Mic packages for drum kits

Hey guys I'm looking to mic a drum kit but I want to get some mics that I can use on other instruments if possible (guitar, organ, saxaphone and violin). I've only setup mics for a drum kits once or twice so I'm fairly newbie.

I have looked around and AKG and Shure offer pretty nice packages and musician's friend has dope prices. Are there any industry standard mics I should look out for? Here is the run down of what each package consists of..

Shure Drum Mic Package
This complete core package includes three SM57 microphones, one Beta 52® microphone, three A56D drum-mounting systems, and a lightweight and durable carrying case.

AKG Micro Drum Pack Deal
Includes a D550 kick mic, 3-D409 drum mics for snares and toms, and 2 C430, specifically designed for hi-hats and overheads.

Personally I am leaning more towards the Shure package but I've heard alot about AKG so I thought I would check with other people first before I went out and bought my mics. I have 3 toms, 2 cymbals, a kick, a snare and highhat. As I said before if I can use some of those mics for other things that would be really dope cause I'm low on funds. I've also heard great things about Sennheiser but I haven't been able to find a package deal to compair prices with. Anyone know of any?

Thanks in advance..

Screw the "package" crap. Try to find these mics for a killer drum sound:

AKG D-112 and/or Electo Voice RE-20 (kick)
(2) Shure SM-57 (snare - one on top, one under)
AKG KM-84 (hihat)
Sennheiser MD-421's or the more cost effective SM-57's (toms)
(2) AKG C-414's (overheads - the black and gold ones are the best...)

With proper placement, you can get a world-class drum sound with those mics. It sounds good with any pre's, but if you can get your hands on some Neve 1073's you're really in business! EQ to tape (disk) after you feel confident about the sound for bangin drums when you get to the mix.

Thanks for the suggestions bro. I've heard alot about the neve gear but you just re affirmed what others have been telling me. I would buy my mics separate if I had the cash but I am at the mercy of a budget and there are other things I need to get (like monitors and a nice vocal mic not to mention compressors/gates and nice mic pres). I definitely appreciate your suggestions and hope that you'll give me some more advise. Here is the setup that I am considering

1 AKG D112 Kick Drum
4 AKG C418 Toms, Snare bottom
2 AKG C1000s Overhead, cymbals, highhat
2 Shure SM57 Snare, cymbal

I'm not sure whether the AKG C1000s would be better for cymbals and highhat but I know for sure I need a Shure SM57 for the snare. I also wanna have two mics on the snare. Let me know what ya think.

P.S I'm also thinking about getting Beringer MDX4600 Multicom Pro-XL Compressor and Behringer XR4400 Multigate® Pro Quad Expander/Gate for processing drums. They are cheap but are they ok for what I wanna do? Remember, budget!!

First off. Freq is right. If you want a good drum sound you have to spend some money. Stay away from any Behrigner crap. You really shouldnt use any low budget dynamics processors. You dont really need any gates unless you are going for that Phil Collins sound Most of your dynamics processing should be done after the drums are recorded. BTW, what are you recording on to? And, what preamps are you using? Neve preamps are the best, but cost a lot. Overheads are the most important mics on the drums. I use the AKG 414 like freq said. They are about $700 each. These are standard workhorse mics that you'll find in almost all studios. They work great as overheads, on piano, acoustic guitar, percussion.....D112 on the kick is a good way to go. SM57 on the snare. And a 3 pack of Senheiser e603's on the Toms. Also you should get a couple of room mics. Neuman u87's are standard but way out of your budget. But, you can do some interesting things with crappy mics in the room. Just experiment. Try a 'my first Sony' mic. Try some Radio shack crap. These kind of mics will overmodulate and sound like crap, but if you blend them right with the other 'good' mics' you can get a very cool sound.
Again, dont get caught up with buying stuff because you can afford it. I cant tell you how many thousands of $$ I waisted over the years on $hitty equipment that I dont even use now. Buy the right tools, and they will last a lifetime. Start with the 414's...Overheads are the most important. A lot of engineers will tell you that you hardly need any of the other mics if the overheads are sounding nice. Good luck.

