Recording

[Tylerdrums109]

So ive been trying to record with my band and ive gotten a pretty damn sweet sound with 4 regular vocal mics, a mixer, an interface, and the newest version of acid pro.....we also have sound forge that we can use to edit things as well....any tips on how to tweak the inputs or the recorded tracks to get a more full sound out of the recording...so far i have one mic on the kick one over the center of the set....one to the left to catch the snare and hi hat along with some of the tom and crash...and another mic on the other side getting my floor tom my ride and my other crash...anyone know any need to know tips about recording without drum mics...in the fashion that i am?..please help me out if u can because im getting on the set tomorrow to lay down some drum tracks...any help is appreciated...especially on how to manipulate the tracks with the software i have...i already like the sound but it can only get better...i might also record some sample tracks and post them here so u guys can advise me off of that but any help u can give me now would be greatly appreciated thanx

sorry for the long post

[Garvin]

Try and post some recordings so we can point you in the right direction. Are you just using four 57's? That can work, but it can also be kinda tricky. There are lots of tools in those software programs, but getting the best initial sound that you can will be a big help.

[Tylerdrums109]

Na i have 3 shure vocal mics...and they are pretty cheap mics....the kick has some really old mic my dad had lying around...surprisingly however this mic does a terrific job micing a non ported bass drum...terrific sound...but yeah i should have some recordings i can put up here tomorrow night...but until then any basic things i should know?...like say adding reverb to the drum track or w.e...

[Garvin]

Well, really your probably gonna wait until everything is laid down before you mix it. That said, I don't think a little reverb ever killed anyone, just make sure that as you add tracks you are conscious of the overall mix.

[Mediocrefunkybeat]

Getting hold of some overheads would be a good start. Four 57's aren't going to capture your cymbals; their frequency range is too limited and their transient response is too slow.

[toddy]

Try adjusting mic positions if you haven't already to get the best sound possible.

You need to get a good sound from the recording, especially since i'm guessing you aren't really that experienced with mixing?

Good luck!

[PQleyR]

It's difficult to say without hearing it. If it's good, as you say, then you probably won't need to do much to it. You might need to EQ out some frequencies to fit other things into the mix, though.

A condenser mic (any condenser mic) will improve the overall sound quite a lot, I expect.

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

Here's a few need to know tips.

Try different mics, pres, and mic positions around your kit. Changing any of these factors will change the sound you get.

Do a Google search for help with Acid Pro. I'm sure there is at least one dedicated forum for that program.

Get a free subscription to Tape Op, the absolute best music mag in the world that is entirely dedicated to recording. Check out the Tape Op message boards which are loaded full of information, more than you have time to read, on various aspects of recording.

Be patient. Recording is as much an art as is drumming. There are no short cuts. Work with what you have for now and exploit it.

[Tylerdrums109]

Well with the help of a friend who takes a class at my high school centered around recording...we got a great great sound...punchy bass drum, singing toms, a nice pop to the snare...the cymbals could be better but we did what we could...reverbed and doubled the track and it sounds sweet...thanx for the suggestions guys it helped me put in a different perspective for my friend during recording...happy im taking that class next year...thanx

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

Just curious, why did you double the track?

[Tylerdrums109]

We doubled the track in order to compensate for the fact that certain surfaces of my set only showed up on certain sides of the head phones because of the way we set up the mics and the way thay ran into the computer....so we doubled the track paned each one added reverb and boom...

New song up on my bands website its the first one on the list

www.mysace.com/alongdrivehomema

My fills arent too great in it but the beats are fun and i had a good time recording it...please excuse the poor vocals...singer was sick and we thought it soudned good in the mix till we played it through the car speakers...and the lyrics arent my forte either hah...hope u enjoy and btw ive been playing drums for one year but that is not the extent of my playing...my band forces me to keep it simple

[Wile E. Coyote]

Hi...
Check the adress you posted... one P missing.
You used a 58 for the BD didn't you?

[Tylerdrums109]

Hi...
Check the adress you posted... one P missing.
You used a 58 for the BD didn't you?

