First things first: Great playing, great sounding room! Secondly, I am absolutely amazed at the quality of sound coming from the RB500s, especially when you have the "gold standard" for drum ribbon mics side-by-side for comparison. I'm completely blown away. And... I feel as though I've overpaid for my Coles' now...
Coles got something more musical... RB500 bit more shiny. But they're REAAAAAALLY close !!! That would be really interesting to hear them in a mix ! And yup, what a drum sound...
This is a good comparison and matches my experience when testing with mics with good ribbon tension. I see a lot of comparison videos with drastic sound differences due to the cheaper mics having sagging ribbons. Thanks for making this video - and thanks for having mics with proper ribbon tension!
Thanks for demonstrating how compression and EQ bring out the true quality of the Coles. The RB500s do seem like a considerable low priced alternative nevertheless.
I was also pleasantly surprised how good the tbones did on overhead. The Coles are amazing. We got 4 tbones about 8 years ago, we found that exchange the mic Kabel for something decent and re-soldering made a huge difference.
surprisingly close enough, considering the price difference. listening on headphones and a pair of genelec monitors. ordering a pair today, can't wait to try them out on a kit!
yeah make very good budget mikes i have a whole set of small condensers stereo set EM800 + ribbon R100 + Dyna BD200 all of them R pretty usable with good preamps
thanks for your comment, i was also quite surprised, that's why i decided to make a video of the shootout. When you're on a budget and need decent room mics, the rb500 do the job.
Great shootout, nice playing and great sounding room too! These mics are very close, but I can definitely hear a difference in the hi frequency range on the hi hats and snare between these mics. The T-bones sound a little bit "brittle" on the top end compared to the Coles,. the Coles sound a bit more smooth to me. I am going to get the Coles for room mics one day but this definitely inspires me to use my Apex 210's as room mics again!
imagine taking the multiple cages inside the RB500 mic grill out...It usually sounds less brittle and more open. that would be an interesting recording.
I have the tbones as well, and play the drums. I think they sound every bit as good as the coles. Different, but great. One thing I hear on your recordings, is what happens to me as well. When put the tbone out in the room, you get bass resonance. Almost like an 808. The coles don't do that. You can hear in this video with earphones or a sub. Thanks for this. I was going crazy trying to figure this out. Seems like that's just the normal character of the mic. Good tone. Great drumming
Thanks for your comment :) The low end rumble comes from floor vibrations that are transmitted through the mic stand, to which the tbones are definitely more sensible. Some kind of shockmount would help, but since i low cut the room mics anyway, it doesn't bother me that much.
Nice dude! I was surprised by the T-BONES but definately loved the Coles> So are the T-Bone/Apex 210/And Nady RSM-2 all the same mic rebranded then? Also< Sick drum room. Is that a house or a commercial studio?
James Cassidy thanks dude! It‘s my small studio in Regensburg, Germany (BahamaMama Studio) I like the room too, and a good room is very important for recording drums, probably much more important than if you use Coles or t bone ;) t bone, nady and apex are as far as i know, basically the same chinese ribbon mic, just distributed as another brand.
I'm pretty sure that there's something you could physically do to the t-bones to get them even closer to the coles sound, I've heard some comparisons between different transformers and there's definitely a lot of variables to control the top end. Also a thinner ribbon could do the trick.
Amazing drum sounds! You don’t even need overheads! The rooms with the close mics sound unreal! What sizes are the drums? Also are you burying the kick beater into the head or rebounding?
thank you very much :) the sizes are 22x14, 12x8, 16x16 and 14x6,5 Snare. Wether i bury the beater or not depends on the tuning, muffling and the style of the music. In this instance i think i did bury the beater, since it makes no big difference with a ported head, really low tuning of the batter head and a pillow inside.
The room mic looks a bit of center to the drumkit. Is that an illusion. It also looks like your using the Wood panel for some reflection. Do you remember the hieght and how far away the were position. Sounds great anyway. Thank’s for the video
Thanks for your comment :) It are two mics in blumlein, so they are positioned both 45 degrees off center and 90 degrees to each other, in order to get a good centered stereo image. The center is an imaginary line that goes straight through the snare and kick, in order to get both as much in center as possible. Yes, i use the panels with an absorbing and a wooden side (reflecting) to alter the room sound. I think the room mics are about 4 meters away from the snare and about as high as the rack tom.
Great sound! To me the RB500s have a bit more high mids which makes the cymbals "ping" a bit more dominant. Other than that, there's not much difference at least to my ears. Doesn't justify the price difference imho ;-)
Hey Johannes, klasse gemacht das Shootout und bei mir mal wieder für einen "Dicke Backen Effekt" gesorgt. Vielen Dank für deine Mühe. Kannst du noch etwas zu deiner Close Mic Bestückung sagen? Das klingt ja alles fantastisch.
