Audix Mics.....

[barters81]

So I recieved my 3 Audix D2s last week and tried them out on the weekend for their first recording. Previous to this I had been using SM57's on toms...but now switched to the D2s.

I must say that I'm very pleased with the difference. I've only recorded two songs thus far and both have been rock songs, but the D2s sound very defined and are rejected most other sounds well.

They were fairly cheap, and thought I'd post my experience with them here for anyone else who is looking for entry level drum mics.

[sunburst79]

I know that guitardom loves his i5 on guitar cabs. I will probably snag one of those next just for something different.

[Ryan Young]

I absolutely love the d2 on toms and the i5 kicks the 57's butt! it captures the tone way better, not JUST the crack. They work really well on guitar cabs as well. My i5 is my go-to mic for loud instruments when I want clarity.

[barters81]

Originally Posted by Ryan Young

I absolutely love the d2 on toms and the i5 kicks the 57's butt! it captures the tone way better, not JUST the crack. They work really well on guitar cabs as well. My i5 is my go-to mic for loud instruments when I want clarity.

Hmmm...interesting. I might have to pick up an i5 and see for myself what the fuss is about. At the moment I'm recording guitar cabs with an SM57 and a Shinybox MXL ribbon mic. I'll blend the two or pick the better.

[BradLyons]

Back in 2003 I bought the Audix DP5 kit (a D6, D1, two D2's, and a D4) to use for live as an affordable alternative to MD421's and well, using MD421's live is a pain. I ended up taking them home the next day as, unknown to me, the drummer left with his kit and we were only left with a VDRUM kit. So I connected them to my Premier Signia's and they've been there ever since, even in the studio. These are very good mics, of course having great pres helps too

[Third Eye Studios]

I absolutely love the D6 on kick drum. It's my favorite by far, especially combined with a Yamaha Sub Kick.

However, I'm not a big fan of the i5. I prefer a SM57. I guess I'm just really used to the midrange of the 57, and the i5 doesn't have that.

[barters81]

Originally Posted by Third Eye Studios

I absolutely love the D6 on kick drum. It's my favorite by far, especially combined with a Yamaha Sub Kick.

However, I'm not a big fan of the i5. I prefer a SM57. I guess I'm just really used to the midrange of the 57, and the i5 doesn't have that.

I'm not sure I agree with what you've said about the i5. I've had great results with them. I do understand that the 57 has more 'bark' I guess in that midrange, but for me thats all it had. I often found that due to the mid range of the 57, I was picking up a hell of a lot of snare ring.....excesively, so I was notching the midrange to battle that. (This could have been solved with a different snare I guess also).

Personal taste I guess, which is what makes all this interesting.

[tcbetka]

+1 here for the Audix stuff!

I have a few D2's, a couple D4's, and a D6 on the kick (with a Sub-kick). I also have an i5 on the main snare, but I purposefully bought a 57 to A/B it with the i5. I can't say that there's a ton of difference, but I think I do prefer the i5 slightly. I use SCX1's on the hi-hat, and as overheads (matched pair). The SCX25 wasn't available when I bought the SCX1 mics. But I also have an extra D6 that I will be putting in a gong drum that I will get with a new Craviotto kit I ordered. The problem is that it won't arrive until January!

But I like the Audix stuff a lot--although I've always wondered how it would sound next to a 421.

TB

EDIT: About the i5 being less "middy" than the 57...I guess I agree with that to some degree. But with some snare drums, that's not a bad thing. If the drum is very dry, I might want that to come out more. I'll be recording more now that I have the new Pro Tools rig up & running finally, so I can definitely record with both of them on the snare (not simultaneously) to compare.

[barters81]

[QUOTE=tcbetka;1655975]+1 here for the Audix stuff!
But I like the Audix stuff a lot--although I've always wondered how it would sound next to a 421.
QUOTE]

I too ponder on this same question. I'm guessing the Audix mics carry a little built in eq to help the sound a bit (carving out mids etc) whereas the 421's will probably be more nuetral sounding. But....again...its only a guess.