We used three mics on the reso side of an unported kick since we couldnt mic the batter side due to space issues...two were really old mics that i have no idea of the name of and one was a shure vocal might of some sort...not sure if it was a 58...but i think the kick sounds rather nice but i wish it had cut through a little more

[PQleyR]

3 mics on the kick? Really? Out of a total of 4 mics?

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

3 mics on the kick? Really? Out of a total of 4 mics?

I thought the same thing. Heh, but I actually took a listen and the recording is pretty good. I'd say you don't need three mics on the kick to get the sound you did, or bother doubling the track. Just try different placements and what not to free up mics for other things.

[Tylerdrums109]

Sorry guys...it was actually only two mics on the kick...the two old mics...and i actually had 5 total....mics one condenser near my high hat to get the snare crash and tom in...one in the middle for the mid tom and whatever else it could get...then one on the right for my floor tom my ride and second crash...

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

Can list what type of mics you have? Not the model names, but the actual design- such as large diaphragm condenser, small diaphragm dynamic, etc. There is a great thread on the Tape Op boards just about drum mic placement, with photos! It's getting longer by the day.

http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=31237&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0&sid=eeef32dc5bd6b7701de91857a09a3126

A really great thread that I'm sure many members here would enjoy reading through.

I tried something new (for me) the last time my band mate and I recorded. I had an LDC mono overhead, LDD on my kick, but this time I tried another LDC up close on my snare. I was hoping to get more of a crisp sound from the snare without having to use one of my metal snares (didn't want that crisp of a sound). To my surprise, the LDC on the snare did pretty good at capturing the whole kit, snare favored. It caught the kit in a different way than my OH mic did. I tried experimenting with panning the OH and snare mics opposite of each other. It gave a really interesting sound. It kind of opened it up more (not in the typical stereo OH mic way).

Another thing for you to try; I'm not sure what DAW software you are using, but you don't need to double your tracks. By doing that, you are eating up precious resources that could be going towards other audio tracks, plugins, etc. Set up a SEND from the track you would have doubled, and then pan the RETURN from that SEND however you want in relation to the original track. You will need to make the send pre fader. However, doubling the track or using the send in this method without doing any tone shaping to either channel can easily lead to phase issues. So maybe try experimenting with different EQ on the main and send channels, or different comp settings, etc.

[Tylerdrums109]

I cant check up on the mics right now as they are where my band practices which is not at my home where i am at my computer...but i think that i got a pretty damn good sound...as for doubling of the track i do think it was necessary to achieve a fuller sound and a more even presence of my drums from left and right sides of the recording...but im not sure what all that technical mumbo jumbo means...maybe ur right but i wouldnt know where to begin taking ur advice

[PQleyR]

About this doubling...when you recorded these drums, did they go into the computer via a mixer? And were they already panned? If not, the doubling shouldn't have done anything except made the drums louder (but possibly not even that).

[Tylerdrums109]

About this doubling...when you recorded these drums, did they go into the computer via a mixer? And were they already panned? If not, the doubling shouldn't have done anything except made the drums louder (but possibly not even that).

yes into the computer from a mixer but im not sure if they were panned...i didnt do any sound adjustment on the mixer or manipulate the tracks...all i did was listen to what i had and told who was doing all that work what i wanted changed or improved...and from what i heard certain sound sources that were picked up form certain mics only showed up on a certain side of the mic...

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

I cant check up on the mics right now as they are where my band practices which is not at my home where i am at my computer...but i think that i got a pretty damn good sound...as for doubling of the track i do think it was necessary to achieve a fuller sound and a more even presence of my drums from left and right sides of the recording...but im not sure what all that technical mumbo jumbo means...maybe ur right but i wouldnt know where to begin taking ur advice

Well, you asked for tips. Sorry about the "technical mumbo jumbo". LOL

[Tylerdrums109]

Well, you asked for tips. Sorry about the "technical mumbo jumbo". LOL

indeed i did...hahah i should have known what i was asking...but i guess i can leave it to our "sound engineer" for now since hes doing a damn good job...plus next year at my high school im taking a class centered around recording arts...and my teacher is excellent..