Dankeschön, das freut mich! An der Kick md421 + Yamaha subkick, an der Snare Sm57 und an den Toms audix d6. Die d6 sind zwar alles andere als linear, aber super wenn die Overheads schon ausgewogen klingen und man nur etwas Attack und lowend dazufahren will. Die d6 haben fast nur Attack und lowend ;)
i personally like rooms with a high ceiling, very little absorption and a lot of diffusion and wood. but it depends on the sound you want to get. I use gobos with a reflecting and an absorbing side, to adjust the room to what i need. the high ceiling is really important to me, because close parallel walls always make unpleasant reflections, and usually floor and ceiling are the closest walls in a room.
There are exceptions, BUT: Generally speaking for blues/rock/most genres and great compressed sounds: 2 things. 1. You need the room to have a certain size (high ceiling (9+ft, 3+m, size of 40+ sqm/ 400+ sqft floor) 2. great diffusion, cause you'll want the room to give back a lot, but not be too precise (acoustic diffusers/wooden panels/wooden roofs/wooden floors help), naked concrete walls are your enemy, especially if they're close to the drums.
Nice comparison! Coles are way more defined and balanced (not that strange, figure Coles). The T.Bone has bit more top end, which I do like, but also has an enormous amount of sub bass extension, which can be heard while playing the ride and kicking the hihat pedal. Also across the frequency spectrum, it's a bit less accurate, a bit less consistant. But other then that, pretty good mic, especially for the money. Thanks for this!
Sehr überrascht das gerade als Overhead der Unterschied eigentlich nicht hörbar ist. Hast du Probleme gehabt mit zu schlaff gespannten Bändchen oder hast du direkt loslegen können?
ich war auch sehr überrascht wie wenig Unterschied zu hören ist. Es gibt auch online Vergleiche wo die T Bones viel belegter klingen. Aber meine sind unverändert aus dem Karton, hatte wohl Glück und hab ein paar Gute erwischt.
In the other shootout where drummer used the same mics as you, Coles and T.Bone, the second one sounded obviously worse than Coles but in your case they sound pretty similar. Somebody is laying... you or him.
Gabrijel Prusina i ordered the Coles because of the other shootout, and also expected more difference. I was surprised how similar they sound. That‘s why i uploaded this video. I guess the t bones have more manufacturing tolerance, and i was lucky to get two good ones.
I seen that video To, I’ve owned a pair of 4038 for 15 years loved them use most days however a mate of mine put me on the Tbones and said they are really close to coles that video had the t bones a good few DB quieter than the coles but when you match them it’s hard to tell which is which , I know prefer Tbones for drums not just as over heads my favourite is front and rear , and my coles live on my piano these days mostly
First things first: Great playing, great sounding room!
Secondly, I am absolutely amazed at the quality of sound coming from the RB500s, especially when you have the "gold standard" for drum ribbon mics side-by-side for comparison. I'm completely blown away. And... I feel as though I've overpaid for my Coles' now...
Thank you 😊
Coles got something more musical... RB500 bit more shiny. But they're REAAAAAALLY close !!! That would be really interesting to hear them in a mix ! And yup, what a drum sound...
This is a good comparison and matches my experience when testing with mics with good ribbon tension. I see a lot of comparison videos with drastic sound differences due to the cheaper mics having sagging ribbons. Thanks for making this video - and thanks for having mics with proper ribbon tension!
i'm sorry, can you explain that? how to get right ribbon tension?
Nice demo! Nicer drum audio, I love that vintage vibes.
Thanks for demonstrating how compression and EQ bring out the true quality of the Coles. The RB500s do seem like a considerable low priced alternative nevertheless.
That is a fantastic drum room
I'm stunned how close they sound to the Coles considering the price difference. Would be interested in hearing a comparison with the T-Bones modded!
This video makes me so happy! Sounds like Albini - simple. Good mikes. awesome room. good sounding drums.
Your comment makes me happy, I'm a huge fan of Albinis recordings :) thank you
I was also pleasantly surprised how good the tbones did on overhead. The Coles are amazing.
We got 4 tbones about 8 years ago, we found that exchange the mic Kabel for something decent and re-soldering made a huge difference.
Could you explain better what you did to the microphone please.
surprisingly close enough, considering the price difference. listening on headphones and a pair of genelec monitors. ordering a pair today, can't wait to try them out on a kit!
yeah make very good budget mikes
i have a whole set of small condensers stereo set EM800 + ribbon R100 + Dyna BD200
all of them R pretty usable with good preamps
That T-Bone sounds absolutly killer! Compare that to the price. Baby baby baby baby baby what a deal!
Amazing comparison!! I can't believe there is a difference of $1000usd aprox. between these mics. Pretty impressive.
