The Ultimate Drum Overhead Shootout
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- Опубликовано: 3 ноя 2019
- Today we're comparing 17 pairs of microphones on drum overheads! All these clips are totally unprocessed, no EQ, compression, or anything.
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Watch more mic shootouts here:
• Mics!
►Get the AEA A440 - sweetwater.sjv.io/oqqBVm
►Get the AEA R84 - sweetwater.sjv.io/zNNBR6
►Get the AEA R92 - sweetwater.sjv.io/0ZZ1nJ
►Get the AEA N8 - sweetwater.sjv.io/EKKWxK
►Get the Beyerdynamic M160 - sweetwater.sjv.io/nLLBAX
►Get the Neumann U87 - sweetwater.sjv.io/3eeLRd
►Get the sE 4400 - sweetwater.sjv.io/OrrWan
►Get the Soyuz 013 - sweetwater.sjv.io/R55WLb
►Get the AKG C451 B - sweetwater.sjv.io/daaEDk
►Get the Earthworks QTC50 - sweetwater.sjv.io/Nkkme2
►Get the Shure Sm57 - sweetwater.sjv.io/XYYK2g
When the U87 hit i realized why those mics carry such a high price
Helluva video man! I’ll have to return to this when I’m in front of my monitors.
Thanks for checking out the video! I'm a big fan of your channel!
God damn. Not a second of filler in the video. You are an example to RUclipsrs everywhere.
Thank you so much! I'm really glad to hear you liked the video!
Only issue is the playing now lol
This is really helpful, thanks for doing it.
I'm happy I could help!
what a great comparison! nice sounding kit, cool mics
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!
This is very helpful and very telling. Thanks a lot for going to all this trouble!
No problem! I'm glad it was helpful!
Really nice shoot out! I love the U87 but never had 2 at the same time. The KM84 are my fav for a very long time.
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. And yeah, those are both great choices!
What's so rad about this is how good it sounds. It's hard to listen to mic shootouts where I hate the tone of the room/drums/amp etc and have to choose which mic is the least bad :)
Haha I feel you there! I also run into that problem with a lot of shootouts, so I'm glad to hear you liked this one!
Coles knocked it out of the park as usual.
It's a classic for a reason! I love those mics.
oh thanks man! great comparison
I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!
Awesome video man!!!! So nice to see the frequency spectrum to match what we little we hear. Transients really get lost on poor RUclips audio but this does give a good idea of the mics frequency response.
Ribbons have tons of natural vibe
C451s are the brightest cymbals
Earthworks are the TRUTH
U87 always sounds great
km84s are also great
That SE4400 was really great
M160 is a sleeper
Placement has a huge effect.
Hey! I'm glad you liked the video! And yeah, that sounds like a pretty solid sum-up to me!
This is great!! Thanks for sharing... Can't believe how good the sE 4400a is for the price! Really loved the Soyuz SU-011
and the Earthworks QTC50
... but I'm in love with coles... but I know I will never be able to afford them LOL.
PS: I would have loved to hear my cheap Rode nt5s and how they comapre against these other beasts!
Yeah, the sE mics really impressed me as well! Definitely great bang for the buck. And I feel ya there with the Coles! They're what I want ever ribbon mic to sound like 😆
Unsurprisingly the Neumann is fantastic
The SM57 is such an all-rounder. It’s just never far behind on every level and its price (especially 2nd hand) is brilliant. They all do the job however so it’s just a case of preference. Nice video. 🥁👍🏼
It really is crazy how many sources the 57 is at least decent on! I originally wasn't planning on including the 57 in this shootout but figured I'd toss it in just for kicks...then I was pretty surprised when I listened back and heard that it wasn't bad at all!
It was the worse of them all
With eyes closed, and shuffling each sample,...I found the SM57 to have the "freshest" sounding presence. Going to try 2 SM57s as OHs on a demo tomorrow. Hope to have good results. Thanks for presenting this shootout!
2 sm57s as overs will sound like you put two good mics inside steel trash cans. It’ll sound great on RUclips through your iPhone.
Ya know, we originally tossed up the pair of 57s just as a "why the heck not?" kind of thing, but we were surprised by them! I expected them to be completely unusable, but in the right context, they could be a solid choice! I've never actually used them as overheads, but a friend of mine (who owns a TON of great mics) told me recently that he used them on a project he was working on!
@@BetterMixes I can’t wait to try them. I’ve been using a pair of vintage AKG 451EB And very pleased with their response. But your video totally took me by surprise. I’ll let you know how it goes. Steve
FYI, I’m just a small home studio operator. I mostly do drum set and percussion tracks for different clients. Looking forward to talking to you again. Steve
@@TimMilliken i was in my studio with Equator monitors and and Beyer DT 770 phones. the 57's were surprizingly good, maybe not as good as higher end mics, but not as bad as trash cans. Buth thanks for the idea! Gonna try tarash can placement and see what that sounds like! ; )>
How you position the mic's and pan the audio files to get this result?
it's sounds pretty amazing!!
