tom mic clip or not?

[jeremy.c.]

Does anyone use rim mount clips for toms and/or snare while recording?
I am assuming there is a good chance for hardware noise and rattle and buzz, as well as maybe making positioning a lot more difficult.
However they take up no space, which at times is an issue and they're much easier to transport and store.
Is anyone using them successfully in the studio?
I was leaning towards the Shure A56D to mount SM57s on. Any other brand/advice you could impart based on your own experience would be helpful.
Thanks!

[chrisso]

Some people use them.
I wouldn't however.

[amishsixstringe]

Those clips are great for live apps, but I wouldn't use one recording. They kill some of the shell tone and resonance.

Neil

[PhatStax Drums]

seems to me they don't kill an appreciable amount of tone and resonance on the drum itself since they're pretty much clipped on at a pretty nodal point on the drum (at least I haven't noticed that effect)...but what you DO get of course in the mic, is all the shell vibration.

Yes, it's a lot more convenient, usually. However, you end up with tom tracks that have serve as little echo chambers in and of themselves. So, you'll have to gate the drums, unless the resonance can be used to good effect (pretty rare but sometimes it's kinda cool, sort of a Ringo's-bass-drum-in-"I'm Down"-kinda sound, although that was just his unmuffled bass drum).

But you might gate the toms, anyway. In that case, it might not make a whole lot of difference whether they're on stands or not. But I would say if possible, use stands, not clips.

Also, the Sennheiser little clip-on tom mics are really good unless your drum rim is non-standard and they won't hold on it, but they set up firmly, don't vibrate, and get the center of the drum which is usually what you want to pick up.

Another factor is that sometimes, especially for snare, you might want to try miking the shell, not the head, and you can't really do that with a clip.

Note also that in the Recording The Beatles book it does confirm that Ringo's toms were miked with stands, often from the BOTTOM of the tom, which gave it that huge boom and punch, and you couldn't do that with a clip but that's pretty obvious now, ain't it (kinda like saying "don't use clips for room mics...duh)

I used to think gating on drums was evil and horrible and I still do without it when I can, but if you are close-miking the kit, then gating the toms so that they open up RIGHT away, and then close fairly slowly and gradually, isn't bad.

Of course, my favorite way to mic drums is often only using one or two mics, from at least a few feet out, so the clip thing becomes irrelevant. But it's such an art that sometimes you do want to mic close, or the room or recording conditions/style dictate it.

So, if it's significantly more convenient and you can deal with the tom tracks having a continuous low echo off the tom even when the drum isn't being hit, use clips, especially if you'll be gating the toms anyway.

But ideally for better sound, I would not use clips.

[bobwarren]

I use MD421's almost always.

[jeremy.c.]

Cool, thanks for the warnings everyone... I was so focused on what the mics would do to the drum that I completely didn't even think about the mic vibrating around. duh! I'll see about getting some mini-booms or something instead.

[Shaft]

The A56D mounts are really great. Try them and you'll see there aren't the problems people are talking about in theory.

Look into the Shure Beta 98 D/S - the mini-condensers with essentially the same mounts. Great sound and small, and less likely to be hit by sticks. I love 'em. Then you can mike the resonant heads with MD-421 or condensers if you like that Albini/In Utero sound.

[C/G]

Originally Posted by amishsixstringe

Those clips are great for live apps, but I wouldn't use one recording. They kill some of the shell tone and resonance.

Neil

Ditto.

[Mondo]

i use clips regularly and don't notice any ringing or resonance. the cips i use have rubber where they tighten onto the drum and have a joint with rubber to move the mic up and down.

[Gear Tramp]

How are your ears, Mondo?

Clips are ok, and usually preferred for live situations, but not for recording. Never!

[Jeff A. Roberts]

The Latch Lake Xtra Boom works very well for toms, and you can cover several toms with only one stand and multiple Xtra Booms. Xtra Booms don't leave a lot of boom hanging out the back end either, so you have less stands in the way, and you don't have to limbo under all of the boom overhang.

Check 'em out here Latch Lake Xtra Boom - Quality Constructed Booms for Microphone Stands. Ideal for Multiple Mics to Cover a Drum set

[Chris Doremus]

Shure Beta 98 D/S are the shizzzzz!!! Especially through 1073s if you want that...great sound. That is if your into that type of stuff. haha

[rockstar_josh]

I use the Sennheiser clip-ons... they have a flexible rubber clip that won't hurt the drums or rattle around. Nice and hot, almost too hot.

[Jonboy79]

I own the audix mic clips and they're terrible. They rattle like crazy, are somtimes a little hard to get to do what you want and their designs causes the mic to creep closer and closer to the head. That forces me to pretty much get up after every take and pull the mic head off the drum head. On top of all that I was actually getting some really bad distortion(probably from the mics somtimes creeping down to the skins. After switching to mic stands it's improved my overall sound tremendously. I will say though the sennheiser e604's are probably the only mic/clip combo I'd ever use as I've had fantastic results with them.

[Malcolm Boyce]

Another vote for the Beta 98 d/s. Older "clip on" types did suck from a critical perspective, but anyone who hasn't tried something newer shouldn't write off all clip ons.

I can clip a Beta 98 on the hoop of a tom, or use a stand for the same mic, and you could not tell the difference.

Very well thought out system.