ziessB wrote:If someone can host it I can provide an .mp3 of some drum tracks using 2xSM57s and 2xCO3s...

I recently took a gamble on some condensers on ebay.com.au and bought a couple cheap (AUD$30 including shipping each!) Takstar PCM-6100 cardioid condensers. I did an A/B comparison with a pair of Schoeps CMC6/MK4 on a piano I recorded recently. I didn't do it very scientifically, but I did put the mics in the same position using the same clips, and left the gain on the preamp where it was.

you can judge for yourself: 16 bit 44.1khz .WAV file here

first one pair of mics, a short tone, then the other pair. let's see if you can guess which ones are which....

casey_rice wrote:

ziessB wrote:If someone can host it I can provide an .mp3 of some drum tracks using 2xSM57s and 2xCO3s...

I recently took a gamble on some condensers on ebay.com.au and bought a couple cheap (AUD$30 including shipping each!) Takstar PCM-6100 cardioid condensers. I did an A/B comparison with a pair of Schoeps CMC6/MK4 on a piano I recorded recently. I didn't do it very scientifically, but I did put the mics in the same position using the same clips, and left the gain on the preamp where it was.

you can judge for yourself: 16 bit 44.1khz .WAV file here

first one pair of mics, a short tone, then the other pair. let's see if you can guess which ones are which....

I'm not sure which one is which, but the second pair sounds more boxy and dull on the low-mid range. the first pair sound much more live. while the first pair sounds really good on the piano alone, i may be inclined to use the second pair in recording a rock band or something. in an orchestra setting, i would use the first pair.

I also much prefer the sound of the first pair. Very nicely suited to piano. So which was it?

stewie wrote:I also much prefer the sound of the first pair. Very nicely suited to piano. So which was it?

schoeps first, takstar second...pretty obvious. but the takstars should prove to be a lot nicer than ending up having to use 57s for toms when I run out of mics at the budget studios. lots of people (read: studio owners/managers) have issues with using good mics on drums, sadly. if a drummer whacks one of these, he or she can buy me lunch and we'll call it even!

the high end on the second sounds cheap

casey_rice wrote:

ziessB wrote:If someone can host it I can provide an .mp3 of some drum tracks using 2xSM57s and 2xCO3s...

I recently took a gamble on some condensers on ebay.com.au and bought a couple cheap (AUD$30 including shipping each!) Takstar PCM-6100 cardioid condensers. I did an A/B comparison with a pair of Schoeps CMC6/MK4 on a piano I recorded recently. I didn't do it very scientifically, but I did put the mics in the same position using the same clips, and left the gain on the preamp where it was.

you can judge for yourself: 16 bit 44.1khz .WAV file here

first one pair of mics, a short tone, then the other pair. let's see if you can guess which ones are which....

Any chance of posting that .wav again?

casey_rice wrote:lots of people (read: studio owners/managers) have issues with using good mics on drums, sadly.

One good way to see if you should be concerned about a drummer hitting a nice mic is to take a good look at an old drumhead of his. If the hits are pretty well centered, chances are pretty slim he'll ding one of your mics. If the marks are all over the place, better stick with the cheapies. Of course, you should take care to make sure your mics aren't in his flight path. Watch him setup & play before you start miking & 9 times out of 10, you'll be tits.

Please, for the love of all that's holy, don't use mic clamps on the drums. I prefer to hear the drum, skin & stick, not the vibration of a drum hit being transmitted through a metal clamp. Thank you! Also, don't use those shitty fucking drum mic packs, please. Try speaking into one & you'll immediately know what I mean.
"Oh, so my floor tom will sound like it's being played through a telephone or AM radio!? Great, that's the sound I was going for!!"

If money's that much of a concern, either start saving now or start buying Shure mics. Best bang (pun intended) for the buck for my taste.

I just took a chance on one of those takstar mics on ebay, £12 all in. Not much of a risk if it turned out to be rubbish - the mic came today and it is decent (not amazing) on acoustic guitar and vox. The thing I noticed is it appears to be the exact same mic as the samson c02 - which retails in the uk at around £80.00 for matched pairs. Not bad at all takstar.

http://www.suresmooth23.com/suresmooth2 ... hone_1.jpg

http://media.zzounds.com/media/brand,zz ... 5000e1.jpg

Unless I have failed to notice something, they seem to be identical with different writing on 'em.

We have a CAD drum mic package here at the shop...it sounds like crapola, but I'd be surprised if it cost much at all, and you can get a close-mic where you need it.