opinions on Samson 7kit drum mic package? and indie rock drum sound questions

[themixtape]

Hey all! I'm new to this forum (JUST found it).... HUGE! Lots of info. You people seem awesome.

So yeah.... I've been recording solo music since 1992. I've since upgraded lots of equipment, and am just now getting into recording acoustic drums, whereas before I programmed them or played my Roland V-drum kit.

So... I've read great reviews on the Samson 7-kit drum mic package. It's 5 regular mics and two condensers for overheads. Comes with case and clamps for the kit. $250.

Sure, that's a low price... but, I've read nothing but great reviews on it.

So... what's your opinion?

--------------------------------------

Oh yeah.. and.....

I LOVE warm/airy snare drums. What helps to get this sound? I'm talking about "Yellow" by Coldplay, the entire first album by indie band Denali (LOVE that snare), the 2nd Mysteries of Life album "Come Clean", and Jimmy Eat World's snare.... on Bleed American and Futures, which is the best damn snare, ever.

Any advice?

THANKS so much!

-Chris in suburban Philly

[Traxx]

Originally Posted by themixtape

Hey all! I'm new to this forum (JUST found it).... HUGE! Lots of info. You people seem awesome.

So yeah.... I've been recording solo music since 1992. I've since upgraded lots of equipment, and am just now getting into recording acoustic drums, whereas before I programmed them or played my Roland V-drum kit.

So... I've read great reviews on the Samson 7-kit drum mic package. It's 5 regular mics and two condensers for overheads. Comes with case and clamps for the kit. $250.

Sure, that's a low price... but, I've read nothing but great reviews on it.

So... what's your opinion?

--------------------------------------

Oh yeah.. and.....

I LOVE warm/airy snare drums. What helps to get this sound? I'm talking about "Yellow" by Coldplay, the entire first album by indie band Denali (LOVE that snare), the 2nd Mysteries of Life album "Come Clean", and Jimmy Eat World's snare.... on Bleed American and Futures, which is the best damn snare, ever.

Any advice?

THANKS so much!

-Chris in suburban Philly

I think they are good mics especially for the money. Is there better, most definitely, but for the money you cannot beat them. I know a few ppl who use them and are very happy with them. You'll be surprise, samson products are betta than what most ppl expect. I think there's betta tho, but for the money its a great buy. Hope this helps..

[aussie_techie]

good will always be followed by 'for the price' with something like these. im not saying they are bad but do you really need all those mics
i take a different approach to drum micing on a budget, the drum kit is a single instrument so treat it as one and get most of your sound from the overheads. spend your money on a decent pair of OH mics and a kick drum mic and stick a 57 on the snare. cheep and effective drum sound.

[donsolo]

My Opinion is to get the 8 kit and get 2 C01s for overheads rather than stereo C02s.

That being said, I use stereo-SD condensors for all of my stuff but I'd use a C01 in a heartbeat.

then what you do is for an airy snare, you mic the snare with the c02 rather than the Qsnare.

Also, be prepared to replace the Qkick, it's not great sounding.

[lpkyer]

even a good pair of overheads with a kick drum mic will get you far.

[themixtape]

Aussie_Techie, I appreciate your reply... but which overheads should I be looking at? I usually love the sound of a 3 or 4-mic miked kit. So open/airy.

I know the 57's best for snare, and the AKG 112 seems to be the kick standard... but again, overheads?

Thanks!!

-Chris

Originally Posted by aussie_techie

good will always be followed by 'for the price' with something like these. im not saying they are bad but do you really need all those mics
i take a different approach to drum micing on a budget, the drum kit is a single instrument so treat it as one and get most of your sound from the overheads. spend your money on a decent pair of OH mics and a kick drum mic and stick a 57 on the snare. cheep and effective drum sound.

[themixtape]

Hey Donsolo, thanks for the tips...

So, the condensers in the 8kit are better than the thin ones in the 7kit?

Should I replace kick with the AKG 112 kick mic?

Would an SM57 be better on snare than one c02 from the 8kit?

I'm sorry for all the questions, still fumbling my way through all this. :)

-Chris

Originally Posted by donsolo

My Opinion is to get the 8 kit and get 2 C01s for overheads rather than stereo C02s.

That being said, I use stereo-SD condensors for all of my stuff but I'd use a C01 in a heartbeat.

then what you do is for an airy snare, you mic the snare with the c02 rather than the Qsnare.

Also, be prepared to replace the Qkick, it's not great sounding.

[themixtape]

Originally Posted by lpkyer

even a good pair of overheads with a kick drum mic will get you far.

