good dynamic mics + the potential pitfalls from manufactures

I have 3 M88s 2 that came from the studio I used to work at, and a 3rd I bought used and they all work perfectly. At least 2 of them have slightly dented grills from my butterfingers and they continue to perform. My M201 was not new when I acquired it and it's fine, been sitting facing my hihats for years, and gets pulled for other duties often. My TGX50 is also from the old studio. So at least 2 M88 and a TGX50 that are over 20 years old and going fine. I don't buy into the 'Beyer are disposable' thing.

Yeah, SM5x are durable, but they are the McDonalds hamburger (not even a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder) of microphones.

My EV (PL)RE20 took a hit and it hasn't worked right in years, I just keep putting off sending it to EV.

Audio Technica ATM 25 is a staple. Great on kick, toms, and bass guitar. I've got a handful; they've been in service for decades at this point and they are still rock solid.

I mostly agree with dan about the Audix stuff. A big exception is their OM handheld series; not sure if those are still in production, but the OM5 and OM6 handhelds make for GREAT vocal mics, particularly on stage or in a live recording situation with minimal isolation.

I have some other dynamic secret weapons but I don't want to run the prices up so I gotta stay mum

Double pedal drummers rarely hit that hard. Those kicks get sample replaced for a reason.

It's good to hear people overall are having good life expectancy with the M88s.

I guess there is the potential for prices to rise by mentioning ones you particularly like. I don't want to do that, so I welcome DM if you are up for sharing secret weapons.
Overall I'm interested in both what is good quality and bad quality, be it sound or company. Not to sh*t talk companies directly, but I bet most people here are capable to describing their experiences without such hyperbole or attacks, just matter of fact info on company practices or build quality.

gravesnumber9 , I agree, I like the EV 635a both in sound and seemingly indestructible, but the omni is a killer for a lot of situations. Is there a cardioid version of that?

It's interesting to me how even from the same company, some dynamics can be somewhat fragile and costly to repair (RE20), others robust (635a).

I know everyone has their own flavors and preferences, and it's good to hear lots of responses. I've never gotten along with Audix mics and every AT I've tried (owned a number of them over the years) does seem to be consistently crispy, "plasticy" etc. However you want to call it, they are certainly recognizable to me! But then again, I'm only thinking of condensers here, I've zero experience with their dynamics. Sounds like ATM25 is one to check out, as at least my experience with AT condensers is that seem to be relatively robust. I'm mostly covered on toms duties, but am primarily interested in dynamics that bring a good dose of "good" to guitar/bass amps and kick. Also, for context, I'm one of those people that is happy to deal with phase alignment and use multiple mics on single source provided each one brings something useful to the table.

I wish more companies posted off-axis FRs, as it seems that response can make or break a mic on a drum kit or between instruments. Looking at you, 421...

RE15? Good enough for bunch of Elvis' studio vocals... Good enough for me!
Chris

Beyer M69 (x2): live vocals, guitar cab, snare (sometimes)
Beyer M88 (x2): everything
Beyer M201 (x2): everything else
EV RE16 (x2): alternate to the M201 on everything else. Unexpectedly good on weird sources (e.g., accordion)
Lewitt MTP 550: my current live vocal mic. I need to see what this does on other sources.

Those are good sources for a 408s!!!!

Just ask a Teenager.
They're the real experts.
Especially the ones that are properly grounded.
Chris

some good stuff here. Never heard of that Yamaha mic.

I use so few dynamics these days. m88 on guitar cab on occasion, m201 on snare batter, 441 on snare reso (if I can squeeze it in there - wish the thing wasn't so damn long!) and an Alien 8 inside kick is usually all I need.

I haven't really had any dynamics fail on me... ::knocks on wood:

Some I use often:

M201- Snare, guitar cab
MD441- Snare bottom, female vox, horns
D112- Floor tom (reallllllly excellent here)
ATM25- Toms and very occasionally kick drum
Sm57- I am uncool and still like this mic on lots of things.... snare, guitar cab, acoustic guitar, not terrible on rack toms in a pinch
Sm7B- rock vox, bass cab, occasional snare
Pr30- snare
PR40- Kick out when there is no port... bass cab
MD421- guitar cab, toms, bass cab, occasionally kick
M88- kick and floor tom
D12E- end of a kick tunnel, bass cab, kick with no port
Shure Green bullet- Vox through a guitar amp, drum fx or mono drum room mic

My M88 is from the late 60s/early 70s based on what they told me about the serial number. It regularly sees rippin' loud guitar cabs, snare side or top, drum close room, and overkick duties. Some bass cabs. Some vocals (with additional windscreen because I'm paranoid about breaking my favorite dynamic mic).

Heil PR40 gets a lot of love inside my kick for aggressive-music kick drums, snare bottom (GREAT there), snare top, guitar cabs, and bass cabs. If I had 5 of 'em I'd use them on toms and either snare bottom, overkick, or kick in. I have 1 because I'm cheap and I only buy used gear.

SM57 gets used for the things 57s get used for.

Fake SM57 gets used for the regular SM57 things. It doesn't sound as good but has been completely useful a number of times. I'm always THIS CLOSE to putting a different transformer in just to see what happens. I never do. I probably never will.

SM7B is a great mic no matter what anyone says. Great on aggressive vocals. Great for unhyped kick drums inside or out. Great for drum room. Great for snare. Great on guitar cabs. Great on bass cabs. It's a 57 but better (unless you need the 57's proximity effect).

Shure SM59 is midrangy and somewhat telephone-ish. I love it for dirty, shitty stuff that needs to be dirty and shitty. Crunchy tambourine? Fuck yeah. A little "kah" in your snare? Yes please. An especially midrangy distorted guitar track intended to augment a main distorted tone? Perfect.

Beta57 on snare when you need to minimize hihat bleed and don't mind adding a drum sample to make the natural performance sound better. I never like how it sounds but gets me a usable natural performance dynamic if the drummer hits the hats too hard. I can use a sample to blend and help the tone out but the Beta57 gives me the raw material of a high-velocity drum performance.

I have 5 Sennheiser e604s. 4 have all be hit countless times by metal drummers and 1 stays on the sidelines unless a drummer comes in with 5 toms specifically for the reason that I want to use it to compare to the others so I know when one goes bad. They all sound as identical as I'd ever expect them to. Still sound great. Also saved my ass in a pinch on batter-side-kick a couple times where pushy drummers came in wanting aggressive attack but wouldn't go with a port in their kick reso. I always know I'd have other battles I need to win so that e604 is a solution that buys some good will I can spend on other pushy moments I NEED to win.

D6 I don't have anymore (I had one on longterm borrow - basically a guy just left it with me and eventually wanted it back when he got a band together). Great as a quick solution for aggressive rock/metal kick. Better as a downtuned heavy music guitar cab mic to blend with a 57/M88/i5 because it can represent all the extended low end but has that scratchy, articulate top that's a little higher than the 57. Some big name metal guys use them on toms. Can be really good on bass cab when the kick drum sound you have is the opposite of what the D6 will give to a kick drum.