Budget vs. Pro Drum Microphones!

[@misterxeric]

0:46 Budget microphone (unmixed) 1:30 Pro Microphone (unmixed) 2:56 Budget microphone (mixed) 3:41 Pro microphone (mixed)

[@AlexmDrums]

This is helpful, cheers!

[@autobotsNdecepticons]

Add it to the description for best results.

[@AlexmDrums]

Done! Thanks!

[@SakaNick]

how you get the snare sound so fat teach us to eq it

[@dead9757]

Saka Nur Alfiansyah paper or old drum heads

[@trespantalons6466]

Awesome vid Alex. No BS, no jibber-jabber, just 2 straight comparisons and a short round-up. Really easy to watch and learn from. Would love to see one of the Lady DMK-7 as these are on my radar atm. Thanks

[@spareroomstudio]

I've used several brands over the years, and always come back to CAD. Yes they are a budget mic, but for live sound and even for the studio (with a little eq'ing), I have found they have a great crisp, punchy sound. With the right placement, and if you include batter and reso positions, they do the trick. Expensive and more top of the line pro mics are great if you can afford them, or afford to get them repaired or replaced. When your kit has 18+ pieces to consider, CAD for me is the way to go !!! thanks for sharing your comparison video. Loved that you did both raw and mixed versions.

[@drummerboy7201]

Mic placement is key

[@ianwebster3489]

Placement, tuning, room, drummer.

[@simcHyt]

Microphones, preamps :)

[@scottyweimuller6152]

No shit 🤦‍♂️even a first year engineer could tell you that.

[@hannes1734]

@@scottyweimuller6152 NoShIt Yo, man, most people aren't engineers and don't know that, so this comment might be useful for some people.

[@scottyweimuller6152]

@@hannes1734 have fun rage typing kiddo? Thanks for wasting your time commenting me. 🤣

[@theblowupdollsmusic]

Thank you for taking the time to do this. Great drumming.

[@LaceChaser]

I learned EVERYTHING I needed in this video. I’ve recorded multiple albums in studios with my old $350 5 piece shure kit. One studio made me use theirs insisted they knew what they were doing. The track recorded with 12 microphones that were all $500-2500 in price was the worst sounding tack I’ve ever played on. The 5 mics I paid $350 for in a kit along with the 2 Condenser mics I got on sale for $80 each(usually $125). … just… come on. It’s clear as day. Cheap equipment with talent behind it being made and especially being worked on in the studio is such a better experience than spending the cost of your entire kit on mics that youre terrified will fall or get hit and if your engineer doesn’t know how to MAKE TRACKS SPICnSPAN CLEAN???? You should get rid of whoever is finalizing the songs instead of getting mics that from what I’ve noticed will last 50% the lifetime of the VERY BOTTOM COST mic bundle at your local guitar center. Trust me. I hit heads for a living.

[@anthonycronk2001]

Sounds like the phase needs to be flipped on the budget mic overheads

[@TheCIScommander]

I have a set of those CAD mics. They sound pretty damn good. I think the overheads are fantastic. They sound pretty crisp and clear, and I like that they have a built in high pass filter. Means I don't have to process them as much. I like the snare mic, too. Quite punchy. The tom mics are a bit too midrangey, but when you EQ them out they sound much better. The weak link for me was the kick drum mic. It was a bit too muffled for me. It took a lot of EQ to sound good but I did get it to sound good in the end. Even though I had to add in a fair amount of treble to get a nice click it had the girth that I want in it. I thought this was a great comparison. The pro setup did sound better, but the CAD mics really held their own and definitely feel like 20% as good as the pro mics like the price would suggest.

[@theopinson3851]

IMO Kick mics are where you notice the biggest bang for your buck. You can get an ok sound through EQ but better mics make a difference especially if you’re going for a more natural sound.

[@MrRicarocha]

Same impressions here,

[@TheDaveDodsonProject]

I really liked the overheads on the CADs.

[@johnnysewardjr3319]

The cad mic sounds good, especially if you’re a non pro drummer. I’ll be able to sound a whole lot better than unmiced for sure thanks for the video. And thanks for looking out for the little guys

[@danielkalk6323]

Yeah! Did the responsible thing and bought a 7 mic cad setup saying screw it they can't be that bad after a bit of research(not a lot) Glad i found this. Because although its not a pro mic the amateurs listening will have no idea. I appreciate the video good work!

