Great OHs in a good price range?

[heisleyamor]

I have 2 Samson C02s. They are incredibly for the price, but I am thinking about upgrading. Is there a pair of condensers that is around 300 dollars that are going to be better than the C02s? My firepod still limits the potential of any mic I get...but I think it will still make a drastic change in my drum sound if I get better OHs, especially if I use great samples on the drums.

[joaquin]

check oktava's

[squeeks555]

Rode NT4 is pretty good! used you may be able to get them around $300

[heisleyamor]

I'm trying to find a decent pair for around 300$

[squeeks555]

yah, and with the NT4 you only need one.

[Fash]

I would sell you mine for $300. I just picked up a VP-88, but the NT-4 has served me very well. Single point stereo mics are great in home situations.

Email me at fash@resonantrecording.com

Thanks!

[6dyslexicelephnt]

I heard the ATM450s are good. I have the Oktava MK-012s and they sound pretty good. Been using LDCs lately

[KEYBEEETSSS]

Originally Posted by heisleyamor

I'm trying to find a decent pair for around 300$

Look into the shure KSM109's....

[bigbone]

Try the KEL HM-1 they are great for OH'S http://www.kelaudio.com/hm1.html

[SocietyOfMind]

I have a set of Neumann KM140's for more critical stuff, but I'm seriously considering a pair of Apex 205's (possibly with Lundahl mods) for the times when I need two pairs (given that the year's budget is way past blown).

I have been very pleased with what I've heard coming out of the 205's...

[The Chemist]

AKG 451s. Haven't done me wrong yet.

[SocietyOfMind]

Originally Posted by The Chemist

AKG 451s. Haven't done me wrong yet.

At $300 for a pair?? Sign me up then . . .

[SRS]

You have a lot of choices. You could go with some Shure KSM-32 mics. I know there must be a trillion of them out there by now and Ebay should have a nice selection, not sure of the price. (Just looked at Ebay... more than your budget). Rode NT4, yes, easy and decent solution too. They sound pretty clean and you only need one stand and don't have to worry too much about positioning issues.

If you could bump up your budget a bit, the options become even nicer. Josephson C42s are at about $800 a pair and you will surely like them. I love mine. The overheads are a key element of getting good drum kit sounds, so think about spending a tad more if possible.

[heisleyamor]

i totally agree with you...and I think it's pointless to upgrade to another "decent" pair of OHs when I could get something else to help my sound better. My Samson C02s will probably do fine for now. They're really great for their price range I think...So i'm going to hold off til I can get some nice overheads...

[andygomez]

My Rode NT5's were not at my studio the other day. I had some Audio Technica Pro 37's laying around I said what the hell ill use these to me they sound outstanding!
they are 140 each at sweetwater very inexpensive. I think I like them better than the NT5's but I would have to do a real shootout

[strat+ac30]

I did a drum shootout this past weekend and here were the overhead competitors:

Pearlman TM1
Royer R121
Audio Technica AT4033
Apex 205
Marshall MXL603S
Behringer ECM8000

Believe it or not...the ECM8000 was the runaway winner for providing the most natural sound. Since we had a great drumkit with a great drummer in a great room, that's the one we picked. Next was the Apex 205 (completely different sound, much thicker and darker) and the Pearlman TM1 (best at bringing out the toms but the snare lacked a little bit of sparkle).

Go figure that a $50 mic beats the other options, and a $90 mic is runner-up.

P.S. Note that the ECM8000 is omni, which can limit your placement options (no XY, ORTF, etc). But perhaps that was part of the charm.

[river]

I've been using AT3035's lately, from behind the kit. Big sound!

[heisleyamor]

I mainly want to use my overheads for cymbals only and a room mic for the whole drum sound because I normally replace hits with Steven Slate samples because I will NEVER get that good of a sound probably and I want to get as good of a sound for the music that I'm doing that I can

[Ecktronic]

Originally Posted by heisleyamor

I have 2 Samson C02s. They are incredibly for the price, but I am thinking about upgrading. Is there a pair of condensers that is around 300 dollars that are going to be better than the C02s? My firepod still limits the potential of any mic I get...but I think it will still make a drastic change in my drum sound if I get better OHs, especially if I use great samples on the drums.

I'd not forget to get very good quality drums and cymbals, and drum skins that are worn in a little bit (so they don't loosen during the recording session. Make sure the drums are tuned well.
And very importantly the room you use is crucial.

I have had some great recordings using NT2's. Very crisp but not harsh cymbal sounds, and cracking snare and natural room reverb sound.

AKG 414's have worked well for me also. C1000's are a bit to harsh sounding in my experience with them.

Eck

[pixeltarian]

Originally Posted by strat+ac30

I did a drum shootout this past weekend and here were the overhead competitors:

Pearlman TM1
Royer R121
Audio Technica AT4033
Apex 205
Marshall MXL603S
Behringer ECM8000

Believe it or not...the ECM8000 was the runaway winner for providing the most natural sound. Since we had a great drumkit with a great drummer in a great room, that's the one we picked. Next was the Apex 205 (completely different sound, much thicker and darker) and the Pearlman TM1 (best at bringing out the toms but the snare lacked a little bit of sparkle).

Go figure that a $50 mic beats the other options, and a $90 mic is runner-up.

P.S. Note that the ECM8000 is omni, which can limit your placement options (no XY, ORTF, etc). But perhaps that was part of the charm.

I just want to say that I love the ecm8000 for overheads and room mics. I like them even better than my pair of oktava mk012 mics for drums.