Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

M

Matt Vivlamore

Senior
Jan 11, 2011
911
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Southern MD, USA
www.meerkatsound.com
This one has always been a good one.



For most of my shows I use.



Kick - Audix D6 (out) and/or Sennheiser e901 (in)

Snare - Shure Beta57 (top), Audix i5 (bottom)

Mounted Toms - Audix D2

Floor Toms - Audix D4 & D6

Hi Hat - AKG Perception 120

Overheads - AKG C451B



Guitars - Sennheiser e609

Bass guitar - EWI Active DI



Wired Vocals - Audix OM5 & OM7 (drummer)

Wireless - Shure ULX-P/SLX with SM86 & Beta58



I also have Shure SM58 and SM57's in my mic box.
 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

I have a ton of mics in my collection (hey, we all gotta collect something haha). Mostly Sennheiser and Shure



My usual go tos:



Kick - Shure Beta 52 and Sennheiser 901

Snare - Sennheiser 441, Shure SM57, Beyer M201

Toms - Sennheiser 908

Hi Hat, Ride - Neumann KM 184

Overheads - Neumann KM 184

Hand Percussion - Sennheiser 604



Guitars - Shure KSM 32 and Sennheiser 906

Bass Guitar - Radial JDI and Sennheiser 421

anything else that needs a DI - Radial JDI



Vocals: Sennnheiser 935 and 945. I like my 965 and Neumann KMS105 but don't get to use them often
 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

I assume you mean a ''band box'' for electric bands. I do almost everything but these bands and find that my kit is big enough to encompass them anyhow.



I would suggest the 906 over the 609 for guitar cabs, though.



My all-time favorite (dynamic)kick drum mic is an EV 868. But that's just me. That's what I like to hear and I can get a nice spectrum of response out of it via placement and gating.



I do not own any Audix drum mics except for a D6 which sometimes sees use, but when Latin percussionists show up with their own Audix D series mics I have loved them.



And after adding a ton of other mics to my kit (now numbering around 200 pieces) I must say that for go-to basic mics it is still hard to beat having a half dozen each of the venerable SM57's/58's.



Beyond that I just pray for bands that have actual arrangements and aren't all playing everything all the time. No mics can sort that out......
 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

My touring mic kit looks like this:



Kick: Shure SM91 (in)/ Audix D6 (out)

Snare: Beyerdynamic M201 (top) / Shure SM57 (bottom)

Hat: Sennheiser e914

Rack: Audix D2

Floors: Audix D6

Ride: Sennheiser e914

OH's: Shure SM81

Vox: Sennheiser e945



Guitars are Palmer DI's

Bass is a Sansamp / Radial J48 combo.





My ''local'' mic kit includes Sennheiser e906's for guitars, a B52, 57's, 58's, 421's and some other odds and ends.





Oh, and my favorite combo is the D6 on floor tom. Killer!





Evan
 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

My current favorite microphone are:



Violins and violas Neumann KM184

Cellos and double basses Neumann TLM170 (on cardioid)

Woodwinds and brass Neumann TLM170 (on wide cardioid)

Harp, celest, piano, AKG C414.



Sometimes I'll throw and AKG C3000B in there for the other odd instrument that needs micing.
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Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

This is always a fun topic!!!



Current Kit that lives in my workbox...



4- AT6100 - ''Go-To'' VOX

4- Shure Sm58 - VOX for those who bob & weave too much for a 6100..
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4- AT4100 Wireless (3000 Series) Handheld RF w/ distro & passive paddles.

2- AT41a - extra vox

2- crappy AT PL4 w/ switch... mostly used for Talkback @ FOH & MONs.



1- Senn. e902 - Kick or other low endy sources.

3- Senn. e609 - Snare & Rack Toms.

2- AT3031 Pencils - Hats, extra perc. etc.

1- Orig. Peavey 520- Floor Tom or other low endy stuff.

1- AKG D3400 - Trombone mic mostly these days.

2- AT350 clips - Horns Horns Horns

3- AT35x- utility clip-on mics... more horns, extra perc. etc.

1-SM57 - Cause I wouldn't be caught without one.



