to the mic. Yeah it cost more than a sm57 but it is IMO worth the investment.

DonnyThompson, post: 424962, member: 46114 wrote: There's nothing wrong with using a 57 on a snare, thousands of hits have been recorded using it. Then again I wouldn't think that there'd be anything wrong using an M80 series either, considering Telefunken's track record with mics.

At brass tacks, everything is going to rely on the mic preamp you choose... even more-so than the mic.

The 57 is much cheaper, though... by around $300.

No dispute that the SM57 has been used on countless hits on snares and just about anything else you can think off. I just provided an alternative for a snare mic irrespective of budget that IMO is a better mic both in quality and ability to capture sound.

Will I sell all my 57s anytime soon - hell no but when it comes to my go to choice for a snare mic I go with the M80. It has proven to be worth the extra money at least to me.

I could also offer the SM7 (albeit big) as an interesting alternative on snare as well. Just make sure you trust the drummer :D .

Since we've now moved to snare mics I will now put in my standard reply of Beyer 201N. I also like the AT4041's on snares that need that 'sheen' or when the theres a lot of side-stick or brush work. Another probably little known condenser I like on close in snare/hat micing is a Kel HM-3C. If I'm looking for a sort of area kit micing technique I will use two of these , one just peeking over the rim of the floor tom about a foot back and one in the nexus of the snare/ hat confluence also at a foot. Add a kick just inside and a tube overhead or a nice ribbon, gobo off the kit and that makes a great representation of a kit in a room. You can expand on this to increase the "size" by adding distant room mics.

Lately my SM7 has been the only mic I use on the floor toms.

A lot of great snare mic alternatives being mentioned here! My mainstay is the 57 but I'll sometimes add an SM81 or even an old Peavey PVM38. Yep a Peavey. It's a very bright mic but it works well when I really want to highlight the snares or use it combined with the 57 for a more natural sound.

Randy Carrillo, post: 420738, member: 48143 wrote: Hello, I am looking for recommendations/opinions on drum mics. I currently have two AT2020s for overheads and an SM57 for the snare. I will be buying two MD421s for my toms. (I use a 4 piece drum kit.) I am leaning towards the E602 for the kick, but want to know if there are any other recommendations. The D112 sounds too thin and boxy for me, the D6 is way too hyped and the Beta 52 is too woofy. Thanks for the help in advance!

I tell ya, I buy all my mics on a budget, so I went with the AT MB series mic package. I bought a GLS Audio 57 copy for the snare, and cheapo CAD'S for the OH's. Nice clean sound for the budget minded.

You do realise that you are replying to a thread that is 2 years old, right?

Not that there is anything wrong with bumping threads, but a few of the contributors to this thread are no longer around ;)

FWIW

I love reading through old threads, seeing how things change or don't change with the times, including how they can sometimes... stimulate old members back here :love: (some of them have passed to music heaven as well).
fwiw... A huge percentage of "vintage RO" has some of the best pro audio content on the web, that was contributed by members whom only made their appearances here on the web. ;)

Seek and you shall find. :)

DonnyThompson, post: 424962, member: 46114 wrote: everything is going to rely on the mic preamp you choose... even more-so than the mic.

on that note: (y)

definitely a huge factor.

Randy Carrillo, post: 420738, member: 48143 wrote: Hello, I am looking for recommendations/opinions on drum mics. I currently have two AT2020s for overheads and an SM57 for the snare. I will be buying two MD421s for my toms. (I use a 4 piece drum kit.) I am leaning towards the E602 for the kick, but want to know if there are any other recommendations. The D112 sounds too thin and boxy for me, the D6 is way too hyped and the Beta 52 is too woofy. Thanks for the help in advance!

Audix D6 for the kick

I’ve been out of the recording game for 13 years but I’m looking to get back into it. From some of my own terrible attempts to record drums, this is what I found. This is what you need to get right to get close to your drums to sound good (not necessarily great) and (in my opinion) in this order.

1. Mic placement. Try different positions but aim to eliminate phasing with equal spacing of overheads. Dragging the waveform in the sequencer later isn’t going to fix it as it could cause phasing with other drums like snare and toms. Use a tape measure if you need to and measure to a point around the drummer’s knee somewhere between the kick and snare. Remember, it’s possible to get a decent drum recording with just 3 mics - 1 kick and 2 overheads / room mics.

2. The room. Try to get the room as dead as possible or with a slight ring that isn’t going to sound weird in the final mix.
3. The mics.
   1. A well placed CHEAP mic can result in a good sound
   2. A badly placed AWESOME mic will most likely result in a bad sound
   3. A good drummer. If he/she isn’t a decent drummer and hits them inconsistently you’re going to struggle to get it sounding great.
   4. Pre-amps. You could spend thousands of £££$$$ but if you don’t get the things above right, you might as well have spend pennies.
   5. If all else fails, try drum replacement like Drumagog.

      Cheers
      Al
      www.muzohub.com

I meant to add...

It helps to have a good drum kit with well tuned heads/skins. I’m sure there are posts on forums about how to tune drums, but I used to use a clever tuning device (I’ll post below if I can find it online).

A £$ 100 kit can sound decent if you get decent skins and tune them properly. Spend £$ 3000 on a kit with old, worn and badly tuned skins and you’ve just wasted your time.

cheers
Al
www.muzohub.com

There is ONE single element that can make or break the drum sound.

Tuning

Tuning involves a lot of elements. Drum heads:type/thickness/coating or finish/number of plys Rim Material: wood/steel/potmetal/etc Drum quality: number of lugs/true roundness/shell material/finish/mounting hardware/sizes

This could be considered a short list but it will suffice as a starter to attaining a high quality drum sound in any environment. I say that because with the correct tuning for the room and the material, you can get what is needed in a garage.

Of course a great room helps but the room is more about the mics and the surrounding brass. Especially if you are close-micing.

A lot of drummers tune their kits like they would for a live gig. The weight and material they use for the heads is usually determined by how loud they have to play in order to hear themselves over amps and such. In a controlled environment such as a studio, the tuning should reflect attack, tone, sustain, and crosstalk between drums.

Get those four elements in place and you have an easily recorded set that sounds great on every hit.

I have an excellent kit in my room. A couple of times a year I have a friend who is a master drum tuner spiff it up. I can tune as well but he gets all the crosstalk out and the drums play lively with great response from the heads and the sustain is the perfect length. Keeps the editing down. Don't need to gate anything going in (although I'm really good with a gate......it's a secret....don't ask) I prefer the drums to all be completely open with very little sound control on them. A single gel usually is enough for any session. My kit continues to be the kit of choice when I track a drummer. I will always give them the option and will do the A/B for free.

Although I have a good collection of excellent mics and lots of great preamps, with a properly tuned kit I can put SM57's on everything and it'll sound perfect. Tuning is EVERYTHING on a great drum sound.

This is a revived thread from 2016, I don't know if Randy is still around.. but It's no problem to continu the discussion..
I'm with Dave, the tuning is critical as well as the room in which we record.. At home, it's better to have a dead room than a bad sounding live one. You can fake a room reverb but not remove it.
Other than that, many people struggles for nothing, I listen to many RAW recordings, the drums ain't sounding that great to start with..
Overtones, bleading, occasionnaly some phasing.
There's a lot to do in the mix to achieve record ready drum sounds.
I think many abandon the idea too soon.
I mixed a few songs from free RAW tracks givin online like on the Telefunken site. You know those mystic mics we can't afford !
Well you'd be surprised how ordinary the tracks were sounding before the mix.. ;)