Thanks for the advise bro it's always good to know.

I wanted to get one of those AKG 414's (the one suited for vocal) anyway so maybe I should just save and spring for that one. Would it work as well for overhead as it does for vocals? I am curious as to why you prefer the Senheiser e603's for toms. Are they better suited for toms then the AKG C418? why? (what type of feel do you get from them that other mics don't have). You make some very interesting points about overheads..

Since I'm quite new to the whole drum mic setup thing I was wondering if you could be kind enough to share some drum micing techniques and why certain protocols call for certain mics... I like your suggestion for using crappy mics. That would definitely give it a nice dirty sound on top of the clean ;P I am really considering the setup that I mentioned earlier to get started (which I don't think would be too bad a setup) but I really need to know what makes those mics so much better and why I should save my money for them. Anyway I hope I'm not asking too much, I'm still kinda in the dark about what is what..

Thanks for all of the replies guys you've been a big help.

I have not used the c418's, so I really cant comment. Check out this link. The D112 and 2 418's are going for $400. Not bad. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=030122122451162083245117492141/search/g=home/detail/base_id/41612 And you can get a 57 for arround $70. Again the overheads are what you need to spend money on. The other mics dont matter as much. I'm sure the 418's are decent enough. But you really need to have 2 overhead mics. Not one. For some really profesional advice on mic placement I would suggest checking out [url]digidesign.com[/url] and go to 'support' and then go to 'user conference' Check out the Pro Tools for TDM forum and do a 'search' for "drum mic placement". You will find a wealth of info from top engineers from around the globe.

Sorry for the bad link....Try again....http://www.digidesign.com/

I really need to know what makes those mics so much better and why I should save my money for them.

The 2 most important links in the chain are the mics and preamps. There is a HUGE difference in the sound and quality of expensive mics and pres vs. cheap mics(radioshack) and pres(Behringer). Crap is crap. I dont mean to be a gear snob, but you get what you pay for. Your question above is like asking why you should buy a Benz instead of a Kia....Nuf said!
BTW, the 414 does sound good on vocals, but it depends on the persons voice. In a pro studio, thay will have an arsinal of very expensive mics, and a good engineer will know what mic will sound best on what insturment or voice. But there is no mic that will sound good on everything all the time. Get the mics that are right for the sound that you are going for. 414's are a good place to start. They are actually inexpensive as far a pro mics go. Some vocal mics cost as much as $10,000. $700 aint too bad.

Word up bro...

I don't know I'm just a little guy and not being able to afford that kind of sound really pisses me off. I hear what your saying about mic pres I could definitely tell the difference as soon as I got one for my current mic. As for the AKG 414's, I can purchase an entire set of drum mics and pres for the price of two of those. My shit ain't totally the bomb yet so I think I'm gonna save up for those later but the mics that I have seen (and heard) will get me set on the right course. I'm gonna peep digidesign tonight when I have a chance and see if I can dig up any more info. I'm also gonna try to make it to the music store this weekend to give some more mics a good listen before I spend my dough on anything. I'm going to try to stay away from Behringer gear and try my best to pick up a nice pre or two.

Thanks again

Listen dude, If you have $1400 then get the 414's first. If you look hard you can find a used pair for $1000. If you have 2 414's, you can use a 5 pack of dog$hit mic's on the kick, snare, and toms with a $hitty mackie, and it will sound better than some crappy pre's and a 5 pack of shures. Trust me, if you have $1000 or more you can do it right. Get the 414's and build from that... It's called a long term investment.

I don't know bro I'd rather be able to get something down instead of have only two overhead mics. That's just me but maybe I make no sense. I'm still going to get something nice for overheads but I think if I can at least get something down I'll have at least done something worth while even if it's not the greatest. I think I want a dirty feel anyway but I'm definetly going to try to get a nice clean sound when I can afford it. Remember I'm still getting the kick and snare mics that you suggested so all is not lost. Thanks for the advise bro!!