Drum Overheads

[timmymacParticipant]

When do you typically use LDC for overheads and when do you typically use SDC for overheads?

[Warren HuartKeymaster]

Hi Tim, I use both! When I'm at a nice studio like United Recorders, like yesterday, ha I was able to use a pair of U67's (God bless Germany!) but when I'm at my own studio I sue a pair of Lewitt small diaphragm condensers which sound great! Would I use expensive large diaphragm mics on the overheads if I could? Sure, but I don't have particularly expensive ones to hand and frankly I like the way the small diaphragm Lewitt's sound, they naturally don;t pick up booming so I don't have to EQ them at all! I hope that helps? Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren

[timmymacParticipant]

I see so it's not a matter of room size? Thanks!

[Kaleb TreacyParticipant]

Hey Timmy! Just seen your set up in the studio acoustics section, looks mint mate. My room's actually the size of yours if not a tad bigger and I had trouble with overhead mic-ing for a couple of years. I'd been using a pair of Shure SM27's but time after time I was getting all the boomy-ness of the kick and toms but could never figure out why. I then brought a matched pair of Rode NT-5's with a stereo bar, chucked them up in the X/Y setup and haven't looked back, worked an absolute treat. I figured out that even though my room's completely dead, being a small size still creates that unwanted sound in LDC's as overheads (could be wrong, but my room gives me that opinion). I'll chuck up a picture so you can see my tracking room but yeah, just my 2 cents. Hope that gives you a little more to think on.

[timmymacParticipant]

Hey thanks Imocean! That's a nice size tracking room you got there! My room is really just a mixing room. I'll sometimes track vocals or acoustic guitar right in there or do some guitar overdubs with cab in basement and running lines up to the room. I've used a pair of Shure SM 137 SDC's for overheads for a while. Nothing fancy but I make them work. I usually space them. I'll have to try X/Y again. It's been a while. Thanks!

[Victor CiampiniParticipant]

I've mostly used SDCs (Rode M5S matched pair) and had nice results but if I was building a more organic sound from the overheads then I guess a pair of LDCs would be better?

[Nick D.Participant]

for whatever reason ive never been a fan of SDC. I use LDCs on almost everything. I also setup to capture an overall kit sound and mostly use a modified decca tree style setup pretty much like Warren used in a few videos. If i don't want a big sounding kit and most sounds are going to come from close mics, i would be ok with either as then the overheads are more of cymbal mics.

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Nick D..

[Steve DandreaParticipant]

My favorite 'budget' set-up for recording OH's that will give me high-end sounding results is a pair of Rode NT1-A's (roughly $460) through a pair of Neve 511 pre's (roughly $1100). Yes, this is about $1600 total, but you could only buy ONE Neumann at that price, so I consider it "budget". 🙂 I absolutely loathe low-end boominess on my OH's, so the Neve 511's variable HPF (up to 250hz!) works GREAT for me!

[Robgonzalez26]

Does anyone have any experience with using a figure 8 setting for a drum overhead???

[Magnus JohanssonParticipant]

Would not even think about it without a companion mid microphone.

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