Sorry for the late response! I somehow missed this comment. But anyway, I used the spaced pair technique fairly wide with the mics pointed straight down. Then I panned them hard left and right. I hope that helps! If you have any other questions or want a more in-depth answer, let me know!
Funny as hell , the SM 57 sounded good lol ! The U87 for the win though
Haha yeah, it wouldn't be my first choice, but if the 57 was all I had, I wouldn't be too mad!
sE RN17 for the win. Listen to the fidelity on the hats and you still get that punchy low end. amazing... the SM57 sounds muffled and quacky to me (midrange).
I'm a huge fan of the RN17! That mic sounds absolutely gorgeous!
Out of these, my two favorites are the coles and the u87s...imagine that. Very different sets of mics but if you had those two sets I think you would have more than enough tools to record any drummer on any drum set. The 221b is worthy of mention too.
Yup, you can definitely cover a lot of ground with those two! I've been on a major Coles kick myself lately.
well on my semi decent set up upstairs, the Beyer had the best high end, the Earthworks sounded like an omni with the most room sound and the Shure was a surprise, i would never think of using the SM57 as an overhead however i find the overall sound of all mics dull, did you process the sounds and in what kind of room did you record?
No processing at all on these. And it was recorded in a pretty huge room with 30-foot vaulted ceilings. Here's a picture of the room (it wasn't NEARLY this empty when I was doing this shootout): sonicscoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Clubhouse_Live.jpg
The C451 E's seemed the tightest to me. Least likely to "compete" with any direct close miking. Coles has some serious thunder!
Yeah, I really like the 451s (either version really) for times when I want mostly cymbals from my overheads. They're super clear, and like you said, don't compete with everything else. And when I'm going for the opposite of that, I LOOOOOOOVE the Coles!
The Ribbons and the Schoeps.
All excellent options!
I love you!
1:24 Neumann U87
2:12 AKG C451 B
2:30 Earthworks QTC50
2:50 sE RN17
It was difficult deciding between the AKG C451 B and sE RN17. I want to say that the AKG sounds more in line with some of the music I listen to (pop-punk, metalcore, etc.). Do you think I would need to mic my hi-hat if I use a pair of these as overheads?
Update: I think I now prefer the sound of sE RN17. It sounds like it brings out more of the stereo spread, and it really brings out depth to the "pop" of the snare. (Though, I still think the AKG C451 B brings out a better hi-hat sizzle, though I'm sure this would be remedied with a hi-hat mic.)
Both are great options for that style of music! I regularly use 451s for pop-punk kind of stuff. They're also quite a bit more affordable than the RN17s, but like I said, you really can't go wrong with either! And you could probably get away without a hi hat mic with those if you're running short on inputs. I pretty much always record one but end up muting in the mix more often than not.
What's your interface/converter & preamp ? Thanks for doing the shootout!
These files were recorded through a Neve 8058 and Lynx Aurora converters. Thanks for watching!
@@BetterMixes Thank You!
The AKG C451 sounded very nice. The Neumanns too (both small and large condenser)
All solid option! Out of curiosity, did you have any preference between the 451 E and B?
@@BetterMixes I think the B sounds a bit more direct and has a bit more high-end. Depending on the source it may sound a bit too sharp but in this example I prefer it over the E.
I had pretty much the same thoughts. I remember being very pleased that (at least in this particular instance) I preferred the affordable modern one over the vintage one!
Hey, what would you think of a Coles in the very center and 2 small diaphragm spaced pair? Did you ever try something like that?
Yup! I've done that a handful of times with excellent results! The Coles can really add some nice weight and thump to the "prettier" sounding SDCs!
@@BetterMixes Awesome thanks! I'll try this on my next project :)
I’m using an m160 center between ortf km184s. It’s 1176 compressed aimed at snare. It’s like my 3rd eye mid side technique.
OK I've decided what I want for my kit after this… I am about to order a matched pair of Peluso P28 SDC😊
Very cool! I've heard a lot of good things about the Peluso mics!
Also Earthworks QTC50 was really cool
Yeah, those are very cool mics!
Sm57 just killer xd
Instant "Lo-Fi"! lol
Earthworks QTC50 rocked - sE 4400a was second for me ....
It's kinda crazy how good the 4400a is for the price! And yeah, the QTC50s, being omni, really shine in a great room like this one!
Coles!
SM57 sounded super punchy and tight 🙂
I remember when doing this test, I kinda threw the 57s up as joke but was surprised when I heard them that they would absolutely be usable in the right context!
The winner is the SM57.
the worst haha
Was this always the same crash cymbal?