[@canadajamz1840]

The main difference I noticed was with the over heads. I found the budget overheads made the cymbals sound kind of hollow, even in the mixed version. The expensive mic’s are better but not that much. I think I could have fixed the budget overheads by placing them differently. Maybe not. Nice video

[@theblowupdollsmusic]

I agree. It just sounds like the overheads were up louder in the budget version.

[@ma9na111]

Interesting that you mixed from the drummers perspective, hats panned left etc. Good sounding kit!

[@mcpribs]

Great video! Even the raw sounds very usable hearing what they each sound like. Goes to show 1. Tuning, 2. Mic Placement, 3. Drummer (bad drummer on $100k ain’t going to sound good). 4. Mic selection

[@AlexmDrums]

100% Agree! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@5dmeditate562]

Personally I like the budget mics more. They just sound more natural which sounds better to my ears.

[@xaerosz]

That was much more dramatic than I thought it would be. Those AKG C214’s alone make so much difference IMO. I think that everybody who is trying to record drums on the budget should get at least decent pair of mics for OHs.

[@ClbnaVGM]

Very instructive ! Thank you, I dig your philosophy of "get the best with what you have". To my ears, the pro mics have more definition in the low end especially the kick which is fatter also the mids are snappier more rich. The CAD mics sound more "airy" but for a budget kit it sounds quite OK ! In the end, it really depends on what you wanna do and also a solo snare or kick might sound very good by itself but in the context of a mix it's a whole different thing where often...less is more.

[@DamianS1893]

I just ordered the CAD Pro 7 Mic Kit today... I got them on sale New for $140.00. I appreciate your video. Definitely can hear the Quality difference between the CAD Mic's vs Professional Mic's. I think I will stay with the CAD Mic's for the money. But the professional Mic's sound clearer, thumpy, and crisp

[@NorthernNegatives]

You should have way more subs. Your videos are so informative and easy to understand! I'm new at recording drums and to be honest drums in general and you've helped me a bunch recently!

[@fredoakmanmusic]

Love your cable holders in the background.

[@halseyballistic]

Nicely done! Not much else to say, you pretty much explained it all in the ending. It is all about you using what you have and not needing a ton of money to capture sound. Some of the best produced albums have been recorded with budget mics or simple mic techniques. Heck all of the original Woodstock Concert was captured with only Shure SM58's.....

[@steimystein4368]

My setup is quite the mixture of different brands. My kick mic is a Sennheiser e902, my tom and snare mikes are Audix F series, and the overheads are Behringer C-2s. It's what I have available so it's what I use.

[@ryanryan2805]

The big thing for me was you could really hear the extra snare buzz/ring with the kick hits in the cads. The pro sounds tighter and more detailed like you said.

[@fabianernestopacheco]

Nada mal los micrófonos "baratos", pero los "caros" tienen un sonido con un sabor quizás más refinado. Pero creo que todo depende también del tipo de canciones o género musical que quieras grabar. Ambos me parecen excelentes.

[@markmeloney2643]

Man your mixing skills really did wonders for the budget mics. Kick seemed to be lacking lows to my ears

[@joecoleman288]

Great content and evaluation, Alex. I appreciate the logical approach to this comparison. New to audio equipment. And now that I'm playing more, I've started buying mics. I'll say it's hard to spend 50% more when you're only getting [subjectively] 10% better sound quality. Of course if I'm being paid to record, I'd think differently.

[@yoshiman106]

Anyone noticed how much more body the crashes had coming from the CAD overheads? Wow! The pro overheads made the crashes sounded very thin..... The CAD snare mic also has a sick crisp!! Both kicks were meh....but could be the kick itself... Surprisingly, both tom mics sounded almost identical! I think that a stand alone OH for the hats and maybe different mic positioning/tuning/compression for the kick, would put those CAD's up there with other higher quality mics. Great vid!!

[@robertalbiston7822]

Accurate analysis on the Cad Pro condensers: they have a bit more wash sizzle, though sound is accurate and quite good for live play. For recording, the professional mics are calmer; i.e., more coherent/focused, and finely detailed--less tizz. The settings done here is masterful. What surprises me is the CAD bass mic was, unlike common opinion, credible. I picked up this budget kit for little cash awhile ago and will see how this audiophile ear rates them.

