Cheap Ribbons or Cheap SDC on overheads??

[dee why]

hi guys...i'm after your experienced input with regards to drum overheads.

Right now I'm setting up a small home/project studio that I will need to track drums in. Looking at:-
- Kick mic
- Snare mic
- Room/Vocal mic (Rode NT2000)
- Stereo pair of overheads (this is where the question comes in)

I will have 4 channels of tube preamp, and 2 channels of transformerless solid state with plenty of clean gain (which I understand is important for ribbon mics).

Now because I'm in Australia, the most cost effective SDC pair would be some matched Rode NT5s. These mics get mixed reviews, although sometimes conflicting (people complain about them being TOO dark, and others about a hyped high end). Very confusing.

Now I've just discovered that I could get 2 of the cheaper ribbon mics (eg Cascade FatHead http://www.cascademicrophones.com/ca...T_HEAD_II.html) for about the same, or maybe a little less $$$. BTW - there's examples of the Fat Head as over heads on the site if anyone's interested.

My question is....what way should I go? I'd be interested particularly in the views of anyone who's tried both. Please note that the budget is not budging - I can't afford to go high-end with either the SDC or Ribbon choice.

The tracking room is definitely not the best. It will receive some acoustical treatment (bass traps), but not much. Does this rule out a Fig 8 type mic like the ribbons?

What will get me better results? I've heard reviews that the cheaper ribbon mics are a bit 'dark' sounding, but perhaps a nice blend of the ribbons, plus the Rode NT2000 (room mic) high freq bump would yield nice results??

I understand music much better than I understand recording practices. Any light you guys can shed would be fantastic!!!! Thanks

[peeceebee]

My preference for overheads is ribbons-
Nady's do very well- they ARE dark, but take eq very well, don't get harsh when you wind on high end-
They sound much bigger than sdc's will sound (in general).
The figure8 gives a bit more open sound, which I like, gets the drums "out of the box"-

[MattJazz]

Do you guys know of anyway to get c1000's to sound good for overheads?
Any home made mods?

[warhead]

Originally Posted by dee why

What will get me better results?

"Try it in your place and see what you like" is one of those responses Australians don't seem to like to hear due to lack of dealerships and brands to choose from locally so I'll try and boil it down as best I can.

If your room sucks I would throw the idea of the figure 8 mics out the window.

I would also do something about that room, whether it is leaning mattresses against the wall and going for a dead sound that can be livened up later with reverb during mixdown or something to improve what is going on in there. Don't just buy mics and be done: you've recognized the problem now fix it. You say it will receive some treatment but "not much", why skimp?

Also, if this is an issue of reflection bass traps aren't the answer! Are you saying you're only having issues with low end in the room but everything else is fine?

Those NT5 are fine overhead mics, on a budget and if they are inexpensive locally I say go for it. They're not too dark or too bright, actually pretty balanced sounding. I would still pick up a pair of ATM450 if possible as they will deliver much more punch and depth by comparison, but they may be too much money by comparison.

I would do the NT5 plus some well thought out room treatment. Maybe post some pics of the room and explain what you hear going on, we could help you out a lot more with do-it-yourself suggestions on the cheap than taking guesses there also.

In the end the room will likely matter more than the mics.

War

[Third Story]

nt5's are awesome on oh's just did a session with them and they are great!! good price too!!thumbsup

-i guess it does not hurt that the nt5's were going trough an adl 600!! but i agree with war... the room is the most important investment you can make!

[dee why]

Thanks heaps for the replies guys. warhead - I'll try and give you a rundown on the room situation:-

It's a room. In a house. So it's a big rectangular box. It's an old place so the ceilings are high. It's about 8m x 5m (errr... 26ft x 16.5ft). It doubles up as a band rehearsal room. The kit is in a corner facing towards the centre of the room. I would prefer not to have to move it to record if possible.

There is currently acoustical foam up against most of the walls. The stuff that has the 'egg carton' look on one side and flat on the other. It's a rental place, so the foam is propped up with makeshift "internal walls" as it couldn't be stuck to the walls. The foam also only goes about 2/3 up the wall as the ceilings are too high for the makeshift walls to support it.

In terms of sound reflection, the foam seems to be doing it's job and I think the high frequencies are pretty much under control. During rehearsals with a band, it's the bottom-end that seems to overpower the rest of the mix. Hence the comment about 'bass traps'. The argument for 'not much' is simply a budget constraint and the fact that being a rental property, there is not all that much I can legitimately do.

Personally what I'd like most from my overheads is a nice cymbal 'shimmer' without being harsh (the music being recorded is relatively hi-fi - not garage-y), but of course with the mic setup i've got, the overheads will also doing rack tom and hihat duties.

So the room is not atrocious, but it's no 'studio drum room' if you know what I mean.

...and yes, you're right the lack of dealers/product is a concern over here. In the end the ears are the judge, but prior to getting something I would like to ake as much guesswork out of the equation as possible.

[scrubs]

I tend to alternate between MXL03s and a couple of cheap chinese ribbons. They really sound different and each have their place. The ribbons have a smoother, mellower top end that is nice if you have cheap cymbals. I haven't had an issue with the small room, and my ceilings are only 8ft.