Drum mics on a budget

[HiRaX]

I know this could go in low end, but I would like to hear your slutz input on this.
Say I have about $700 for a budget for drum mics. (1 Kick 1 Snare 1 Hat 3 Toms 2OH)
What would you guys suggest

I was thinking the Shure Mic Pack with 3 SM57's(With clips) a Beta 52 and the Rode NT5 Condensor Pair. And I would prob pick up another sm57 for the last tom.(If the budget were bigger I would prob switch out the toms 57s with 421's but O well)
I have an At 4050, I've never used that I would prob use for the HH.(Need to get a shock mount for it)

How do you guys feel about the beta 52? AKG D112?!?!? RE20?!?!?!
Please give me some options..

Thank you!

[nathanvacha]

opinions? get mics that will have multiple uses. re20 will sound good on other things too more often than a '52. 57's are great all around mics, so i'm with you there. I hear good things 'bout them audix's too. Can't comment surely enough on cheap mics for oh's. you could always stay mono for your overhead until you have more $, too. Check out some of the cheaper ribbon mics for drum o.h.

[Slaytex]

I have a Beta 52. It has a lot of low end and not much else in my experience. I find I really have to play with mic placement to get the sound I'm looking for with it. You can usually never go wrong with a D112 as they never really sound horrible (great all rounder). But since you have a AT4050 try this. I put mine ~2-3ft. out in front of the kick in Omni and get a pretty cool raw kick drum sound that really cuts through on a mix. For toms Sennheiser 604's are great and you can get 3 for $300. Don't be afraid to get used mics.
good luck.

[max cooper]

Instead of the Rode NT5's, you can get one second-hand AKG 414 for the price of the pair of NT5's but I think it'll serve you better in the long run. You can either try to stretch the budget a little, or use mono overhead for a while, which works fine.

Also, maybe try the Audix i5 on the snare/toms. SM57's are good for that though.

Dunno how much that Shure Beta 52 is, but yeah, they're ok but I'd rather own an RE20.

Also, you can score a D-12 for not too much sometimes. Way less tubby than the D-112.

[Slaytex]

Or for $700 you can try 2 LD condensors and a kick mic. Check out Mercenary's website for Fletchers 3 mic technique. I've done this many times when I had little to work with. Just use a good room if you can.

[macr0w]

Originally Posted by Slaytex

Or for $700 you can try 2 LD condensors and a kick mic. Check out Mercenary's website for Fletchers 3 mic technique. I've done this many times when I had little to work with. Just use a good room if you can.

I would agree with the "get a pair of decent LDC's and a kick mic" technique. You get most of your sound from the overheads anyway.

Overheads, their not just for cymbals anymore.

[HiRaX]

Thanks for the feedback guys

[soundawg]

I'd get another 4050 for the room in sterio/ovreheads.

Then look at the ATM 25... I've got 5 and they are great on sn,kik,toms,guitar, bass, sax etc.

Soundawg

[warhead]

For 2 OH / kick mic recording I am having fantastic results from a pair of Audio Technica ATM450 + either an E/V ND868 inside the kick or a CAD M179 on the outside. Those ATM450 are hard to beat for a full kit sound when they're kept pretty close in (I use them about a foot over my head at this point). Great punch and depth, and no spitty high end on cymbals.

If you must close mic everything for $700, I'd get:

Pair of SP C4's for OH
Audix i5 for kick (or an SM57)
Audix i5 for snare
CAD TSM411's for toms

and skip the HH mic (if you really want one the MXL604 would be fine).

Each of these mics are performers that excel beyond their price range and work well in their given positions in my experience. I actually enjoy the SM57 more on kick than snare lately, the i5 permanently knocked the 57 off as far as dynamic mics go anyhow. But the SM57 typically gives you a lot more of what you need on kick in a rock mix, vs a bunch of subsonic stuff you end up rolling off.

War

[soundawg]

Originally Posted by warhead

For 2 OH / kick mic recording I am having fantastic results from a pair of Audio Technica ATM450 + either an E/V ND868 inside the kick or a CAD M179 on the outside. Those ATM450 are hard to beat for a full kit sound...

War