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If you were going to mic this kit what would you buy?
- Thread starter smittyboy63
- Start date
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p83
DFO Master
nobody has asked yet. do you want mics for studio, or live? most clubs have their own sound these days. the days of hauling pa & lights around are pretty much over.
please tell me you would not mic those up at practice.
please tell me you would not mic those up at practice.
Nobody has asked yet because the task for the mics was stated in post #1. ^^^^
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EyeByTwoMuchGeer
Very well Known Member
On the cheap? Two kick mics, like beta52 or something even cheaper. Then a 57 for the snare. Then a pair of SM81 for overheads. That should be enough for a general gig, no matter what the kit is. Those mics are basically indestructible and sound pretty good. That’s what you want for live gigging, if you’re bringing your own stuff (instead of, say, running a concert venue)
You’ll either be in a room that doesn’t require mics, or, you’ll be in a venue that already has the stuff. Anything in between, the above limited # of mics should be fine. If you’re playing outside, you’ll likely need a sound guy anyway, and they should have mics.
You’ll either be in a room that doesn’t require mics, or, you’ll be in a venue that already has the stuff. Anything in between, the above limited # of mics should be fine. If you’re playing outside, you’ll likely need a sound guy anyway, and they should have mics.
Sennheiser.
Buy 2 of these kits
And a board
For 600 bucks
You’ll blow the roof off!!
Buy 2 of these kits
Sennheiser Drum Kit 600 e600 Drum Mic Package with Case e602 e604 e614 NEW | eBay
The e604 is a high-SPL handling (more than 150dB) cardioid microphone, optimized for use on drum sets and other percussion miking applications. A balanced, clear, low-distortion signal from the e604 is similar to a high-end studio condenser microphone.
ebay.us
Harbinger LV14 14-Channel Analog Mixer With Bluetooth, FX & USB Audio | eBay
The Harbinger LV14 is a Bluetooth-enabled 14-channel mixer that is ideal for both live and studio applications, providing a wide variety of inputs and outputs and a robust build for consistent reliability and versatility for years to come. Mix up to 12 channels, and output to pro-standard...
ebay.us
You’ll blow the roof off!!
TheArchitect
DFO Veteran
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First I would find a storage room for all the drums that won't fit on most local stages these days...
Unless you are playing some substantial rooms, you won't need overheads. Cymbals slice through smaller rooms without mercy
OK, then play your big set if that makes you happy. If you and your band mates are fine with it, more power to you. 
When start gigging, take it as it comes. Obviously, I don't know what the club scene is like where you live, but it seems venues around here have shrunk in size. I've played places where even a 12/14/20 set is a squeeze.
I come from the Ringo/Charlie Watts/Gene Krupa school of drumming thought and set configuration; one up, one down, or one up, two down. I remember when you could hardly buy a four piece kit back in the 80's. It seemed like they all came with multiple rack toms or single-headed concert toms. I was very pleased when four and five piece sets came back into fashion, which figures, since everything in the drum world seems to go in cycles.
When start gigging, take it as it comes. Obviously, I don't know what the club scene is like where you live, but it seems venues around here have shrunk in size. I've played places where even a 12/14/20 set is a squeeze.
I come from the Ringo/Charlie Watts/Gene Krupa school of drumming thought and set configuration; one up, one down, or one up, two down. I remember when you could hardly buy a four piece kit back in the 80's. It seemed like they all came with multiple rack toms or single-headed concert toms. I was very pleased when four and five piece sets came back into fashion, which figures, since everything in the drum world seems to go in cycles.
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If I walk into a club and I see a drum kit that big on stage, I have GOT to stay for a song or two.
As far as mics go, I'd go with two kick mics (not tried that Behringer boundary mic, but it may be worth a shot), a Shure 57 on the snare, and two AKG P120 Project Studio Condenser Microphones as overheads. I use one of these as my overhead at home, and I LOVE the way it sounds. If you run it flat, it really picks up the low-end of the toms and the cymbals don't sound harsh. It's not overly-sensitive, so it doesn't pick up a lot of background noise either. I really love this mic.
As far as mics go, I'd go with two kick mics (not tried that Behringer boundary mic, but it may be worth a shot), a Shure 57 on the snare, and two AKG P120 Project Studio Condenser Microphones as overheads. I use one of these as my overhead at home, and I LOVE the way it sounds. If you run it flat, it really picks up the low-end of the toms and the cymbals don't sound harsh. It's not overly-sensitive, so it doesn't pick up a lot of background noise either. I really love this mic.
I'd hold off on buying mics unless the gigs you're doing require them. Anything with a soundman will probably mean the soundman provides and sets up the mics.
I bought a bunch of SM 57s in the 1990s when I was on Guam thinking I'd use them on the louder gigs I was called for. Some club went out of business and I got them at a decent price. But once I had them, every loud gig came with its own soundman. So I didn't need the mics.
The situation was similar when I moved to MD in 1995.
Where the mics came in handy is when a friend set me up with the ability to record at home in 2015. They've been very handy ever since.
I bought a bunch of SM 57s in the 1990s when I was on Guam thinking I'd use them on the louder gigs I was called for. Some club went out of business and I got them at a decent price. But once I had them, every loud gig came with its own soundman. So I didn't need the mics.
The situation was similar when I moved to MD in 1995.
Where the mics came in handy is when a friend set me up with the ability to record at home in 2015. They've been very handy ever since.
I love the dedication to a big kit , I gigged a 9 piece kit all the time back in the day .
At 60 , I couldn’t imagine it ..
I hope you enjoy it and please post pics for that $50 !!!
At 60 , I couldn’t imagine it ..
