What are your overhead preference?

[nucjd]

Ok guys. Time to chime in with your opinions. The overheads are the heart and soul of drum mic'ing. What are yall's opinion on your favorite to use and how do you like to set them?

I have been using Audix f15 pencil condensers lately with an x-y coordinate position. I have just purchased Oktava mk-012 modified by Mike Joly and are compared to Nuemann 84 after the modifications. I plan on changing my overhead positioning as the Oktava's come with multiple different capsules.

[Larrysperf]

Right now I only have a single overheadcondenser pencil mic over my head about 2 1/2 ft above it

[Bish]

Right now I only have a single overheadcondenser pencil mic over my head about 2 1/2 ft above it

That right there works great in most studio situations...home or pro. Good call, Larry.

I use one also.

As for brand, I currently use a no-name ancient (non-battery operated) pencil style condensor. (my board has phantom power)

I adjust the height more than volume to get rid of distortion. I also move it around to find the sweet spot that balances the ride with the hats. It's really more about placement than mixer knobs,... IMHO and experience.

If I'm really energetic I'll use a mic specifically for the hats and then the overhead is adjusted for balance between the crashes. The height distance will determine how loud the ride is....Again, IMHO and experience.

[nucjd]

Great input guys. Larry. One condenser does completely away with phasing from the other overhead. Phasing on drums can really be a bear. good call Bish, on moving the overheads around to find the sweet spot. That tells me you have good ear and your head around mic setup. Bish, do you pad the signal if you get distortion or clipping?

[Russ]

i have a pair of pencil condensers one for hats one for ride, and room mics positioned high pointing down at 45 degrees towards the toms, 2 feet away. the horizontal direction of them is pointing slightly towards each other so as to form an even "V" shape. sounds a little excessive, but it's what i got to work with so far. fun to drop or raise pitch of a specific instrument in the mix as well as the volumes. if i get any problems dialing in the mics, i'll adjust the volume until they work together best. i have plans to get more mics, but for now this is my setup.

large diaphragm room- mxl990
small diaphragm overheads- mxl991

pretty happy so far!

[VIbes]

Right now I am useing a pair of small condensers "Beringer C-2's" for the overheads and dynamics on the snare and kick. I have also used sm 57's for overheads with good results. I keep experimenting with the XY positioning and L R positioning with the overheads. Depending on the drum set up.
That is my 4 mic drum set up I use a lot. I can also mic up the toms but with the correct mic placement you can get a good sound with 4.
That said, with other drummers who come in my studio they don't all play balanced. By that I mean they may smash the crap out of there cymbals and light on there toms and kick. Or heavy on the snare and light on there crashes ect. I may not have to use overheads or impossible to use them.
Thats why for all of us imho it is crucial to play balanced. Especially when recording or anytime for that matter.
I would die for some Oktava's like nucjd. Been looking for a deal for some on Ebay.
nucjd, I used to live in B'ham and went to 6th and 7th grade there. Still have some friends and aquantences who are great musicians in that area.
I am positive we know or knew some of the same people.

[nucjd]

Great response Vibes. Playing consistently is THE most important aspect of recording drums. When I first started doing session drumming on the side my brother (studio engineer) instilled in me to strike everything the same every time. Either bet the crap out of them or be light on them but don't mix those aspects together while tracking. Vibes, Cool about Bham. I bet we do know similar folks as the circles are quite small in the drumming world in my parts.

I am going to be trying mid side mic'ing using my oktava's as they come with omni directional cardoids. I will have to insert the decoding plugins on my overhead tracks however to keep phasing down. Will let you guys know how it turns out.