Again, which overheads? And would you recommend the AKG112 for the kick?

Thanks!

-Chris

[Phrygian]

Originally Posted by themixtape

Jimmy Eat World's snare.... on Bleed American and Futures, which is the best damn snare, ever.

Any advice?

THANKS so much!

-Chris in suburban Philly

Hey Chris

I was dissecting this snare sound the other day. The closest I ever got to this snare sound were Ludwig Steel Snares, 6 inch deep, and mess with the snap tension so it has a slight looseness to it. The source of the sound is abviously the most important part. Even if you don't have this type of snare, try messing with the tension of your snap.

All that aside, I've been getting awesome snare results lately with an SM58 rather than 57's (which I've always used). Check it out.

For kick, Shure Beta 52 is nice! AKG D112 would work just fine!

I don't have much knowledge on the Samson kit but I'm sure it'll get ya going just fine, and the price won't kill the wallet. Best of luck!

Matt

[themixtape]

Well since it's only $50 more... I'm considering the 8kit.

The condensers for overheads look better than the C02s that come with the 7kit... what's nice though, like you said, is the 8kit comes with a C01....

Does it really improve snare sound that much, using the C01 over the Qsnare, or better yet, an SM57?

I definitely intend on replacing the Qkick.. I'm pretty set on the AKG D112 for kick miking. :)

Thanks in advance for answering my questions! :)

-Chris

Originally Posted by donsolo

My Opinion is to get the 8 kit and get 2 C01s for overheads rather than stereo C02s.

That being said, I use stereo-SD condensors for all of my stuff but I'd use a C01 in a heartbeat.

then what you do is for an airy snare, you mic the snare with the c02 rather than the Qsnare.

Also, be prepared to replace the Qkick, it's not great sounding.

[themixtape]

Getting even a halfway decent snare sound's always been a hassle for me.

I have a Yamaha Stage Custom Advantage kit with a maple snare, 5.5 x 14 inches... and the head that came with it (which isn't bad, but...) I tried loosening the snares a little and that helped, but I'km thinking... would a different head be the way to go? People keep mentioning the Remo Coated Ambassador. What do you think?

Really tight snare head or somewhat loose?

A continuing problem I have is, hitting my rack tom makes my snares vibrate. I tuned it pretty well but that's unavoidable when you have a not insanely tight head on top... and the snares not insanely tight...

Any advice?

Originally Posted by Phrygian

Hey Chris

I was dissecting this snare sound the other day. The closest I ever got to this snare sound were Ludwig Steel Snares, 6 inch deep, and mess with the snap tension so it has a slight looseness to it. The source of the sound is abviously the most important part. Even if you don't have this type of snare, try messing with the tension of your snap.

All that aside, I've been getting awesome snare results lately with an SM58 rather than 57's (which I've always used). Check it out.

For kick, Shure Beta 52 is nice! AKG D112 would work just fine!

I don't have much knowledge on the Samson kit but I'm sure it'll get ya going just fine, and the price won't kill the wallet. Best of luck!

Matt

[themixtape]

Oh, and I have an SM58 so I'll definitely try recording the snare with it. :)

-Chris

[Phrygian]

Originally Posted by themixtape

Getting even a halfway decent snare sound's always been a hassle for me.

I have a Yamaha Stage Custom Advantage kit with a maple snare, 5.5 x 14 inches... and the head that came with it (which isn't bad, but...) I tried loosening the snares a little and that helped, but I'km thinking... would a different head be the way to go? People keep mentioning the Remo Coated Ambassador. What do you think?

Really tight snare head or somewhat loose?

A continuing problem I have is, hitting my rack tom makes my snares vibrate. I tuned it pretty well but that's unavoidable when you have a not insanely tight head on top... and the snares not insanely tight...

Any advice?

Definitely get the Remo Ambassador head for your snare. It will make a big difference from the get go. After that, mess with your snap tension. Tight enough head, comfortable (barely loose) snap. I still think a nice Ludwig would get you that Jimmy Eat World sound, but that's not to say the Yamaha can't sound great. Yamaha's are pretty damn punchy. My brother has a Yamaha Maple Custom Snare and it's like a bloody cannon!

As far as the snare rattle due to the tom...if it's not too much then no worries. If it's giving you grief then mess with positioning. See if the Ambassador head resists the ringing. You never know. A nice new head and proper tuning might just do the trick. Cheers!

[donsolo]

c02 on snare, not c01 (though I"m open to new ideas)

if you replace teh overheads with something nicer, the c01s are nice kick outs...