Your preferences in Drum overhead mics

[bigbone]

Originally Posted by Fieldstone

Bumpin this thread.

Anyone use TLM-193's for overheads? If so, what do you like? If not, why not? Also, if so..what situations work well? If not, what situations did you not like it in?

Looking for an overhead with just a hint of sweet sparkle and a robust lower end. I like detailed and true but not overly bright. 451s too bright for me. SM81's not robust enough. Ribbons are nice in the low-mids, but sometimes not enough sparkle.

Also, looking for mics with which I can record a nice orchestra or jazz group from time to time.

Try the Neumann TLM 102............

[Fieldstone]

Thanks. I've been looking at that one also. Would they be good for orchestral dates?

[bigbone]

Originally Posted by Fieldstone

Thanks. I've been looking at that one also. Would they be good for orchestral dates?

yes

[axlepaas]

..it really depends on alot of things, but i've been really enjoying the Mojave MA 101fet mics...i also got some really cool results with the Cascade Fathead2's with the lundal transformer on the eric valentine "underhead" technique. VERY cool....

...also been into the Neumann TLM193's for a more full sound...

[Fieldstone]

Originally Posted by axlepaas

...also been into the Neumann TLM193's for a more full sound...

Ok. That's what I'm looking for, more full sound. I like to hear a lot of drums in my OH's and less cymbals. Certainly placement is key here but the mic can also help/hurt. I'm wondering how they compare to the AT4050's and the KSM44/44a's. From what I understand, they are all fairly neutral in color.

[jpoole689]

Here's a first - I tried a pair of Groove Tube MD1's (originals, not re-ssue) in a pretty tight room. Cymbals were warm and a little trashy, great attack on the drums.

[thornpig]

Really cool thread, love how there are so many ways to rub rhubarb.

This may be a tad off theme but bare with me it does tie in.
I'm putting together a live rehearsal/recording space for my band, budos band that type of nonsense... anyhoo we'll all be in the same room together (10m x 4m shoe box with 15' high pitched ceiling) we're set up in a circle with drums, 2x perc, bass, guitar, keys/acc, 4x brass. I'm getting my head around the acoustics and how to control bass overspill and have got some nice mics and outboard, mixture of old and new. Its all on a bit of a shoestring.

I've been playing around with a trap kit at home to try to hone a drum style, building on gabe roth's daptone sound. The ribbon mic by the kick/snare approach really does work but only if there are no rack toms.

Now here's my dilemma :

The drummer in the band, a skippy, light touched drum fondler who can biff with the best if the moons right, has his drums set up as follows : L-R snare 1, floor tom, hat, snare 2. crash, rack tom, kick, ride. Instead of an arc its more of a straight line back and left from rack to snare 1, with his body and kick offset to the right a touch. It allows him to put in some rippling fills but makes my job engineering a tad hard. I love the open sounds of the drum recordings on 'time out' and the bounce of tony allen's drums and the grit of the budos band.

Given all this, what mics and where?

The gabe roth method from the front won't work because of the rack tom and the floor tom and snare 2 are behind snare 1 in a line. The glynn johns stereo method is also problematic because of the reverse drum set up.

Any suggestions however off the wall are grreatly appreciated, would love to know what others would do in this situation.

Bearing in mind there'll be a 4 piece brass outfit by the ride cymbal and a perc outfit by the hat. (There will be some waist-ish high insulation panels dividing the different groups. i wanted to keep all the acoustic instruments relatively near one another and away from the amps.)

My goal is to simplify the process with the hard work being done by the musicians and cutting down on faffing in production. We are used to the room and balance ourselves well, I want to be able to honestly capture those special moments when the room comes alive.

my mic list is :
2x d190
2x d200
2x sm59
ev 257a
echolette md200
md 421n
md 407 (409)
cascade fathead ll
simon cadenza ribbon mic
d12

I'm reviewing options on condensers so opinions welcomed.

thanks

[carival]

If it were me, I would worry very little about the stereo spread of the kit. place mics on the kit that will capture what you need, and play nicely with the other sounds in the room. pan em up the middle. or wherever. pan your other instruments to obtain a wide sounding mix if you want. In this situation, you need to think about everything that each mic will hear, and not just what one might think is the best mic for a given source. If that makes any sense. It's a great way to really learn all about your mics.

[thornpig]

wow man the pics of your nest are lovely, all warm and woody. It must be a real experience to record in there! My place is a bit cold and stoney in comparison but it is over 5 hundred years old and the walls have stories to tell, which is nice.
So refreshing to see a comfortable space rather than those clinical foam filled follies that are all the rage these days. Spent years trying to create and record music in a stale environment with digital wizardry, it sucked all the fun out of it for me. Gone back to glowing valves, scratchy pots, springs and tape. Its limiting and exciting and the results can be lush.

[Matchless Mix]

Currently loving L/R AKG 414's with a U47 up the middle.

[PaulMac]

AKG C414B-XLS stereo pair almost all the time... I also like KM84s, or sometimes Naiant Omnis if I want the drums to sound more distant, but not too roomy.

[carival]

Originally Posted by thornpig

wow man the pics of your nest are lovely, all warm and woody. It must be a real experience to record in there! My place is a bit cold and stoney in comparison but it is over 5 hundred years old and the walls have stories to tell, which is nice.
So refreshing to see a comfortable space rather than those clinical foam filled follies that are all the rage these days. Spent years trying to create and record music in a stale environment with digital wizardry, it sucked all the fun out of it for me. Gone back to glowing valves, scratchy pots, springs and tape. Its limiting and exciting and the results can be lush.

Thanks thornpig. People seem to be comfortable here. 500 years old! That is cool! I would be tripping, just being in that space. Around here, mine is kinda old at 150 years. I love old things. Anyway, I'm with you about recording environments and limitations. I don't use a DAW. Pretty much everything I do here is everyone playing together at the same time. Fixing things on a computer is not appealing to me. The power and technology is amazing, but not for me to make records with. Fortunately, there are still people who are good at playing music.