I had the same two crashes set up for each one. For most of the mics, I bit them both, but there were a couple where I only hit one or the other. I originally made this shootout a while back for myself, so I wasn't paying as much attention to doing the exact same fills/crashes as I would have if I knew I was going to be sharing it with people!
But thanks for watching, and hopefully you still got something out of it!
M160
With the earthworks, you literally don't even need a snare mic.
Haha yeah, they definitely do capture a ton of snare!
@@BetterMixes If you're playing a live gig, especially at a bar or club, you don't need tom mics either.
what capsule was on the Schoeps?
Oops, I'm sorry, I totally missed this comment! If you're still curious, it was the cardioid capsules.
Hey brother, do you have an email or FB page that I could conact you at? I'd like to ask you a few questions about some mics if you're okay with that! Thanks man, great video!
Hey! Sorry for the slow response. I haven't been getting comment notifications. Anyway, if you still have questions, feel free to email me at mike@thebunkerrecordings.com or join the new BetterMixes FB group and ask in there: facebook.com/groups/839908003174955/
Su-011 & km84 good 👍
Both are killer options! The Soyuz really blew me away the first time I heard them.
I think the u87 was my favorite 🤔
It's a solid choice! They're naturally quite compressed which makes them massive!
It would be interesting to do a u87 vs u87 copies for drums, like the warm audio and a few others.
1:24 and 2:50 are my favorites
Solid choices! Yeah, I was really surprised the first time I heard the RN17. They sound sooooo good on overheads!
Coles, 87s, r84s
All solid choices!
Can you get a drummer to test them though
I just did this shootout for myself years ago and thought I'd share it in case it was helpful to anyone. Sooooo no 😉
But going forward, I am trying to use actual players, but again, 4 year old video with 7 year old files that were never meant to be part of a video 🤷♂️
@@BetterMixes I'm so sorry lol
What kit was used?
I THINK this was a Yamaha Oak Custom (or a Yamaha Oak something or other) with a 14x6.5 red oak snare that I built. I have no idea what the cymbals would have been.
HOW they sound in the mix is the ONLY way to determine what to use.
I wouldn't entirely agree with that. For instance, maybe I own a pair of 451s but am looking for something just a little bit smoother. Based on this shootout, I might think about getting the Soyuz or something. If you've recorded/mixed enough stuff, you know what you want to hear from your overheads.
@@BetterMixes agree with you.. if possible: fix it at the source.. everything else is bugfixes... how they do in the mix is a matter of frequency fiddling between other mics used, the room and the drums, and the drummer and the DAW and so on. How they sound solo is "what you get for free"... nice demo.
Agreed. The first time I heard a ribbon microphone on guitar in the mix I immediately said “that’s the sound I’ve been trying to get for years”. I didn’t even know it was a ribbon. And it wasn’t even a good expensive ribbon. It just fit in the mix perfect.
Coles sounded good but lacked in shimmer. Km84 sounds most musical. U87 sounds most modern. Earthworks sounds thin in the highs, muddy in the lows.
The Coles take EQ really well to bring back a little bit of shimmer, but they're definitely not for everything! I really dig them for more indie kind of stuff that doesn't need too much shimmer. And yeah, both the km84s and u87s are classics for good reason!
Better Mixes yea definitely. I personally think just ribbon mics alone for your drum/cymbal overheads aren’t a great idea considering they pick up low end better than high end.
Coles 0:26
AEA A440 0:36
AEA R84 0:45
AEA R92 0:54
AEA N8 1:05
BeyerDynamic 1:14
Neumann U87 1:24
sE 4400a 1:33
Soyuz SU-011 1:43
Schoeps/Telefunkin 1:53
AKG C451 E 2:02
AKG C451 B 2:12
Neumann Km84 2:22
Earthworks 2:31
Schoeps 2:41
sE RN17 2:50
Shure 3:00
You rule!
Man, the M-160s didn't sound as good as I thought they should compared to the rest. I really wanted to love them... But can't. At least not in this shootout. But thanks- illuminating.
Yeah, when I first tried them, they definitely weren't what I was expecting at all. They can work for certain things, but they're the least "ribbon-y" sounding ribbon mics I've ever used!
It's all in the positioning.
Goth108 oh my goth! 😂 Thank you.
@@pauljohn5584 I mean, check this out: ruclips.net/video/lkhW5WdxeC4/видео.html
@@BetterMixes nice comparasion! Have you used the m160 since? I will receive mine in a week and wanna use it mostly as mono overhead in my low ceiling, not well-treated room. I was very disappointed that it sounded the least ribbony and wondering what's your experience with it after a few months! thanks!
Now if you could just get a better drummer
Haha yeah, fair enough! I originally did this shootout just for myself, and for that purpose, I was a good enough drummer, but it definitely would have been nice to have a real drummer!
@@BetterMixes drums sounded fine. No place for a hater.
Unsurprisingly the Neumann is fantastic
The u87 or the km84 (or both!)?
@@BetterMixes u87