[@GuitarCoachLuisPeco]

The difference is very clear, i like more the kick on the pro mic mix, but i think the budget has something interesting in the rest of surfaces when it's mixed as well, thanks man!

[@toddstrong1353]

I play live just about every weekend, the sound engineer we have (also our guitar player/ vocalist) uses the generation of CAD mics that were before the ones you have. They sound killer on the drums. Not kidding. I was extremely impressed with the drum sound, the right amount of transient stick attack, and tons of fat bottom end on the toms and kick. Kick has no hole in the front head. Drums are my brand new Ludwig Classic Maple. I've never owned a set of Ludwigs as I'm usually a Yamaha Birch Absolute guy since 1979. I do have to mention the kick mic was a Beta 52 and we use the CAD kick mic on the 16x16 floor tom. Just a kick ass sound. But, he also knows what a drum is supposed to sound like which is refreshing not having my kit sound like I'm smacking a bunch of phone books. Nice demonstration. I need to add, I used to have a slew of Audix mics 2 D6, 2 D2, 2 D4, i5, D1, and a pair of SCX-1 overheads. The CADs do a great job for a fraction of the price.

[@drummerjstone]

Definitely budget for the win as far as value! For pro mics you don't get much more body for the cost. Mixing is key!

[@davidfisher5045]

The real test was I listened to this the first time and forgot to look at the screen. I didn’t notice any difference. Later when I paid attention I noticed only the pro snare mic was better. Solution, get the budget kit and an SM57.. call it a day!

[@oldccd6349]

That fill at the beginning of the pro mic section sounds like the drum intro to Inhaler by FOALS

[@tonyjuguan4292]

Great informative video! If I had my ways (according to my savings), I would mix both budget and pro mics: pro(ish) mics for snare & overhead, budget for toms & bass drum. then let the processing help out w/ the kinks :D

[@GatoPaint]

I honestly use the two top snare mics together xD the cheap one had some crack and the pro some body to it. really cool experiment !

[@AlexmDrums]

I'll have to try that out, thanks!

[@clydejabrahimi7729]

I use this all the time : sm57 with a akg 451 taped on it.

[@anthonydallarosa8314]

My band did a show years ago where they were using CAD mics on the drums. I’d never heard of them before but I thought they were way more expensive than they are from how the engineer made them sound. I’m still saving money for the “pro” stuff just for potential resale value but I would happily use CAD on drums again. Tuning, room and placement make the biggest difference. It’s just as easy to make a $3000 mic sound like garbage as it is a cheap one.

[@PEPPERMINT606]

Gotta say, those Cads sounds pretty punk rock! Punk rock high school bands. Go for the cheap mics for sure. Mic technology has come so fucking far! 😎

[@johnmcquay82]

I was very pleasantly surprised by the CAD mic's. They're not as crisp as your pro mic's, but for something that's in the budge price range I'm impressed by them.

[@coffeehigh420]

have you tried the presonus DM-7 mic kit ? goes for $300 -- for that price point, i personally have not found anything better! let me know what YOU think.

[@AlexmDrums]

I haven't personally tried it out, but I've heard good things about it!

[@aholder4471]

Listening to this I would not hesitate to use the cad mic on the snare top and use whatever your using as a pro snare mic and use it as the snare bottom and mix those 2 together. I really liked the cad snare sound.

[@claytonlevibrown]

I like the air out of the budget mic's mixed,. more interesting tom sound,. the nicer mics sound flatter or more filtered more tapering and more muted,. less full drum sound,. better at picking up the tonal vibration rather the material itself,. both work but for different styles of music,.

[@michaelwebb8788]

Thank you for the vid. I am in the market for a mic kit and was hoping to do it for $200 or under. I honestly thought the comparison would show the CADS to be trash but I preferred them in the unmixed portion. Now I feel much more comfortable starting on the lower end of the spectrum.