2- Shure SM27 LDC - Guitar Cabs mostly.... along with regular LDC duties.

1- EV RE-20 - Tenor or Bari Saxes.

1-AKG414 - Tenor or Bari Saxes.



1- Audio Technica Podium Mic... can't remember the crazy long model number.



There may be a few others that are slipping my mind right now... but that is the stuff that I use the most. The notes I wrote are just what I typically use them for when working with the Horn Bands that I get a lot.



I generally try to rotate mics around the stage as often as I can... for example, I will put all of the e609's on the brass section one night, and the clip on mics on the drums... and then do the opposite on another night. I only do this to keep things fresh and keep my ears open, I hate getting stuck into a groove of wanting to only use one mic for one thing.... finding the sounds I want with different mics is a lot of fun.





 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

Justice C. Bigler wrote on Tue said:
My current favorite microphone are:



Violins and violas Neumann KM184

Cellos and double basses Neumann TLM170 (on cardioid)

Woodwinds and brass Neumann TLM170 (on wide cardioid)

Harp, celest, piano, AKG C414.



Sometimes I'll throw and AKG C3000B in there for the other odd instrument that needs micing.
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Justice....



I find it amazing that so many folks use the 184's on strings and the 414's on piano. To my ear (having played strings for 30+ years and piano since the early 1950's) the 184's are very ''brassy'' and the 414's very ''woody''.



I much prefer the KSM32 to the 414 for most applications and either the AT 4051 or the Sennheiser MKH 40 for the strings.
 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

Dick Rees wrote on Tue said:
I much prefer the KSM32 to the 414 for most applications and either the AT 4051 or the Sennheiser MKH 40 for the strings.
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Well, I don't have any Shure microphones that don;t say 57, 58, or 81 on them, so I work with what I have
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For my work, most of the sound is coming from the orchestra anyway, I only use the microphones for stage fold back, recording and for the reinforcement in the house on ballets only.
 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

Kick : SM91, Sennheiser 602

Snare : SM57

Hat : SM81

Toms : e604

OHs : KSM32

DIs: JDI

GTRs : SM57

Voc : KMS105/B58



Thats been my staple for the past couple years.
 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

Im a Huge Fan of EV Mics, This is my small personal collection I usually add to the house mics.



4x EV PL80a Vocals (by far the best vocal right now IMO)

2x EV RE410 Vocal Condensers

1x EV ND868 Kick

3x EV 408s (fav) Horns or Guitars



4x Shure SM57s Snare/Guitars/you name it, I mean its a 57....

1x Shure SM91 Kick



2x Audio Technica ATM250DE Guitars/Bass



2x Audix D6 Kick/Bass/Floor

3x Audix F90s, Toms They def arent the best but Ive gotten some very usable sound with them.



3x Sterling Audio ST31 pencil condenser HH/OH/General use. Nice cheap condenser that sounds good.







 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

1 - Shure Beta52

3 - Shure SM57

2 - Shure Beta57

4 - Shure SM58

2 - Shure SM81



3 - Audix D6

1 - Audix D2



3 - Sennheiser e835

1 - Sennheiser e609

1 - Sennheiser MD421



4 - Radial ProDI



I have to say the Beta57 is probably my favorite, you can put it almost anywhere in a pinch without a huge problem. I haven't added anything recently, if anything I'll grab another D2 and upgrade my vocal mics.
 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

Trunk A:



2x Audix OM5: Lead VOX

4x Audix OM2: Background Vox

4x Crown CM310: Drum / Background Vox, Horns

2x Beyer M88: Vox (have yet to put it in a kick drum...)



2x Senn. e604: Toms, Brass

1x Senn e609: Guitars, rarely

2x Shure SM57: Guitars

2x Shure Beta57: Snares

4x Shure PG56: Rack toms

2x Shure PG52: Floor Toms

2x Audix D6: Kick

2x Shure PG81: Overheads, Accoustic Guitars

2x Audiopile 300c. Overheads, choirs



5x Whirlwind EDB1 (I know, I know.)

1x Radial J48. mmmmm.



