Exactly the same, still don`t like them I suppose I am one of two people on earth that have and don`t use them. Oh well ...
Please tell me how do you pan them in mix ? Hard left and right ? I tried them in configuration based on photos which you shared, and after panning to get nice wide mix I ended up with snare mostly in one channel. On every photo I found one of overheads is always around hihat/snare so I can`t imagine that the snare would be anywhere in the middle. Maybe the middle condenser mic is the key.

While a middle mic on the kit is nice, it isn't necessary to get a good sound. If you place the stereo mics so that they are equidistant from the snare, then you will have a balanced center snare. This can be tricky but is not impossible, and isn't essential either.

I personally love these mics for DRUMS, not just for overheads. These are some of my favorite 1 mic-on-a-kit microphones.

Hey, I can dig it; a lot of folks don't like some of the mics and gear I use, but it hasn't stopped me from getting the sound I (want) like.

Hey, I'll buy your unused M160s if they're in good condition.
Let me know if you want to get rid of those mikages and I make it so!

FYI, I usually pan them hard left and right and I'm pleased with the results.
Sometimes I pan them in a bit, but it really depends on how I want things to sit (fit) in the mix.

If you're getting snare mostly in one channel, perhaps you haven't raised them up over the kit enough. I like to place them as high as possible.

Maybe height is the problem, or I`m just used to XY configuration with strong snare in the middle and almost no close mics... Unfortunately I can`t sell them, they are property of place where I work, and it is public/state company so I suppose they`ll stay there forever. No problem, I`ll just try to find some place for them, I kinda like them as room mics when condenser microphone is too bright and flat.

I prefer transformer-less AKG 460B's or 414 B-ULS. I get the best definition with those and the lowest THD too. I'm very picky about cymbal tone, it must sound live and real, not recorded and processed. In that regard, they capture cymbals with every tap sounding different and with a great player, it's a dance.

For rockers and bashers, them 160's would be a good choice. Fortunatly, I don't have to work for those folks.

Jim, this is a thread (and poll) about the beyerdynamic M160 microphone.

Let's stay focused on the M160 and its poll!

In any event, I too am very picky about my drum (not just cymbal) tone; detailed definition is paramount to me, but I somehow make the M160s work.

Furthermore, I do a fair amount of jazz recordings with those M160s and I find them a good choice for me. I've also used them on country pop records, gospel recordings and such and I like how they sound on my recordings.

So, for good or for bad, let us keep the discussion on track.

Okay?

...and, to this day, beyerdynamic M160s are my preferred microphone choice for drum overheads, especially when they are placed properly.

I record lots of jazz gigs and finally got the time to try my M160s on overheads.

- first gig: ORTF pair over snare drum. Sound was very nice but drummer bashed too loud. No mic would fix that

- second gig: I decided to go spaced pair due to quite large drum setup. Imaginary axis line between kick beater and center snare so I placed both M160s equidistant to beater/snare. Drummer played very dynamic but always balanced... What a difference! I'm pretty sure overheads won't need further processing rather than fader riding.

I use to record in a small jazz club so certain spill is allowed but must be good sounding. M160 sounds tight and focused while natural on drums

steve

i noticed you're bumping several old threads in the remote forum: is this part of a new strategy to widen the scope or an attempt to get longtime inactive posters back on board? - just wondering...

didier



p.s. love the beyer ribbons for oh's on some occasions btw (although it's the m130's which i'm using more often: if using the m160, it's either for mono overhead or two on each side in a modified l/c/r gj setup but not in the center)

I've been bumping threads for nearly 17 years. I do it from time to time on GS, yet I do it on a daily basis on FB. I bumped this thread back on the 5th of January, 2012 seven plus years before the most recent bump. It's what I do.

I welcome anyone to bump a thread rather than starting a new one about the same subject.

Furthermore, there are excellent discussions within this amazing forum and I will continue to bump them as I see fit. I suggest more forum members do the same. This will (IMHO) only make our forum a better experience for everyone.

