Drum room mics.. what are you using?

[Solunaris]

Looking for a pair of nice mics for drum room mics. What do you guys recommend?

[84K]

Innertube Audio Mag Mics... Sweet Jesus. They are amazing. Inexpensive compared to the mic they rival... Make My Drums real hard

[Steved]

AT4050s for ambient mics to compliment a matched pair of AKG C414-B XLIIs for overheads.

Fills in nicely. thumbsup

[84K]

4038s are the go to Overheads for me.

[Solunaris]

anyone else?

[Lanstar Zero]

I'm really liking the R121's, so I assume the SF12 would work...

[audioez]

any omni directional mic!!!

[jayridge]

Altec / Western Electric 639B in the R, 2 or 3 position (3 is my current fav). It's got a very wide feel. Btw, the birdcage on my second one is broken. If anyone has one for parts please pm.

Jay

[JonCraig]

i've always liked a pair of tlm 170's. usually spaced pair, but i had lots of luck a while back putting them in blumlein about 8-9 feet in front of the kit--great imaging with lots of room sound.

or a friend of mine just rolls a 47 out.

--jon

[Drumsound]

I really like 4050 in omni, about 6 feet out and on straight stands at the lowest height. I did just get a set of the Chinese ribbons that I'm planning to try soon.

[msrecprod]

U47's into 1081's or Ba6a's. Depnding on the size of the room it is sometimes better to use two sets of mics. The first set about 10ft away at cymbal hight looking striaght at the drums. And a second pair about 20ft back that gets the over all kit in the room.

[fatcat]

Here's a couple off the wall choices for ya'.

The Groove Tubes AM62's sound full in the low mids...which I like for room micing.

I tried a pair of Audix D2's the other day just for fun, and got a pretty cool sound.

Try everything !

[brendondp]

57's actually.

Pretty much the only place I'll use those on a kit.

Cheers,

bdp

[Solunaris]

any one ever use Avenson STO-2's as room mic?

[lowswing]

I love beyer m160 as room mic for rock kit i use usealy mono room mic m160 into cadac or tele v676 into compex.
I had also go tracking with c414buls and c12.
by the way i also own the avenson and i love them but not for room, they shine on grand piano, closed mic percussion and acoustic guitar (very close miking, where cardioid can never stand...)

[Jim vanBergen]

First choice is AEA R-84s , second Choice is 4038's, either in blumlein. I'm sure the Royers are choice as well but I don't own any. :>(

Earthworks QTC-1's as spaced pair sound nice if the room isn't too live, gets GREAT wide stereo image. Neumann KM84Is sound cool in a dead room, spaced or X/Y. Contrary to poular belief, you don't need a large diaphragm especially if you're going to squash at 20:1, just be 6-10' away (stay within the first reflection of the wall) in small rooms and try moving backwards from there as the room gets bigger.

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by Drumsound

I really like 4050 in omni, about 6 feet out and on straight stands at the lowest height. I did just get a set of the Chinese ribbons that I'm planning to try soon.

I have a pair of the Nady-under-another-name Chinese ribbons and they are great for room mics. I don't think I would use them on much of anything else, they are too dark, but for drum room they rock.

On the other hand I like nice dark drum room mics so YMMV....

[steins]

Neumann M149´s at the opposite end of the room. Korby with U47 head about halfway between the M149´s and the kit. Gives plenty of options when mixing.

Stein Tore

[Doublehelix]

Blue Bottle mic, with the Perspex Sphere omni is a nice mic! I have tried it with the B6 capsule on some really quick and dirty testing, and it sounded great. I would love to try it with the Perpsex omni. A buddy of mine also has a Blue Bottle, and he has the omni capsule, I'd love to try it.

[audioez]

don't forget about B&K 4011 or 4006

[cgarges]

Originally Posted by arrogantbastard

any one ever use Avenson STO-2's as room mic?

Sure, lots. They're great. I actually find them more pleasant than the aforementioned B&Ks and prefer them. There's something really accurate, but also very flattering about them. On top of that, Brad Avenson and Erik Wofford are both super-cool guys, which makes buying from them even more enjoyable.

For whatever it's worth, I also really dig AT 4050s in omni or MS and use those quite a bit. Blue Bottles are also really excellent as spaced-pair drum room mics, as are U47s. I also like U87s in a Blumlein arrangement at snare level, about twelve feet out from the kit between the hi hat and the kick drum.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[warhead]

I agree with the comments on Avenson, they do make great room mics as well.

I like using my R84, sometimes with an Auralex Max Wall type of foam deal behind it to make it more cardioid.

War

[bpatural]

Coles....very dark, but great stereo image.

[84K]

Coles rule. They (plus a kick drum mic) can be the entire sound of your kit! It is the only thing that works for me anymore. Anything else just doesn't have the body and clarity for me. Although, as a fellow user said (above), you must add top with EQ going in.

[DrFrankencopter]

Currently using a Schoeps KFM-6 sphere mic....absolutely wild for room (not just drum) sounds. Easy to position, just walk around the room till you find a spot that sounds good, and drop the mic there. Sometimes I'll add a delay (100% wet) on the room sound to change the 'pre-delay' of the room sound, naturally compress to taste to change the effective reverb time.

In the past I've used KM-184s, or a single RCA77D (only have 1), depending on what vibe I've been going for.

Cheers,

Kris

[Jules]

2 x Neumann M149's - hyper cardiod pointed away from the kit at concrete walls / glass bricks (6 inches away) - no pre - direct into a pair of Distressors.

[Reptil]

UM70 & GT55

room: Gefell M94 or Røde NT-5

[jayfrigo]

Not the only setup I use, but one I like very much is a pair of Neuman M49s (not 149s) high and far, and a single Coles lower and closer. Sometimes I like a single U67 mid-height behind the drummer instead of the Coles low in front.

Compressing the mono room mic pretty heavily is often cool, and when mixing, you may just bring it in for choruses, to differentiate sections and kick up the chorus. Or perhaps use it for a big fill, or a bridge or solo or something.

Alternately, the compressed and even filtered mono room mic may come up in the verse while the drum bus comes down a little to "small up" or "lo-fi" the verse a bit so the chorus can kick in big. And, of course, if using a spaced cardioid pair for room, they don't always have to face the kit. Facing walls, or even corners, can be very cool.

[NathanEldred]

I don't...there is enough room sound in my overheads that if I added room mics (and by doing so even more ambience) it would be a bit overwhelming. And you wouldn't know it by just speaking or clapping your hands in my tracking room...mics definitely don't hear how our ears do (I primarily use KM86's in cardiod spaced pair on overheads into OSA MP1-C's about 24" above the cymbals...I've tried XY and Blumlein and thought it sounded very 'closed'...spaced pair sounds like how rock drums should IMO).

[toolskid]

I've been hanging my royer r122s an awful lot recently for drum rooms and OH. Usually a rich and utterly crud-free representaton of the room. Its interesting to play with M/S and other coincident pair set-ups. I've been pairing them with buzz pres recently and that combos been fantastically fat and detailed.