RABid Posted May 1, 2002 Share Posted May 1, 2002 For some reason my congas sound dead if I mount them using the LP stand the uses side clamps. If I sit the congas on the floor (wooden, no carpet) I get a much better sound with more ring and sustain. Any suggestions? Is this normal? What is a decent cost effective mic for congas? Maybe something I can get dual use from. I want to record my own loops to use in Acid or Sonar II. This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonio Posted May 2, 2002 Share Posted May 2, 2002 Rabid, I,m new here, but can help you from my experiences. Yup, Congas sound better or should I say has more options of tone. e.g. you can lift the quinto for a louder/lower sound.Check out the latin congeros doing it on a accent. The quinto is normally tilted (when at sitting positions). When they are on stands they do seem to be "dead". But actually they are louder on stands, the volume is carried from the bottom, even if the mics are on top.The character is totally different. The difference between sitting & standing can even make you play differently. Even the change of a couple of inches in how your arm is situated can make your performance alter. So try changing them to see how you sound, perform. I like to have my foreams at a slight downward position to the head. Mics. Many people will tell you a SHure SM57 would do the trick. Audix makes good ones too. Seinheiser MD421 is good, but cost more. These are dynamic mics. Try one or two-1 for quinto 1 for segun and/or tumba. Learn to use dynamic mic first. Then you can move on to condenser mics. Good luck T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted May 3, 2002 Author Share Posted May 3, 2002 Thank you very much Tonio. No one I know plays congas so information is hard to come by. This is the stuff you don't get from watching the "How to play conga" LP video or replaying the Santa laser disc for the 1000th time. Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonio Posted May 3, 2002 Share Posted May 3, 2002 So how long have you been playing? Are you jamming or are you in a band? Its hard to learn from those videos, but can give you alternate patterns. Check out Giovanni Hidalgo. He is the man!! T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumlooney Posted May 3, 2002 Share Posted May 3, 2002 Hey Rabid, Well as far as congas go the sound primarily comes out the bottom of the instrument, therefore when you have them on the ground the vibrations give you a better, louder sound that when you are floating them in the air with your stand. Check your stand to make sure the conga is leaning on the stand the right way, this can also make the conga sound different. I agree with Tonio, Giovanni is the best congero in the world Hands Down, any of his instructional videos will be a great help regarding technique, speed and the different sounds you can get off the drum, he's also a historian so you will find out how some of these patterns came to be and were they originated from. Lastly the more you play the Congas and learn how to hit them, the louder your playing will get, trust me, it takes a long time to get there but the rewards are always worth it. Also, I find that the 421's are better for congas than the sm 57's or even a condeser works better, than an sm 57 (I like the sm 57 just not for congas) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrummerCafe Posted May 4, 2002 Share Posted May 4, 2002 Congas do sound better when they are not mounted on a stand. Personally, I have little feet mounted of my LP Classics so that the air can escape and I don't have to tilt the drums; this is when I'm sitting to play. When I stand to play, I have the LP Collaspible Craddles. This nestles the drums and still allows the drum (shells) to vibrate freely. The concept is the same as with mounted toms on a drumkit. Suspending them using something like R.I.M.S. makes all the difference in the world. As far as mics go, I used anything from an SM-57 on up ... for live performances and/or recording; it all depends on your budget, etc. The SM-57s color the sound slightly, warming up the overall tone of the congas. More expensive mics, such as upper-end condensor mics will reproduce more of the EXACT sound of your drums. Unless you are running the mic through some very high-end mic-pres ... you'll be wasting your money on expensive mics. You need to match the mic with the mic-pre; and you get what you pay for. All of this is just my opinion obviously, but it's based on my own experiences. Drummer Cafe - community drum & percussion forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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