Love my 160's on overheads. My only problem is I also love them on brass and guitar amps. Usually they land there first as to prioritization. Guess I need to get me some more...

Well, you can always buy more M160s. I have 12 and counting.

I've been using M160 / M130 mid side combo for OH for almost 20 years in studio settings, and I usually add the M160 OH to live club remotes where I'm adding mics to an existing PA chain. Rarely am I looking for a different outcome. Many times combining it with another MS ribbon set out front in studio.

Finally got around to using an M160 with one of the pres in my recently recapped MCI 428B that has a beyer transformer in it (i think?) and it sounded great on guitar. (Gretsch Tennessean, Fender Princeton Reverb)... I read somewhere (here maybe?) that the Beyer transformers found in some of the MCI consoles are a perfect impedance match for the M160 and I don't doubt it.

The M160 is one of the all time best mics for use on all sorts of instruments and speaker cabinets. I can never have enough of these transducers.

Every once and a while i think to myself i'll give the 160 a try, maybe it'll work this time...and so far out of maybe a 100 times only on one occasion the 160 made it on the final record and that was as secondary mic on soprano sax. At first i thought maybe they are broken but every 160 i tried since had that same midrangey sound that wasn't usable to me as a main mic.

I've been using them for decades on all styles and genres with excellent results.

I found it's all about how you position them. I have a technique that I've created that I haven't changed since I came up with it.

This Live Music Performance Capture and Mix of 'Tell The Truth' was for the Meta Virtual Game Day event on December 7th, 2021. There are two drummers and four Beyer M160s for overheads.

It was done in one high energy performance take with a single 16mm film camera capture without any edits.

64 tracks of audio with no overdubs and a first pass music mix approval. The band monitors and lights were on point. We had outstanding personnel in all departments!

Here's an unedited version of that video...
Jon Batiste - Tell The Truth - Live in Brooklyn

64 tracks of audio!!! How many people were in that band?!!

There were twelve musicians and singers on the set.

Two drummers (twenty-two inputs total)
Percussion
Upright Bass
Jon GTR, PNO and Vocals
Organ & Keys
Three Horns
Three BGVs

My CRM was setup just outside the Soundstage. We had a full monitor rig for the band. I was freakin' loud in the space.

I wouldn't even know where to start mixing with 64 tracks!

Check out how I approached the panning of the two drummer's mics.

Have you checked out the video clip yet? et me know what you tnink.

I will check out later tonight. Thanks.
The post was of interest to me because last year I bought two brand new Beyer M160s for overheads. I too, as the original post stated sometimes have trouble liking the M160s as overheads. It's an acquired taste I guess but always find me going back to my Beyer MC930s.
But I do have to say, that when I hear the M160s overheads in a mix, they just seem to work. It's odd. For E-guitar amp though, it's the only mic as far as I'm concerned.
I'll check your video out tonight.

Great mix!

In a live music performance, I usually start with all the vocals, getting them to sound exactly how I want them to sit in the mix.

In this particular session, after the vocals were sitting right, I went to the horns, and Leslie cabinet sounds.

Believe it or not, the two drum kits and percussion were my last items I worked on. The Upright bass was next followed by all the direct input stuff.

Like I mentioned before, it's all about the positioning when it comes to mic'ing overheads on a drum kit.

The principle sound for many of my live drum captures are primary based around the two M160 OH mics and the (drummer's) Knee mic as shown in the drawing I attached...

Thanks Phil!

Since this was for Meta and not a record, I would have put in a bit more time dialing in a tighter bottom-end and a few other things. I could have spent to time because I had the budget, but time was of the essence on delivering the deliverables.

I listened on headphones and it all sounded great.

That's very kind of you to say, Phil.

I still a few things that could be improved. In any case, Jon and the client approved my mix on the first pass, so I was good to go for sure.

Thanks!

Your mix sounds great!

Thanks so much!

One of the things I would have done differently is to bring up the lead and background vocal effects. They sound so awesome, but mixed back just a bit too much.