1x SM58. Because I have to.

2x Optogates for people that deserve them.

1x ebtech dual iso





Trunk B:

4x Shure SM58: Vocals

2x Shure SM48: Vocals

2x Shure SM57: Instruments, Snare

3x EV Cobalt4: Horns

1x Stageworks DRK218: Kick

3x Stageworks DRK228: Toms

2x Samson CO2: Overheads

4x Whirlwind IMP2





Trunk A gets split in half more often than Trunk B gets used.
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Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

1 Audix D6

1 Audix D4

2 Audix D3

1 Audix i5

3 Shure SM58

2 Shure SM57

1 EV nd260

2 Shure SM81

1 AKG TSP D3800(dont really use this much)

1 Peavey PVM480 SD condenser(Actually sounds really good)



Some Whirlwind IMP2's and a couple of Behringer DI's.

A small stack of LP claws/
 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

Adam Robinson wrote on Tue said:
Dick Rees wrote on Tue said:
I would suggest the 906 over the 609 for guitar cabs, though.
Click to expand...



+1



I've never put a mic in front of a guitar amp that made it sound so different than the 609 does. Thanks, but I don't need that infinite 4k boost.
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Ran 2 906's into Pro Tools, both draped over my Bandmaster 2x12 cab. Recorded one flat, one in the boosted, and then re-recorded one with the high end filtered off.



Preferred the normal and high settings, the high end filtered off was too much.



I like the ability to change the mic depending on the amp and sound in the mix. Hype on for the Bandmaster, off on a Dr. Z Mini Z.



Flat i also felt it sounds better than a 609, which is why I own 2 906's now and sold my 609.
 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

I own numerous standard mics, most of which have already been discussed here and everyone is familiar with them. The ones that stand out for me are:

* Heil PR22/HMPP, really good dynamics at a good price

* AT Pro37



I give my opinion on the PR22/HMPP in the Product Review area. As far as the AT Pro37 goes, I bought these as ''Andy P rejects,'' after he no doubt upgraded to something he likes more. I was not entirely sure I would like these, but he sold them to me for a really fair price and I need need some SDCs.



I'm not in love with these as overheads, and I'm not sure I will find an OH mic I like until I am willing to spend money on something like the AKG C430 or C-414 models. However, they get my entry-level jobs done IMO better than what my competitors are using, e.g. SM57, C1000, and so on.



Where I do like these mics more than I expected is on hat, bottom snare, or acoustic guitar. I think the HF detail is good for a $130 condenser. As you would expect, though, it requires a wind screen outdoors, and is not a very good vocal mic for singing or speech.



Really, I own these because they are a little better than what I see other local guys on my level throwing up as overheads, and I am willing to put more of them in the mix in smaller environments than you might guess, because they don't sound too bad at all. Sometimes, a bar band really does need some cymbal mics or overheads; and these things fit that bill.
 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

Mmmmmm mics!



Ok my usual is



Kick, d6 /901

Snare M201/b57a

Hats e664 senny

Rack e604 (yeah they need upgradeing maybe later this year)



Bass, radial j48



Guitars ae2500 (if metal!) sm57 if not



Vocals..... Bounce between beta58s and beta57 but will use whatever sounds good on the vocal.



Kim x
 
Re: Whats in your mic box and what your favorite?

I too, confess a weakness for microphones.



I thought I would just mention several of my favorite ''bang for the buck'' microphones.



For a side address condenser, I really like the KSM or SM27. The great sound of its bigger brothers, at a fraction of the cost.



For a small condenser, AT Pro 37, as close to a swiss army knife of a microphone out there.



For a dynamic instrument mic, ATM650. I just really like the way it sounds on acoustic instruments.



For a dynamic vocal mic, EV PL80A (yes, I first learned that on the internet). One of the smoothest sounding vocal mics I have come across at a reasonable price.



My favorite ''specialty'' mic is the EV N/D467 for upright bass.



Right now my mic box is heavy on AT, EV and Shure. I have a couple of Senn's on the list I would like to add, and then their are the Beyer, Heil, and Audix to investigate. So many choices.
 
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