When I picked out the gear I’d travel with for this tour, I geared it toward the types of venues we’d be playing, small places where each band member would probably have one wedge monitor and phantom power could not be counted on. Ordinarily, I’m not that much of a gear snob, I'm not unwilling to try gear that has a bad reputation (e.g. Mackie, Beringer). Rather, since we were going to be in lots of different kinds of venues, I wanted to be able to hold as many of the variables constant as I could. Therefore, I’m carrying a full compliment of DI’s, a drum mic pack and, thanks to a recent shipment from Sennheiser, all of our vocal mics.
For drum mics, I’ve got an Audix d6 for the kick, Audix d2, d3 and d4 for the toms, a Shure beta57 for the snare, and a matched pair of Røde NT-5s for overheads or hi hat.
I really like the sound of the D6, it’s got plenty of thump while also retaining a nice high end definition that's more of a snap than a click. I learned a new trick at the Troubadour; Frank, one of the house sound guys, showed me that you can get a surprisingly good kick sound by just laying the D6 inside of the kick drum.
The tom mics, however, are sometimes a bit of a challenge. The d2, d3 and d4 sound good enough, but the clamp mounts that Audix provides with them aren’t really up to snuff as far as I’m concerned. Where my snare mic clamps down with a big hunk of latex-sheathed rolled steel, the toms are held to the rim of the drums by a spring and a couple of pieces of hard plastic. Also, the goosenecks seem to drift a lot.
The beta57 is a great mic for snare, it gets a nice snap and is pretty much indestructible. I like the sound of the sm57 a tad more, but for Ross’ kit I think the beta was the best choice, since it grabs a little more “spang” from the snare drum and, on gigs where we don’t have a hi hat mic, its supercardioid pattern picks up just enough of the hi hat to make me happy. I use an LP claw to clamp the microphone directly to the drum, rather than relying on mic stands.The Rode NT-5s haven’t gotten very much use so far. I used one as a hi hat mic in San Diego, but there weren’t enough working mic cables in the club to accommodate our channels so I ditched it in favor of Rob’s vocal.
While I hadn’t used the Sennheiser e935s we’re rocking before this tour (and had actually had a negative experience with the e835s), I was eager to try them since I’d heard them used to great effect with Robert Randolph and the Family Band. The 935 has a nice clean vocal sound and cuts quite well in a loud room, as today’s was. It’s also pretty snazzy looking.
I've also got a bunch of Whirlwind IMP passive DIs. I don't particularly like the IMPs but, because a lot of songs depend on samples, it was important that I be sure to have working DIs.
I’m also carrying a workbox, which contains:
iPod charger and signal cables
XLR and ¼” adapters
Solder and soldering iron
Vice grips, pliers, jeweler’s screwdrivers, Allen set
Edison outlet tester (mouse)
Multitester
Edison ground lifts
Purple custom folder with cutsheets and setlists
Headphones
Aleve
1 comment:
Takes me back to one of my first Sound Kollektiv shows at Reed, when you tried to explain to me the difference between mics so that I could understand how to mic everything. I never acquired quite the sound connoisseurship to do more than smile, nod, and follow directions, but I continue to be amazed by your discerning, savvy, and imminently competent management of shit I barely understand. I can always feel confident that, if you're behind the mixer, it's going to be a tight-sounding show.
Well done, you.
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