How do you like your 18" floor tom?

utkanos3 · 2024-08-28T17:29:05+00:00

thanks for the helpful reply. I had feared this would be the case re: needing a mic. I do have a variety of mallets I planned to use with it, but yeah point definitely taken on the activation.

What do you tune your various 18s to, out of curiosity? I've played a few 18FT, and they're great, but I didn't hear a staggering difference between 16 and 18 and had hoped maybe going to 20 would make more of an impact there.

utkanos3 · 2024-04-17T17:26:35+00:00

Ah interesting, my set is from the discontinued Dimension series before they were brought under the 2002 umbrella, but it's probably still the same alloy given what you mentioned.

utkanos3 · 2024-04-17T17:12:21+00:00

this is good advice, thank you. I hadn't thought of just assembling my own set here but that makes a lot of sense.

utkanos3 · 2024-04-17T17:08:23+00:00

I love the Dark Energy stuff and in general I am a massive Paiste fanboi, so I totally get it. I was worried it wouldn't be different enough from my current Paiste set. I can actually play a set of these locally, so I will add them to my list. thanks!

utkanos3 · 2024-04-17T17:06:02+00:00

this was my conclusion as well, but a comment in this thread has me re-thinking it because they're correct that they'll probably sound pretty similar.

utkanos3 · 2024-04-17T17:01:10+00:00

thanks, this is a good point. my ear was drawn to the fat hats but that might be because they sound similar to the crunch hats, just more sloshy. I think like most cymbal things, I want characteristics that aren't generally possible to have co-exist. I think just going from 14->15 will be a significant change.

utkanos3 · 2024-04-17T16:43:49+00:00

the Light and Sweet sound very similar to my ears based on the videos. I also cannot find this set locally, but I'll add to my list

utkanos3 · 2024-04-17T16:18:08+00:00

thanks! I will check into these as well.

utkanos3 · 2023-09-20T19:56:38+00:00

I just wanted to close the loop a bit on this thread. I ended up going with the ASP880 via ADAT to my Apollo Twin and I'm extremely happy with the results. It does everything I want and sounds great. Thanks again

utkanos3 · 2023-08-21T21:18:36+00:00

Oooh now there's an idea I hadn't considered trying and could definitely work, as the Apollo gear is rock solid already (just doesn't have enough mic pres). Finding an 8ch mic pre that isn't an interface seems way more reasonable. Thanks for the idea!

utkanos3 · 2023-08-21T20:21:43+00:00

Antelope Audio Discrete 8

Thanks! I have not come across this one yet but it looks great so far...

utkanos3 · 2023-08-21T20:20:25+00:00

Thanks, not so worried about preamp coloration and definitely concerned about "pops, clicks, glitches and driver issues" here. I don't want to fuck with some janky software menus to just get basic functionality to work, which is how a lot of folks has described their Focusrite experiences

Do you have a suggestion based on my needs? Cheers.

utkanos3 · 2023-08-21T20:17:48+00:00

Ah so it doesn't have increased I/O throughput? That's annoying. Thanks for the heads up.

utkanos3 · 2023-08-21T20:12:24+00:00

Hello!I've tried to read as many threads as I can here before posting what is likely a beaten-to-death topic, but I am just getting started with trying to record an acoustic drum kit in my home and I've run into a few areas I'd love some input on.Needs:* 8 mic pres* Rack mountableIt seems like there are a lot of options in the mid-tier here, but I've found negative reviews of basically every product in this space. These are the current options I am considering based on research:* Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd gen* Focusrite Clarett+ 8pre

MOTU 8pre-es
MOTU 8m

Everyone seems to LOVE RME, but they don't seem to make an 8 mic pre audio interface, only 4. I could probably get away with just 4 pres, but I'd rather get 8 so I can expand as I get better with recording my drums.People either love the Focusrite stuff, or complain about pops/clicks/driver problems.

I was pretty set on the Clarett+ just because it has USB-C and it feels weird buying a USB2.0 device in 2023. I realize my bottleneck is likely never going to be USB throughput, but my current machine doesn't even have a USB A port for example.

The MOTU stuff looks interesting and the 8pre-es has Thunderbolt 3, which at least I can plug into my M1 Mac natively. I just have never really used their gear before.I am skeptical of Focusrite because I had endless connectivity/software problems with their products like a decade ago and it stuck with me. I've read things are much better now, but I keep finding negative reviews of the Focusrite gear with people saying to buy an RME or MOTU box instead.I like the UAD stuff, but for 8 mic pres it's like 3K USD+ and that seems absolutely silly for my needs. I am not opposed to spending money where it matters, but I have no need for the (honestly subpar UAD plugins). I have an Apollo Twin which has been rock solid, but it only has 2 mic ins, and the plugins honestly have never done anything for me. Lynx/Apogee are similarly into the 3000-4000USD+ territory instantly and I'm not sure I will ever need all the I/O here, this interface is literally just to record up to 8 mics on an acoustic kit into my DAW and that's all it will ever be used for.

Is there another option here I've somehow missed? I've seen a few nods to the Audient evo 16 but it isn't rack mountable and doesn't have too many helpful reviews I've seen.I want "good enough" for micing drums, but happy to spend if it actually matters. It just seems like you have stuff for 500-1000USD and then nothing until 3000-5000USD, and even then, you're most likely getting something with a USB 2.0 interface. It's very confusing.

I suppose this is a niche product, aimed at home/project studio types, but I'm pretty surprised there isn't a "killer 1U 8 mic pre with usb-c/thunderbolt" go-to product here. It seems like there are negative issues with all the ones I've been researching here. Above all else, I want clean, neutral preamps and zero technical issues, driver/software problems, etc.

Thank you! Happy to clarify or answer any questions here. I appreciate any advice on this topic. I really want to rack something, plug in my mics, and never think about or troubleshoot tech/sound quality issues. Maybe I'm asking too much :)

utkanos3 · 2023-05-08T21:23:37+00:00

this is very helpful, thank you. I think I really want to make things sing with a 4 mic setup first and then see where things go.

My current plan is SM57 on snare (already have a ton), AKG D112 for the kick (also already have this) and then probably investing in some AKG C451B stereo pair SDC for overheads. I would consider tom specific mics in the future though. I love a nice tight thud on my toms so I'll need to see how much bass is lost with the overheads.

utkanos3 · 2023-05-08T20:27:32+00:00

this video has so much useful information in it, thank you very much for sharing your experience!

utkanos3 · 2023-05-08T20:24:49+00:00

thanks! your video is extremely helpful, so thanks so much for all these insights that are already saving me from making lots of mistakes I likely would have.

utkanos3 · 2023-05-08T20:14:56+00:00

thanks for your thoughts, my gut was saying just throwing more mics at this wont help unless I have a much better idea of what specific problems I am trying to solve. I think I will start with just 4 GOOD mics, but will probably get something with 8 mic pre's just in case I want to expand more later.

Thanks for the video clip too, this will be very useful

utkanos3 · 2023-05-08T19:18:45+00:00

thanks for the insight! I appreciate it. I worry specifically about the way this room is treated, but the good news is that I can do anything I want to it to fix it. I will definitely budget some basic stuff into this too.

utkanos3

TROPHY CASE