so. i'm looking to get a pair of microphones for use as drum overheads. i have an 8-track tascam reel-to-reel and so am looking to just mic up the snare, bass drum and then have these two mics handles the rest.
any recommendations for a cheap-ish pair? i've got about £120 (what's that, about $200?) to spend.
also, what's so great about these 'matched pair' mics i hear of - what's the difference between just any two mics, and a matched pair?

alos, i take it stuff like this is a complete turkey -> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 53713&rd=1

cheers ya'll!

For that sort of price, you'll probably be forced to go with either MXL 603 or Oktava MK012 pairs. Either are pretty nice. Not up there with the Neumanns & AKG's of the world, but nice.
Say, on your side of the pond, there seems to be a nice supply of the older AKG 451's. The ones with the CK1. I've gotten some for a little over $100 ea with shipping to the states. You could probably scare up a pair for close to your price range. This would be a top notch pair and something that you'd never outgrow.
There are tons of choices for this though...some guys use LDC mics, some use ribbons, etc...
later,
m

cool, thanks for that.
but i agree that the problem with asking for recommendations, is that everyone will prefer something different. heh, and i don't have the cash to go buy 50 different mics just two see which two i like!

I use a pair of B**ringer B5's and they sound like crap on just about anything. In the US you should be able to get Octava's pretty easely.

Peter

heh. maybe this is a better way of doing it: process of elimination!

I have a pair of AT37R's that I like okay for overheads. They are okay and they're cheap and pretty versatile. Another option is to grab one AT4033 and do mono overhead until you can save up for a second 4033, cuz those are great overheads.
-n

Studiospares are doing at4033's cheap just now. I just got one with a shockmount cradle for £169 inc. vat

For cheap, I've had decent results with the MXL 603s that Lehabs mentioned. They are a pretty wide cardiod, almost omni, so keep that in mind. They sound similar to the oktava, maybe a little less detailed, but I've never tried them side by side (or even in the same room). Personally, I don't like the 4033 on overheads that much, but I use it as a room mic sometimes. Also, for really cheap, the Behringer ECM8000 omni mic is kinda cool, but I don't think I'd have it as my only choice. I'm looking to try out some Josephsons pretty soon myself.

thanks everyone!
ebeam - what is it you don't like about the 4033s'? would you still say that, for the price, they were a good mic?
also - i've been offered an old beyerdynamic 815 for about £35. yay / nay?

I have limited inputs and tend to do minimal drum micing as a result. So, I like to try and get a good balance between the cymbals and toms in the overheads. At least for my kit and room, the 4033 tends to be a bit 'crispy' and I usually prefer something darker sounding to tame the cymbals a bit. When I do stereo, its usually the 603s, but I really like my MTG UMT800 if I'm doing mono. Overall, the 4033 is really versatile though and sounds decent on a lot of things and certainly good for the price. I like it for vocals, bass amp (a lot), sometimes acoustic guitar, misc percussion...