Drum Microphones
Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2003 4:11 pm
I rotate quite a bit but there are a few standard mics that I like to use.
CMV563's (omni) in the corner of the drum room, behind the drummer. I was told Mr. Albini used CMV's in the corners of the main performance area at Pachyderm for the 'Inutero' album.
Binaural Head w/pencil point Audio Technica's embedded in the ear canals, (mostly a substitute to the KM184's). They push between 4K-8KHz and 20 to 80Hz. They get good top and bottom without being muddy. Mixes in well when slightly compressed in the mix. Really brings out the bottom from the kick and the sheen from the cymbals.
KM184's for overheads/room -- I generally don't place them in any specific way it's dependant on where they go to get the grizzle out of the cymbals that the CMV's don't.
Blueberry on the snare (side of shell) -- picks up some hi-hat and kick but it gets a good brightness out of the snare mixed in with the overheads/room. And it helps the kick have a little extra punch.
ATM23HE's for the high toms. I still have yet to hear something better than these mics on toms, airy yet punchy. The Sennheiser 609 is a close second to the ATM23He's.
ATM63HE or SM7 for the floor tom. Pretty much anything I've thrown on the floor tome sounds good, if the Floor Tom is tuned correctly of course. Sometimes I'll use the e609 if a ride cymbal is really close by.
For the kick it's a crapshoot. Here's what I'll try in order; D112, SM7, SM58, Blueberry, U87, SM90, or my Binaural Head. Then it's up in the air if I don't like those or it's back to re-tuning the kick drum.
--Adam Lazlo
CMV563's (omni) in the corner of the drum room, behind the drummer. I was told Mr. Albini used CMV's in the corners of the main performance area at Pachyderm for the 'Inutero' album.
Binaural Head w/pencil point Audio Technica's embedded in the ear canals, (mostly a substitute to the KM184's). They push between 4K-8KHz and 20 to 80Hz. They get good top and bottom without being muddy. Mixes in well when slightly compressed in the mix. Really brings out the bottom from the kick and the sheen from the cymbals.
KM184's for overheads/room -- I generally don't place them in any specific way it's dependant on where they go to get the grizzle out of the cymbals that the CMV's don't.
Blueberry on the snare (side of shell) -- picks up some hi-hat and kick but it gets a good brightness out of the snare mixed in with the overheads/room. And it helps the kick have a little extra punch.
ATM23HE's for the high toms. I still have yet to hear something better than these mics on toms, airy yet punchy. The Sennheiser 609 is a close second to the ATM23He's.
ATM63HE or SM7 for the floor tom. Pretty much anything I've thrown on the floor tome sounds good, if the Floor Tom is tuned correctly of course. Sometimes I'll use the e609 if a ride cymbal is really close by.
For the kick it's a crapshoot. Here's what I'll try in order; D112, SM7, SM58, Blueberry, U87, SM90, or my Binaural Head. Then it's up in the air if I don't like those or it's back to re-tuning the kick drum.
--Adam Lazlo