Top+Bottom Tom Recording Y-Cable

Famed engineer/producer Brendan O’Brien is known to have recorded toms using a Sennheiser MD 421 on the top and a Shure SM57 on the bottom, connected to a single preamp using a Y-cable with the bottom connector out of phase. I built a set of these cables for myself out of curiosity and I was instantly hooked. Connecting two microphones to a single preamp is generally not a great idea since the impedance mis-match between mics and the unexpected impedance load on the preamp could cause problems. However, with a Sennheiser MD 421 and a Shure SM57, by total chance, it happens to work really well and and totally safely. Because of the particular difference in impedance and output levels of these mics, the blend ends up being about 60% 421 (top) and 40% 57 (bottom). This results in a punchy, saturated, resonant tom sound that maintains a more distinctive pitch/tone in a dense mix. As an added bonus, the cymbal bleed will be more controlled (about 40% less) since the bottom mic picks up minimal cymbal bleed (granted it’s positioned correctly, centered underneath the drum, about 2-3” off the head).

NOTE: This cable is intended for use with a Sennheiser MD421 (all versions) and a Shure SM57. Experimenting with different dynamic mics is entirely at your own risk and results may not be as expected. You should definitely not use this Y-cable with condenser mics!

I am now also offering the Cable Techniques CTBX3 low profile XLR connector as an option for the bottom mic. This connector offers easier positioning of the SM57 between the floor and a floor tom bottom head and between a rack tom bottom and bass drum shell.

The total length of the cable is 5ft. The usable fan-out length is about 9ft.

Here’s a little test video:

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