Omni or cardioid microphones for a spaced OH pair?

Lobotomy · 26th December 2006

Music lovers,

I like drums to sound natural rather than processed. I like a bit of a jazzy drum sound even though the music I record is mostly pop.

For OH I've used x/y a lot and recently mostly a single ldc (I kind of like mono drums..). But now I want to extend on my possibilities, and I'm about to buy a couple of small diaphragm microphones to use as a spaced pair for drum overheads.

Do you recommend omni or cardioid pickup patterns for my application? And what do you use?

Happy holidays,
Andreas

TornadoTed · 26th December 2006

A lot depends on the room, if it's a great sounding room then I'd be tempted to go for omnis. I've got some schoeps super cardiod mics I like to use for overheads, they are somewhere in between and don't let in too much room sound in but still sound a bit more open than cardiods.

Lobotomy · 27th December 2006

Tanks for your answer. I'll go for omnis and hope that my acoustics are good enough (otherwise I'll have something to work on).

audible · 27th December 2006

I like omnis for distance micing purposes. Omnidirectional mics also have no proximity effect, and they can be used in ways that a cardioid can not be. The room tone is very critical to the sonic results when using omnis. What type of mics are you looking at? Have thought about getting a variable pattern condenser mic. Figure 8 is an often underappreciated mic pattern. Borrow or demo some mics to experiment with the differences between patterns.

Jim vanBergen · 27th December 2006

Great responses.

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE ROOM.

If you don't have a great sounding room, using omnis on drum OH or room mics is a serious waste of time, and this is why I often put up multiple pairs to demo when getting a drum kit sound.

numrologst · 27th December 2006

For me, the omni/cardiod choice is more based upon what I am doing with my room mics. For me, my room mics pull the drumkit together.

If i have a close room mic I will use omnis, far room mics usually get the cardios

Benjy King · 27th December 2006

For the last year or so I have been using Avenson Audio STO-2 omnis with really great results!

26th December 2006	#1
Lobotomy Gear interested Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 26 Thread Starter	Omni or cardioid microphones for a spaced OH pair? Music lovers, I like drums to sound natural rather than processed. I like a bit of a jazzy drum sound even though the music I record is mostly pop. For OH I've used x/y a lot and recently mostly a single ldc (I kind of like mono drums..). But now I want to extend on my possibilities, and I'm about to buy a couple of small diaphragm microphones to use as a spaced pair for drum overheads. Do you recommend omni or cardioid pickup patterns for my application? And what do you use? Happy holidays, Andreas

26th December 2006	#2
TornadoTed Lives for gear Joined: Nov 2005 Location: Wales Posts: 1,445	A lot depends on the room, if it's a great sounding room then I'd be tempted to go for omnis. I've got some schoeps super cardiod mics I like to use for overheads, they are somewhere in between and don't let in too much room sound in but still sound a bit more open than cardiods. __________________ Ed Lewis Giant Wafer Studios, UK www.giantwafer.com

27th December 2006	#7
Benjy King Gear addict Joined: Jun 2002 Location: New York City Posts: 368	Omni OH's For the last year or so I have been using Avenson Audio STO-2 omnis with really great results! __________________ Benjy www.benjyking.com www.myspace.com/benjyking

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27th December 2006	#4
audible Gear Head Joined: Apr 2006 Posts: 55	I like omnis for distance micing purposes. Omnidirectional mics also have no proximity effect, and they can be used in ways that a cardioid can not be. The room tone is very critical to the sonic results when using omnis. What type of mics are you looking at? Have thought about getting a variable pattern condenser mic. Figure 8 is an often underappreciated mic pattern. Borrow or demo some mics to experiment with the differences between patterns.

27th December 2006	#5
Jim vanBergen Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2005 Location: New York Friggin' City Posts: 2,562	Great responses. IT IS ALL ABOUT THE ROOM. If you don't have a great sounding room, using omnis on drum OH or room mics is a serious waste of time, and this is why I often put up multiple pairs to demo when getting a drum kit sound.

27th December 2006	#6
numrologst Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 1,955	For me, the omni/cardiod choice is more based upon what I am doing with my room mics. For me, my room mics pull the drumkit together. If i have a close room mic I will use omnis, far room mics usually get the cardios