Great playing!
thanks for your comment, i was also quite surprised, that's why i decided to make a video of the shootout. When you're on a budget and need decent room mics, the rb500 do the job.
Great shootout, nice playing and great sounding room too! These mics are very close, but I can definitely hear a difference in the hi frequency range on the hi hats and snare between these mics. The T-bones sound a little bit "brittle" on the top end compared to the Coles,. the Coles sound a bit more smooth to me. I am going to get the Coles for room mics one day but this definitely inspires me to use my Apex 210's as room mics again!
imagine taking the multiple cages inside the RB500 mic grill out...It usually sounds less brittle and more open. that would be an interesting recording.
Good Grief that room is phenomenal
The fill at 00:20 👏🤩
I have the tbones as well, and play the drums. I think they sound every bit as good as the coles. Different, but great. One thing I hear on your recordings, is what happens to me as well. When put the tbone out in the room, you get bass resonance. Almost like an 808. The coles don't do that. You can hear in this video with earphones or a sub. Thanks for this. I was going crazy trying to figure this out. Seems like that's just the normal character of the mic. Good tone. Great drumming
Thanks for your comment :)
The low end rumble comes from floor vibrations that are transmitted through the mic stand, to which the tbones are definitely more sensible. Some kind of shockmount would help, but since i low cut the room mics anyway, it doesn't bother me that much.
I was hearing that too and wondered about that bass resonance. Thanks for bringing that up. Amazing mic for any price. Like a miracle mic.
Really nice playing
Thanks :)
Ich bin immer wieder überascht wie gut diese günstigen RB500 klingen
T-Bones win as overhead for the extra snap/hi end content, but being darker Coles win as room mics.
absolutely agree
Nice dude! I was surprised by the T-BONES but definately loved the Coles> So are the T-Bone/Apex 210/And Nady RSM-2 all the same mic rebranded then? Also< Sick drum room. Is that a house or a commercial studio?
James Cassidy thanks dude! It‘s my small studio in Regensburg, Germany (BahamaMama Studio) I like the room too, and a good room is very important for recording drums, probably much more important than if you use Coles or t bone ;) t bone, nady and apex are as far as i know, basically the same chinese ribbon mic, just distributed as another brand.
Me too, I thought they were about the same price until I looked up how cheap the T-Bone is.
I'm pretty sure that there's something you could physically do to the t-bones to get them even closer to the coles sound, I've heard some comparisons between different transformers and there's definitely a lot of variables to control the top end. Also a thinner ribbon could do the trick.
Amazing drum sounds! You don’t even need overheads! The rooms with the close mics sound unreal! What sizes are the drums? Also are you burying the kick beater into the head or rebounding?
thank you very much :) the sizes are 22x14, 12x8, 16x16 and 14x6,5 Snare. Wether i bury the beater or not depends on the tuning, muffling and the style of the music. In this instance i think i did bury the beater, since it makes no big difference with a ported head, really low tuning of the batter head and a pillow inside.
Fantastic drum sound Johannes!. Do you play your snare dead centre or are the back beats all rimshots in these recordings?
thank you :) i play all rimshots in the recordings, with the tip a little over the center, so the shoulder of the stick hits more towards the center
I loved TBobe as a blumlane room option! As OH pair, the Coles have more sustain and sound more pleasing.
Coles are a classic, but that TBone is really quite the bang for a buck
Love the drum sound.
What shell sizes do you play?
thanks :) 22x14, 12x8, 16x16 14x6,5
The room mic looks a bit of center to the drumkit. Is that an illusion. It also looks like your using the Wood panel for some reflection. Do you remember the hieght and how far away the were position. Sounds great anyway. Thank’s for the video
Thanks for your comment :) It are two mics in blumlein, so they are positioned both 45 degrees off center and 90 degrees to each other, in order to get a good centered stereo image. The center is an imaginary line that goes straight through the snare and kick, in order to get both as much in center as possible. Yes, i use the panels with an absorbing and a wooden side (reflecting) to alter the room sound. I think the room mics are about 4 meters away from the snare and about as high as the rack tom.
What cymbals are you using? They all sound great but the one in the crash position sounds amazing.
Hey, thank you. I'm using Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals. 22" Bossa Ride, 20" hamer CrashRide and i think 15" 61st anniversary hihat.
Holy smokes those cheap mics sound great for rooms.
Great sound!
To me the RB500s have a bit more high mids which makes the cymbals "ping" a bit more dominant. Other than that, there's not much difference at least to my ears. Doesn't justify the price difference imho ;-)
Johannes. Do you find the RB500's to be noisier than the 4038's? Is there a noticeable difference when there is no playing? And, thanks for the demo!
yes, a little bit. I wouldn't use them for delicate acoustic guitars, but for drums I never had an issue with noise.