[@2dan4me97]

honestly, I prefer the unmixed budget mics

[@WiKiTWoNKa]

Now that is how you pan drum mics I like this review this is excellent I have a pair of PreSonus DM-7 but haven't had the pleasure of using them yet. Maybe you could do a review of them too

[@Schuhglue]

Fantastic intro from Foals - Inhaler! Thanks for the video , super helpful

[@simcHyt]

The CAD mics sound surprisingly good for the price, but you can't use them in a professional studio. They are perfect for demos and stuff. I couldn't tell what they are missing until I heard the better ones, much clearer and more full sounding. Great video :)

[@Whitefox-pc7lp]

Biggest thing I noticed in the unmixed examples is rejection of room noise in the pro mics, they definitely seemed to clarify the instrument more. But almost everything can be a tool in your arsenal 🤘 experiment 💪

[@Gretsch0997]

Most useful video to date. Thank you kind sir!!

[@TheChudovische]

CAD sounds more raw, more naturally.

[@polyphonicgroove]

Great video, thanks for posting. Really helps when determining what mics to buy when you are on a budget.

[@diegoambrosio5718]

The money available dictates the choice. That simple. Good video.

[@margovallen]

Both sounded satisfactory. Mixed pro set sounds a little better.

[@metasuperman]

I like the CAD mics just fine.

[@brendenkucken9117]

See here’s the deal. Of course the pro mics are gonna be better. But for the price, and the fact that if you know what you’re doing you can get them sounding pretty good, I vibe with the cheap ones

[@AlexmDrums]

Absolutely right! I'm a huge proponent with working with what you can afford, and what's available. If you have a good ear, you can almost always get a great sound as long as you're willing to work on it.

[@theclappy]

@@AlexmDrumsYo you should do a mixing tutorial for your snare sound!

[@johngrey7089]

I'm not a drummer but I recently bought the CAD set for my studio kit and was worried about quality... Not anymore after watching that... Thank you... With the mixing capability I have; I can make them sound incredible. Guess it's time to take them out of the box !!! Lol

[@AlexmDrums]

Absolutely! With a little bit of mixing, you can get the budget mics to sit right in a mix.

[@rthrmusicofficial]

I'm thinking the cads are great for spot placement on toms. I'd blend them in with some better overheads that also help the crispness of the cymbals. I would just swap the cad snare for an sm57 and the cad kick for an e602. Maybe one of the cad pencil mics for hi hat spot. Just for options.

[@DanielSiano]

I play in a low level, local cover band where we play places that are not normally music venues. We travel with our own bare bones PA. I own a set of the CADs (the Stage 4 set-one kick, one snare, two toms), and for this purpose, these are great mics for the value. I needed a set of mics mainly for monitoring, but if we play something of a larger spot, we'll give them a slight presence in the mains (and they sound fairly good in both scenarios). I also needed something that could handle being setup and torn down repeatedly, where it wouldn't be a financial wash if they get worn down quickly as a result. These mics fit that bill perfectly. That said, i would likely not use them for recording or at a serious/semi serious live music venue.

[@redberry3852]

Great vid and obviously the pro mics sound more precise making your work come across without the stick contact so you hear more instrument ... to help me better judge next vid switch from budget to pro without the pause or delay go straight from one to the other !!! thanks ... GOD BLESS !!!!

[@mfkrwill]

theres a set of the cads on sale in a used shop around where im at, and i really wish i wasn't mega broke. off work for 3 months due to surgery which is super fun

[@camdudley428]

This is an amazing starting point especially for the price! I'm thinking these plus a d6 or e602 would be sweet

[@allengoyne]

I think the budget mics were hyped in the high mids and didn't have a clear defined sense of the space that came through with the pro set. It's not that the first set sounded "bad" but I would probably choose the latter if I had a choice.

[@JiihaaS]

The real winner here is the mixing of those budget mics. Especially the snare sounds amazing! Better than the pro mics mixed IMO. What did you do to make it so good?

[@drumhopttv]

Yea I actually liked the budget snare sound better too.

[@keithrowe1007]

Interesting. I have always wondered why these are the standard mics for recording drums. Now I know. The 421’s have so much more girth. The 57 has just that right sound for the snare, the kick sounded less...I’m not sure...tubby? The OH’s were the cream on the dessert. Also interesting that they sounded a lot closer until you processed. Then the differences really jumped out. I guess it’s time to start saving...

