Oktava MK-012 for Overhead Mic's

[crortega9]

Hi, I'm looking to purchase a pair of Oktava MK-012's to use as overhead's to track drums. I've seen some that come as a pair in a single box and are advertised as a matched stereo pair, while others come in separate boxes and are sold as a pair but seem to have been purchased separately and are not advertised as a matched pair. My question is does this matter? Do I have to go for the ones advertised as a stereo matched pair to use as overheads? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[bozmillar]

they don't necessarily need to be matched. if they are slightly different, then you will get a wider stereo image from them. If they are completely different, then it might sound a little awkward at times, but a little difference can add a nice touch.

[crortega9]

thank you.

[ankursamtaney]

i think the idea of using matched pairs to record drums is that the frequency response of both mics is the same (or similar). think of it as recording two portions of the same instrument. you'd probably want to capture the sound of both portions of the drumkit in a similar fashion rather than having different mics, on which even the same things would sound different!
While Oktavas are a good budget option, even the Behringer C2s do the job fairly well and are just as cheap if not cheaper.

[brandondrury]

If they are completely different, then it might sound a little awkward at times, but a little difference can add a nice touch.

I grabbed two random mics in Killer Home Recording and tossed them on drum overheads. It worked fine. I believe this idea of matched pairs is complete horse crap. An exception may be when doing ultra critical stereo recording stuff, but even then it's over estimated.

Brandon