Hey Johannes, klasse gemacht das Shootout und bei mir mal wieder für einen "Dicke Backen Effekt" gesorgt. Vielen Dank für deine Mühe. Kannst du noch etwas zu deiner Close Mic Bestückung sagen? Das klingt ja alles fantastisch.
Dankeschön, das freut mich! An der Kick md421 + Yamaha subkick, an der Snare Sm57 und an den Toms audix d6. Die d6 sind zwar alles andere als linear, aber super wenn die Overheads schon ausgewogen klingen und man nur etwas Attack und lowend dazufahren will. Die d6 haben fast nur Attack und lowend ;)
@@JohannesPressl Danke für deine schnelle Antwort. Ich gehe mal kurz bei Audix shoppen :-)
Täusche ich mich oder hört man den Trittschall beim tBone viel mehr? Haben ja kein Shockmount!
ja, das stimmt, der Trittschall ist bei den T Bones krasser, bei den meisten Anwendungen wird man aber sowieso einen low cut setzen.
Acoustically speaking, in your opinion, what makes a great drum room?
i personally like rooms with a high ceiling, very little absorption and a lot of diffusion and wood. but it depends on the sound you want to get. I use gobos with a reflecting and an absorbing side, to adjust the room to what i need. the high ceiling is really important to me, because close parallel walls always make unpleasant reflections, and usually floor and ceiling are the closest walls in a room.
There are exceptions, BUT: Generally speaking for blues/rock/most genres and great compressed sounds: 2 things. 1. You need the room to have a certain size (high ceiling (9+ft, 3+m, size of 40+ sqm/ 400+ sqft floor) 2. great diffusion, cause you'll want the room to give back a lot, but not be too precise (acoustic diffusers/wooden panels/wooden roofs/wooden floors help), naked concrete walls are your enemy, especially if they're close to the drums.
yeah,tnx broo...I wanted to buy a 4038 but after this video I definitely won't.They are too expensive and the difference is too small.
Hi Johannes
Great job !
Whar are the dimensions of your room , and the ceiling.
Thanks
thank you :) it is about 30qm2, the ceiling starts at 3,50m and goes at an angle up to 4,50m and down again.
Nice comparison! Coles are way more defined and balanced (not that strange, figure Coles). The T.Bone has bit more top end, which I do like, but also has an enormous amount of sub bass extension, which can be heard while playing the ride and kicking the hihat pedal. Also across the frequency spectrum, it's a bit less accurate, a bit less consistant. But other then that, pretty good mic, especially for the money. Thanks for this!
What kind of stands are you using for your coles mics? I'm searching for something reasonably sturdy but somewhat portable. great sounds and playing!
thank you :) this ist the stand i am using, can't beat it for the money Superlux MS 200 thmn.to/thoprod/139008?offid=1&affid=1094
Wow! Did you sell the Coles?
How's the SNR on the RB500?
The nady, t.bone and apex are the same mic?? I don’t understand that !!
yes
Coles
wow tbones bottom just as fat needs a ksm32 blended to get the detail but shocker, nice vid guy
Sehr überrascht das gerade als Overhead der Unterschied eigentlich nicht hörbar ist. Hast du Probleme gehabt mit zu schlaff gespannten Bändchen oder hast du direkt loslegen können?
ich war auch sehr überrascht wie wenig Unterschied zu hören ist. Es gibt auch online Vergleiche wo die T Bones viel belegter klingen. Aber meine sind unverändert aus dem Karton, hatte wohl Glück und hab ein paar Gute erwischt.
+Johannes Preßl dann bestelle ich auch einfach mal ein paar und probiere xD Coles sind leider nicht ganz meine Liga immo.
You should keep the mic name up on the screen the whole time, so if we want to skip around we know what mic we're listening to ...........
In the other shootout where drummer used the same mics as you, Coles and T.Bone, the second one sounded obviously worse than Coles but in your case they sound pretty similar. Somebody is laying... you or him.
Gabrijel Prusina i ordered the Coles because of the other shootout, and also expected more difference. I was surprised how similar they sound. That‘s why i uploaded this video. I guess the t bones have more manufacturing tolerance, and i was lucky to get two good ones.
I seen that video To, I’ve owned a pair of 4038 for 15 years loved them use most days however a mate of mine put me on the Tbones and said they are really close to coles that video had the t bones a good few DB quieter than the coles but when you match them it’s hard to tell which is which , I know prefer Tbones for drums not just as over heads my favourite is front and rear , and my coles live on my piano these days mostly
Are the T-Bone modded?
No, they are not modded.
En serio!!???
......ho sentito differenze minime....ne meglio né peggio .......l’unica differenza è il prezzo....