1500 for mics, any suggestions?

[oomanamemni]

I was looking for several versatile mics. I want to record drums with at least 4 channels, guitar (electric and acoustic), bass, vocals and a little cello. I was looking at the audix i5, AT 4047, and RE20 for a while and wanted to see what ya'll might suggest around $1,500.

Also on a different note, I was also looking for some input on a pair of monitors. I've been looking at the Adam A7 and Dynaudio BM5As and wondered if there was anything else in the price range of those I should be looking at as well.

Thanks for the help, I know ya'll get these alot but any help will be much appreciated.

[AudioFocus]

As far as your drum mics go, get a 57, D112, and a pair of AT4040s. That'll do the trick nicely. As far as your monitors, I like the Dyns. But remember, it's all about what you like. You could buy 20,000 dollar monitors but if you don't like the sound, then they aren't right for you.

[tifftunes]

Blue Sky monitors are tremendous, if you like the truth! There are 3 models to choose from...

There certainly are some great mics out there. EV makes the best dynamics for recording drums, IMHO. It would be a versatile investment to get a set of EVs for the kit, and cover vox, guitar, bass (acoustic and electric the these two), horns, and most percussion instruments.

I posted my list of EVs here somewhere...

Shure KSM44 is also very versatile. A perfect candidate for mid-side recording. It is probably the easiest LDC to get consistently good vocals with.

Oktava 012 SDC mics with all the capsules would also be quite versatile, while still sounding good on most sources...

The list of candidated is nearly endless, as you may have noticed!

I have a pair of Neumann TLM193s that I couldn't do without. But even one would be sweet. My fave drum mic setup (last year) was the pair of 193s as overheads, and the KSM44 on kick.

This year, I'm back to dynamics and a single overhead... That could change any moment however...

[warhead]

Originally Posted by oomanamemni

I was looking for several versatile mics. I want to record drums with at least 4 channels, guitar (electric and acoustic), bass, vocals and a little cello. I was looking at the audix i5, AT 4047, and RE20 for a while and wanted to see what ya'll might suggest around $1,500.

Will you be tracking all of this at the same time, or drums first and overdub the rest? My approach would be radically different for either scenario is why I ask.

War

[oomanamemni]

Originally Posted by tifftunes

The list of candidated is nearly endless, as you may have noticed!

Haha I know! And it takes me forever to make decisions like this. I just need to bite the bullet and know while the mic will make a difference, its only one part, playing/recording technique mean alot, along with a dozen other things.

Originally Posted by warhead

Will you be tracking all of this at the same time, or drums first and overdub the rest? My approach would be radically different for either scenario is why I ask.

War

It'll be mostly tracking drums first and then overdubbing the rest.

Thanks for the responses.

[ThrillHo]

The formula seems rather straight-forward.

(2) LDCs (or two SDCs) to overheads, acoustic guitars, cellos, vox...
(1) LDD (e.g., SM7B) for bass instruments, kick, vox, guitar amps.
(1) SDD (e.g., i5 or SM57) for snare, guitar amps

If you want to mic the toms, which I usually must do, you might want to consider an Audix DP pack. I got an i5, two D2s, a D4 and a D6 for $500 new on ebay, which I think is a great deal. Plus you get clips and adapters all in one case, great for portability. This would leave a thousand to get two LDCs, like KSM32s or AT4050s.

Unless you have a good sounding room and/or plenty of treatment, you don't really need to get multi-directional mics, you can save several hundred dollars this way. Even if you do eventually have access to a nice tracking room, you can still use cardiods for ambient tones, assuming you have mic pres and converter channels to spare.

[warhead]

I broke it down for you.

Drums with at least 4 channels

Pair of Oktava MK-012 for overheads
Audix i5 snare
Heil PR40 kick


Guitar (electric and acoustic)

Electric: i5 or PR40
Acoustic: Oktava MK-012

Bass

DI! OK seriously, the PR40 will work fine on bass cabs if you must.

Vocals

M-Audio Sputnik

Cello

PR40, Sputnik

***********************************

This beyond "gets the job done" as each mic excels in these applications at their given price point. The Sputnik could of course be used on anything (as any of these mics might fit somewhere better at a given time in context of a song) on drum room, outer kick, acoustic guitar, etc.

War

[peeder]

2x AT4050
1x Beyer M201
1x Sennheiser MD421II

[Byrne]

I like Audix D6s on kicks, i5s on snare (especially the side), and I'm a fan of their SDCs for overheads. But hey, all these other guys are right, too. Depends on what you're working with and what you like.