I hope you enjoy it and please post pics for that $50 !!!
smittyboy63
Well-Known Member
Never at practice. Gigs only.
smittyboy63
Well-Known Member
I respect that, as I started out small, I was really into 70's hard rock, progressive rock, and fusion rock, and all those guys had big kits back then...Collins, Peart, White, Phillips, Palmer, Binks, etc. When I bought my kit in 1979, I couldn't find a big kit that I liked in a drum catalog, so I found this little hole in the wall music store in Baltimore City, figured out what I wanted, and ordered all individual pieces from them at a cheap price. It was all ordered from the factory at Ludwig. I ended up buying all of my stands (mostly Tama, because Ludwig hardware sucked back then) and concert toms, from another music store that was bigger and more reputable in Baltimore at the time.
My observation with the HUGE kits being tossed to the side, was when Nirvana hit. That was the first hard rock band I remember seeing a drummer play a tiny kit in a long time. And as we all know, like 'em or not, Nirvana made a huge impact in rock'n'roll when they hit big. And I liked what Dave Grohl was doing with them, as I always liked wild/bombastic drummers. He made his little kit sound big. Prior to Nirvana, in the rock scene, if you remember, all the hair bands (and I HATED them) were all playing huge kits. But Nirvana popped up, along with alot of the grunge bands, and they were all playing smaller kits. My guess is they couldn't afford the bigger kits starting out, and the shift to smaller kits came when they all landed in the limelight. But that was when I saw the shift away from big kits, and they were no longer "cool" to play anymore. Like you said, music goes in cycles. One day the bigger kits will come back into fashion. All it's going to take is a drummer that shines like a diamond, and stands above the rest playing a bigger kit. But it has to be his band, and not just him as a player, that will cause the change to happen with kit styles.
What I wonder is, will anybody be able to afford a large drumset when they finally do come back into fashion, given the high prices we see today across the board. Can you imagine what a 9-piece DW Collector's Series set will cost in 3-4 years?
There are more than few popular drummers out there playing big kits today ….
And it wasn’t Grunge that brought back the 4 piece , it really never went anywhere either .
And it wasn’t Grunge that brought back the 4 piece , it really never went anywhere either .
SonorBart
Well-Known Member
Thinking back to early to mid 80's MTV, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, The Romantics, Survivor, and Billly Squier all had drummers with one up and one or two down. I'm sure there are more, but those came to mind first.
static0verdrive
Very well Known Member
Lots of great responses in here. First off, love what you love. No shame. That said, you absolutely can use mics that have a pickup pattern like the infinite 
sign to mic two toms at a time, if you feel the need to mic them all. I am playing a 7-piece now coming from 5, and I'm quite happy with 2 overhead condensers, one clip-on small snare condenser, and one dynamic bass drum mic. Mine are "Apex" brand and sound fantastic.
P.S. I love the look of your kit! As much fun as I'm having, I would personally reduce to 5 pieces depending on the gig and stage size. At home you can shell out for as many channels as you like, but as stated by others, FOH rarely have more than 4-6 channels for drums in my experience. Therefore, it may be worth saving your back and time and trying a slightly smaller configuration when away from home base. Cheers! Glad you're back at it!
sign to mic two toms at a time, if you feel the need to mic them all. I am playing a 7-piece now coming from 5, and I'm quite happy with 2 overhead condensers, one clip-on small snare condenser, and one dynamic bass drum mic. Mine are "Apex" brand and sound fantastic.P.S. I love the look of your kit! As much fun as I'm having, I would personally reduce to 5 pieces depending on the gig and stage size. At home you can shell out for as many channels as you like, but as stated by others, FOH rarely have more than 4-6 channels for drums in my experience. Therefore, it may be worth saving your back and time and trying a slightly smaller configuration when away from home base. Cheers! Glad you're back at it!
smittyboy63
Well-Known Member
I'll agree with you there, but I wasn't paying attention to any of them, or focusing on any of them back then, as I was really into hard rock, and progressive/rock fusion, and the only band I had any appreciation for in your list was the Stone's, and that's only because they go back to my childhood, as I had a sister 12 years older than me (hippy) that was bringing Rolling Stones and Beatles albums home when they were being released. I remember when Abbey Road came out and I remember when The Beatles broke up (devastated). My first songs that I learned to play on the drums were the Stones Paint It Black and Get Off Of My Cloud. I was probably 5 years old. But no, you couldn't have paid me as a teen to listen to any of the bands you mentioned as my friends would have beaten me with a stick, LOL. Interestingly enough, two of my faves growing up were Bonham and Paice, and they did indeed play on smaller kits, so there were a couple bands I did like back in the day playing on those kits, but I had eyes on big kits. I thought they were mesmerizing and I flocked to the drummers that played them.
smittyboy63
Well-Known Member
OMG, considering what a 4-5 piece, brand new DW kit goes for now.
You'd have to take a loan out for it and be paying it off for 4-5 years.
smittyboy63
Well-Known Member
Well, I have to be honest, I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point.
First and foremost is just getting back into playing, period. Getting my chops and stamina back is my focus right now. But I want to do it on the kit that I played on forever growing up. The two guys I've talked to about practicing/jamming with are very aware I've been away from playing for an extended period, so they know I'm out of shape and need time to get back into the swing of things. We might just be getting together and playing twice a week for the next year...no gigs, as they both have stated they are okay with not playing out right now. And they are older then me, so I'm sure they are even more laid back than I am now at 61. And the other reason I'm not sure which way I'm going with the kit setup for certain is that I have some issues with my shoulders and neck, which is going to be the subject of a new thread here. So yeah, as much as I want to play on my bigger kit, my body might not like moving it around when gigs come. I am torn as to what I should do...
smittyboy63
Well-Known Member
Very beautiful kit. Is there another floor tom hidden there?
What kind of rack are you using? I'm dreaming of a rack. Does it make your setup and tear-down any quicker?