[@AudioReplica2023]

Different mics Different performance Different mix approach Nothing bad with it ..but to me one is not better than the other. What does sounds bad for some ppl for others sounds good. And most important is the results in a actual mix context. Ive recorded drums using just a pair of cheap condensers on OH's, Sure beta on kick and Sm57 on snare and sometimes it works for some songs ..sometimes it doesnt. So in reality it depends on the context being used. Great video btw👍🏽

[@robertoj.fernandez2189]

The way your drums are tune especially the toms are quite difficult to judge from here. I like the pro on the snare quite detail on the ghost notes, didn’t like any of the kicks. Thanks for sharing.

[@thedeadxtras9927]

Obviously there was a difference but it’s not a huge difference, the CADs still definitely seem to produce a very nice quality of sound and can definitely be utilised to mic up kit. Not that bigger difference when you compare the price difference, if you’re on a budget these will definitely do a fine job.

[@zolrxl5859]

This is helpful, thankyou man

[@whanowa]

I have 11 mics for my kit. Is that overkill? (2BDs, 4TT, 2OH, 1Snare, 1HH, 1Ride).

[@alexbeattiemusic]

If it gets the sound you like and you can afford it then sure! It would definitely offer a lot of freedom of recording.

[@whanowa]

@@alexbeattiemusic By now I've removed the mics for HH and Ride since the OHs are good enough to capture the whole set of cymbals nicely.

[@AtingZeme]

Snare sounds thicker with the pro mic kit. I don't notice a major difference in the rest. Budget mic kit will suit the needs of many like me😇. A good video nonetheless ... Thank you❤️...

[@No_Transitory]

I’m stunned at the sound difference from the snare alone.. it sounds absolutely more tight and crisp. The sound material on the walls, would you say they make a huge difference? Also how many channels do you run? I’ve got 4 toms, 2 snares, 8 cymbals, and of course my bass drum. I’ve been told I’ll need 10 channel audio interface and some have said I can use a 2 to 4 mic setup. I’m new to doing my own recording but I’ve been playing for over 15 years. Just usually I’ve had a sound engineer to do the work for me. But now I’m wanting to start something at home and of course want the best sound I can get but not going overboard

[@miekwavesoundlab]

I definitely like the pro mics better overall, highs are a lot more transparent, definitely good for rock! But the cheap mics have a nice washy quality to it that I wouldn’t mind using for projects like synth pop or bluegrass. Price wise, those cheap mics are a good value. Can you do more videos like this but blind test? Because I feel like seeing which ones were budget mics or pro mics influences my perception of it.

[@dirtydanandthebasketballbo305]

Great video man!

[@joshuabergen84]

I run the cad snare on my 10" tom and mic my snare with sm58s. That leaves the 3tom mics for my 12 14 16. When mixed right they're extremely capable mics.

[@officialdavedovesworld]

Same... I haven't used the snare mic for the snare in a long time. I am considering changing the over heads tho.

[@wijnandbekker4366]

Cool experiment! I believe its all about the sound that you are going for. The 200 dollar set sounds less "produced", although i have to say i found the snare overproduced in comparison to the rest with the cheaper mics what threw me off a bit. In that sense the pro mics were a more balanced produced mix.

[@caseyshroyerdrumming]

After pro mics were mixed you could hear a lot of wash from them. Also probably a lot to do with compression and not really taking a lot of time to focus on it for a quick video. I have the CAD mic set and they all seem extremely quiet even after gain staging. Makes it hard to get them at a good record > in level without picking up so much floor noise. Also, are you cutting out all the cymbal bleed in between tom hits? Or do you leave it as is? Sorry for the lengthy comment and questions, I’m a beginner and trying to learn as much as I can haha.

[@MrRicarocha]

Nice video! I also got a CAD Pro-7 kit, and I'm very satisfied with it. I just liked too much your drum tunning, specially the snare! Do you have any video about your tunning techinics? Greetings from Brazil!

[@AlexmDrums]

I don't unfortunately! Maybe I'll have to make one in the future. For my toms, I typically keep the batter head pretty loose, just tight enough to get a tone. Then, I tune up the resonant side head a few steps higher so that it has some resonance to it. On my snare, I have the snare side head really tight, and my batter head medium to medium-high tension depending on the song, with a two ply head. A lot of the tuning comes from keeping the tension even from lug to lug, and rimshots on the snare.

