Build a Microphone Cabinet on any Budget

Sep 1, 2000 12:00 PM, BRIAN KNAVE AND MYLES BOISEN

           
 

Basic Coverage Deluxe ($7,500)

By Brian Knave

(1) Electro-Voice N/D 868 ($338)
(1) Electro-Voice N/D 468 ($278)
(2) Sennheiser MD 421 II ($485 each)
(1) Electro-Voice RE20 ($748)
(1) Neumann U 87 AI/SET Z ($3,200)
(2) Earthworks QTC1 ($2,000 for matched pair)

Here's a cabinet that will rock almost any drummer's world - and then turn around and handle the rest of the band with aplomb, finesse, accuracy, and punch. Electro-Voice's awesome N/D 868 captures a thunderous kick, and its hip N/D 468 does thwack duty on the snare. The two rack toms are fully covered by the Sennheiser MD 421s, and the booming floor tom is tamed by Electro-Voice's RE20 (a versatile cardioid that's notable for not building up much proximity effect at close range - hence its favored status among radio announcers).

As overheads, you have a matched pair of the amazing Earthworks QTC1 single-point omnidirectional mics. The QTC1 is a strong contender for being the most accurate-sounding microphone on the planet, and it's definitely the least expensive in that rarefied category. The QTC1s are easy to use, too: keeping the 3-to-1 rule in mind, you can pretty much position them almost anywhere. On drums, I like them as a spaced pair, hunched close on either side of the kit, but they also work surprisingly well in XY and ORTF configurations. And just wait until you hear these mics on acoustic guitars, pianos, percussion, upright bass - in fact, just about anything you can think of.

You won't go wrong if you choose the Neumann U 87 as your large-diaphragm condenser. (The AI/SET Z is the fully loaded version, complete with premium shock-mount.) On the other hand, if you have a hankering for tube warmth instead, you might want to consider the Neumann M 147 ($1,995), which is a fixed-cardioid design (obviously less versatile than the U 87, but an impressive mic for what it does), or the Lawson L47MP ($1,995), which covers all the polar patterns and then some.