I also have a pair of A7s and IMO they live up to the hype.

[Twinskin]

You'll regret it if you don't fit an SM7b somewhere in that budget

[Tom Hakala]

Originally Posted by Twinskin

You'll regret it if you don't fit an SM7b somewhere in that budget

I wouldn't say you'll regret it, but it's definitely amazing mic. Great on some voices, and lately it's been my favorite for kick. And you can't go wrong with MD421 either.

Someone said AT4047 and I have to plus one it. And if your budget won't let you buy a pair of AT4047 then the AT4040 is a great one to go with.

[chetatkinsdiet]

I think most of us are saying similar things. With $1500, I'd get one snare top mic....sm57 or whatever else floats your boat. You might/should already have one. If so, cool...more to spend on the others. With this, it'll give you a great guitar amp mic, tom mic, punk vocal mic, etc.

Next is kick mic. There are a zillion choices here too....Senn MD421, AKG D112, Beyer M88, EV RE20, SM7, Audix D6 and ATM25. I'd look for the most versatile one that can also do double duty with other things like bass amp, vocals, etc. Out of the above, the one's that fit that are the 421, M88, RE20 and SM7. They're all going to run about the same price....$200 on the low end used to about $350. A tad higher new. Or, just grab the ATM25 used for about $75 and have more money for the other mics.

This is where I'd put the bulk of my money. Get the best pair of SDC mics you can afford. A used pair of Neumann KM184s, Josephson 42, AT4051, vintage AKG 451EB, etc. Expect to spend around $900-1000 on this. A few on the list are a tad more, like the Neumanns, and some can even be found new for less...Josephsons. SOme like the AKG 451's can be found with the CK1 caps for closer to $600-700. You'll be able to use these on other things like backing vox, acoustic guitars, etc.

If it were me today, I think I just saw someone list a pair of the AKG's with CK1 caps that would run you $600. You can easily find a 421 for $300, so now we're up to $900. Brand new an SM57 will run you $99. So, you've got $500 left over. Wait around for one of the BLUE LDC caps to pop up on ebay for around $400. Either that or buy the omni (CK2) caps for an additional $300 that the guy on GS Classified is selling. That would leave you with $200...get another LDD if you find a deal, or another snare mic for variety....how bout a used Beyer M201.

later,

m

[ThrillHo]

Originally Posted by chetatkinsdiet

Next is kick mic. There are a zillion choices here too....Senn MD421, AKG D112, Beyer M88, EV RE20, SM7, Audix D6 and ATM25. I'd look for the most versatile one that can also do double duty with other things like bass amp, vocals, etc. Out of the above, the one's that fit that are the 421, M88, RE20 and SM7. They're all going to run about the same price....$200 on the low end used to about $350. A tad higher new. Or, just grab the ATM25 used for about $75 and have more money for the other mics.

This brings up an interesting point; namely, most dedicated kick drum mics are heavily scooped, which I think partly defines the modern sound. Yet, for other sources, the mids are important. So one is either using a dedicated kick mic with little EQ, or a 421/Sm7/RE20 with a lot of EQ and versatility. I personally prefer the less work in the mixing stage.

[newfuturevintage]

Everything posted so far looks like excellent advice...the only mic I'd take issue with is the d112 for the kick drum. You're looking for versatile, that mic has a serious sonic signature. Very scooped and clicky. To me it sounds very '90s metal. Works well for that, but to me it sounds very out of place in mellower genres. It's one of the few microphones I've ever sold just to get rid of. Big +1 on the AudioTechnica 40xx series, especially the 4050 for OH / Vox / acoustic instruments.

[chetatkinsdiet]

Given the choice, I just tend to get more use out of a pair of SDC mics than a pair of LDC mics. Also, if you get the right SDC mics, you can easily add an LDC cap. That would work on the Oktava's as well as the vintage AKG 451 mics. The LDC caps for the Oktavas from BLUE run $200ea. That actually might be the ticket as you can get the Oktavas and the BLUE caps, or LOMO caps and still be under budget. You might even still have enough left over to have them modded by Michael Joly.

m

[Brian Whitten]

what kind of drum tone are you looking for? If your looking for rock I would recommend:

Audix D6 $200
Shure sm57 $100
3 Sennheiser e609 $300
Rode NT5 $400
Rode NTK $500

That's 8 decent mics with the ability to track most sources. I have used/owned these mics and had good success, the most important thing is good tuning for the drums and good mic placement....but we all know that