[@tommytstang]

I personally use a Waferdale Drum mic kits with a SM57 for my hit hat on Traps 400 kit. It sounds great and served me well for the last 10 years. Being a trained sound engineer helped in getting the right mix and getting the gates and compression to give the best effects. I always believe that a good sound engineer can get the best out of the equipment, which are just tools to get the job done.

[@peterosmusicstudio9414]

what plugins did you use? nice tone

[@theredrooms2079]

I think I prefer the budget mics, but I am a dirty old bastard. Is that a Sabian 21" hand hammered raw bell dry ride?

[@iAmDrigoSteel]

that's a pretty bad ass snare sound. I'm interested to see how you process that

[@AlexmDrums]

Thank you! I pulled up the session for this and had a look, and it's fairly minimal. I EQ'ed out about 2db ~300hz, compressed it a little with the Ableton compressor, then boosted 3db at 8k and compressed some more using the waves SSL E Channel strip.

[@iAmDrigoSteel]

@@AlexmDrums they sound great man

[@michaelfernandezofc]

What do you use to mix the drums? how do you accomplish a punchy snare on the cheaper mics

[@dustywilson5461]

Is that an SM57 on that floor tom ? I'm unconvinced that low end is being picked up by the 57....

[@caleb.parker]

Bro that snare mix! How did you mix it like that?

[@Grub370]

Great video thanks!

[@kloebykloebator6469]

Very good video :) Thank you

[@BierMeister360]

Basically the drummer and mic technique, is more important than the mics, provided they're decent quality, only major difference will be the transient response. A good drummer and mix engineer with good studio recording but using say a shure pga kit, over some fancy mics will sound better than than fancy mics and a mediocre drummer

[@AlexmDrums]

Agreed! A good player and instrument with decent mics will always sound better than a bad played and instrument with top of the line recording equipment.

[@AlbertMoyerJr]

I see uses for both. The cheaper mics tend to give a better, "This is what a real drum set sounds like." The cheaper mics sound very 70's rock actually. The more expensive mics give a more bass sound on all drums and wipe nearly all the high notes and resonant sounds out.

[@BOBNAR96]

The cads are great... i have them... a friend of mine that have a pro sound company use alot of cads... alittle tweaking, most people dont know the differance and they really dont care........

[@law35penn]

For the budget, it's not bad at all. Nothing wrong with a little bit of work but hey, you still have to do some work on the expensive mics too.

[@soundzofnoize8603]

Cool stuff

[@travishightower1201]

Hey AlexmDrums! Could tell us how you set up the beautiful acoustic treatment layout in that studio of yours?! I love it man. I wanna make my basement sound just like that

[@arinrobinson]

Thank you for your post!!! When you mentioned processing was there any compression and if so do you use plug-ins or physical hardware? Or is the processing with the equalizing only? I also like the verb you are using! AND I dig your comment about using what you got.

[@HennessyPatrick]

CADS to me sound better. It's not always about how much you spend on the mics, but rather how you use them.

[@Firby007]

hey thanks for the video! just an idea for you, try the md421 on the bigger lower toms, it might suit them better :)

[@kyledray6623]

What do u use to mix and process the drums? I play straight thru board live and wanna get the mixed sound before running out the board

[@RyanAlexanderBloom]

Gotta have drums worth recording and a room worth recording in for the mic to make a real difference. I use garbage mics because I record in a garbage room with my kit up against a wall. No mic will save the sound of that debacle. I’m not trying to get a pro recording in there because it’s not realistic.

[@lukecooper3276]

Great job man! I've recently bought the CAD Stage 4 drum mics for working in a function band and they seem great so far! Was that intro fill Inhaler by Foals by the way? ;)

[@AlexmDrums]

It was! I've been waiting for someone to catch that!

[@mattydesteno9523]

awsom bro i think they both sounded so good the drummer sounded amazing

[@sharp4353]

is there a link to where I can buy the budget ones by any chance? Great Vid btw

[@gothic8]

Budget mics sound insane! What did you use to mix the sound?

[@AlexmDrums]

Thank you! Just some EQing and compression, all done in Ableton Live.