Live small tom mics

[dave01.cooper]

In the market for a few so begs the question, what's your favourites?

So far the usuals I'm looking at are

Sennheiser 904 or 604s
AT atm25
Shure 98s
Audix range (never used em)
Heil (never used em neither)

But happy for input on other brands/comments but need to sound decent and be small footprint.

Fairly vague question I know

Thanks

[Kurt]

I used ATM25Pros for years. They're actually quite bulky compared to the 604, which just about every touring soundguy carried with them. I'd buy 604s if I needed to replace my mics. I have a pair of D6 which I love but haven't used the smaller Audix.

[Drumstruck]

Heil PR40s I found to be good - quite bright and a good pattern for close micing - though not quite "small"

RE320s also good though too large unless you mic from underneath(and I have 2 for sale.....)

[mylesgm]

Also Rode NT6 and DPA 4099.

[Chinagraf]

The Audix D2 and D4 sound great and work really well in the studio too, but I never had any luck with the rim mounts they come with, kept getting rattles here and there. Ended up replacing the mounts with Sure A56D's which are built like tanks or use them on stands in the studio.

[walding]

604's are very natural sounding

Audix are aggressive and scooped, but sound pretty good, specially for rock

the Audix D6 (kick mic) makes the best floor tom mic.

[gigpiglet]

as already mentioned - the 604 seem "standard"
i find the mount a bit weird and can never get the exact positioning i want

i LOVE the B98. i think they are an awesome sounding mic on all manner of sources. you really can mic up nearly anything with them (and if you buy them new and get both the drum and instrument clip on, then you get 2 or 3 mics in 1!)

also agree with the comments on the heil and the audix mounts..
so its between the 604 (easy, cheap, common) and the 98 (flexible, better sounding, much more expensive) for me

i have both available in my mic locker... horses for courses.

[cLoudBase]

+1 for the 98, very hard mic to beat on that job.
Always wondered what the Earthworks sounded like...oneday.

[dave01.cooper]

Excellent suggestions peeps, I too am a big fan of the 98's although they are quite naturally bright sounding - not a bad thing but not for all applications.

Anyone used the Earthworks DP30/C or the CMK1 mics? Look like a newer B98 but longer body...
And anyone used the DPA 4099's on toms/snare in a live situation for rocky drums?

Cheers!

[walding]

Yea I used the 98's for the first time last night, through a less than great PA and desk, and I must say, they are really really good...

Very natural sound, I needed way less EQ off the board and quite good rejection for a condenser..

Impressed

[andygriffiths]

Audio Technica have just released the AT230. They are small clip on dynamic mics & they have that ATM25 sound which I like but without the size

[MattE]

+1 for Beta 98's. I also like the sennheiser options.

[Damien]

all comments below are for TOM use..
Sennheiser 904 or 604s, sound goor, reliable, no stand needed, cont banf/pop/crackle if a suss lead connection (as no phantom power).

Shure - I dont like any of them

AT, havent loved them

Audix, nup, although I recently used some really nice pencil condensors (SDC) from audix. much better than the older versions that i didnt like.

earthworks and dpa's are AMAZING - BUT they sound exactly like the source, so you tend to turn them up and get feedback and think they are not doing anything, then you mute them and realise how loud they are... truly amazing.

heil, ill sell you my PR40, i dont use it much..

[chrisp]

The 8 Gauge mics are really useful for getting into tight spaces and work well for live, but of course it depends a lot on whether you mainly mix from the overheads and use individual drum mics for added fill versus mixing each drum/cymbal separately and using the overheads for fill. Being a fan of the former I will usually only have four to six mics for the drums at a live gig.