THE DRUM MICROPHONE / MICROPHONES THREAD

Re: Recording with 2 mics

So if i put the mics diagnolly 4-5 away from the kit, how high up should the mics be?
 
Re: Recording with 2 mics

I would say use one mic for your bass drum, and the other for an overhead. It will be in mono, but I think it would sound better than two overheads.
If you decide you want to use two overheads, the easiest way to get a good sound is to put them both above your head, pointed opposite ways but with the tips almost touching.

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This prevents phase problems which sometimes happen when mics are spaced apart.
 
Recording With Four Mics?

Hi, I was thinking of purchasing a Fostex MR8-HD, which allows four track simultaneous recording, to do some amateur recording of my kit.

I was wondering what would be the best four piece mic set-up to use? Most four piece kits I've been looking at have 3 snare/tom mics and 1 kick drum mic. I'm guessing having at least one overhead would be a better set-up?

I'm thinking of using either one kick, one snare, and two overheads. Or, one kick, one snare, one tom in between my two floor toms, and one overhead.

Does anyone have any suggestions about a four mic set-up like these? Are overheads also good for picking up toms?

Here are some pics of my kit, if that will help. http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7631
Also, i have some soundproofing foam behind, above and hanging in front of my kit.

Thanks for any help!
Suds
 
Re: Recording With Four Mics?

Ok, thanks. Looks like I'll be going with the two overheads, a snare, and a kick.

I love your solo. The sound is incredible. I take it you used more than four mikes to get that sound?

What do you recommend for mics in the $200-$300 range? I'm wondering if I should just get a six piece kit that comes with the two overheads. Then I will also have the two extra snare/tom mics If I ever need them. I have not found a four piece with the two overheads.
Maybe I should just buy them individually?

Thanks again!
Suds
 
Re: Recording With Four Mics?

I used a mic on each drum plus hi hats and 2 overheads. My recommendatio to you is to start with a 4 mic pac and add more mics later.
Samson makes great mic packages, I highly recommend them Good and P.M. anytime you have questions about recording.
Thanks for your compliments about my solo as well.
 
Re: Recording With Four Mics?

I would recommend buying just two microphones to start with - get two of the best cartoid condensers you can afford, they make such a difference. With a couple of good condensers you can get a long way towards a nice drum sound as long as your drums sound good on their own in the room.

The only thing that will be missing in the a big way is a bit of the snare drum top head tone and the low-end from the bass drum, so adding those microphones later once you can afford a Shure SM57 and an AKG D112 seems the smarter approach. That way you'll end up with some very usable live microphones too.

Most cheap drum microphone packages are pretty lacking, IMHO, and if you're just recording into a 4-track then you're not going to have the extensive EQ and dynamic processing available that makes close-miking a kit work.

So yes - best overheads you can afford, the rest later!
 
Re: Bass drum mic recommendation

I used to have a Beta 52...seemed great to me, but everyone dogged it in favor of the AKG D-112.

I dunno, any higher end from any brand will do better than the cheap Nadys and stuff like that.
 
Re: Recording With Four Mics?

Hey Finn,

I have an sm57 for my snare and a D-112 for the kick. What good overheads should I get? I used to have 1 Shure SM-82, but two of them would be a bit spendy. Can 1 suffice for an overhead?

Stu
 
Re: Recording With Four Mics?

1 OH is good for now but I'd recommend 2 for the future. The 2 OH set up is great for stereo image of the cymbals and the ambieance of the kit mixed in with the closed mics. I highly recommend long term you go with 2 OH's'. I use Shure SM 81's for OH and Hi Hats.
Hope this helps/
Good Luck Stu.
 
Re: Bass drum mic recommendation

I have a Beta 52 and I'm quite happy with it. I don't have any personal experience, but I've heard that the old AKG's are the ones to go for- but if you're buying new, the quality currently coming from shure is better than that currently coming from AKG.
 
Re: Recording With Four Mics?

The SM-81's are nice. I'm currently using two EV N/D408A's and the sound is transparent with nice presence and easy to mix.
 
recording with 2 mics

i have an akg c1000s condenser and a sure sm58. what is the best way to position them? i have the sm58 in the bass and c1000 over head and have been experimenting but was wondering if anyone could think of the best place to put the mics to get a good overall sound. thanks ben
 

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Re: recording with 2 mics

I think you've got the right idea with one overhead and one in the bass drum. Aside from just trying whatever crazy ideas pop into your head, I suggest moving the the C1000 around to hear the difference. That doesn't mean just move it around overhead. Also try out in front of the kit, at the far end of the room, and maybe even down the hall (you may have to align the tracks if the two mic's are too far apart; check the waveforms for that step).

The other thing you can do is rent more mic's (and cables and stands etc.).
 
Re: recording with 2 mics

Recording with only two mics will really make it tough to get a good sound. Especially two different type of mics. If you are doing casual just for fun recording then it will work ok, but if you want to make something a little better quality more mics would be a must.

Usually if only two mics are available and they are the same type, usually two condenser mics, then they are placed out in front (not real far out in front though) and slightly above the drums at a angle towards the drum. The mics themselves are set up very close to each other and I recommend pointing them so they form a 90 degree angle, so one side is pointed towards the left of the drums and the other is pointed towards the right. By panning the mics to left and right you achieve a stereo sound, which is a must for any decent drum sound. My audio engineering teacher always says "mono sucks", and for drums that really true.

If your using a third mic for the kick, then the mics should be set up stereo style again, but placed above the drums, pointed down towards the drums. The reason for placing the mic out in front of the drums in the earlier example was to pick up the kick, but if you have it separately miced then over head is a must. From here you can add a mic on the snare, and from there high hat, and lastly toms (only if you can mic all of them).

If purchasing another condenser is a problem, then I would recommend the 58 on the kick and the AKG as a overhead, over the center of the drums, maybe about a foot or so above your head, to really pic up the whole picture. A 58 isn't really designed to be used on a kick drum, but it will do if your just doing something for fun. The Shure SM52 is a really cool kick drum mic, a little more expensive though. They also make a PG52, which is cheaper but I don't know how much cheaper.

I hope this helped, and let us know how it sounds!
 
Re: recording with 2 mics

Okay, here's my 2 cents. Having done a ton of recording both in pro studios and at home, if I had 2 mics, I'd place one in front of the drums about 3 feet away aimed at where the toms meet the kick drum. If you can, compress this mic. You'll get a good amount of kick drum without having to put a mic in the kick itself and you'll get a good amount of the mounted toms, plus cymbals.

Depending on how hard you hit your drums, the floor tom and snare won't be as prominent in what the main mic is picking up. So, put the other mic on the snare. Between the two, you should be able to get a decent, usable sound and you'll have the snare isolated for effects, if you use 'em. Alternatively, if you have a big room and leakage is not an issue, you could place one mic behind and above the kit pointing towards the snare drum and put the other mic on the kick. Again, compress the main mic, if possible, to help balance the kit. This will give you a more "Bonham-y" type sound and you can use the kick mic to add some "boom" to the main mic.

Also, since you have limited mics, don't be afraid to use EQ to help bring out different drums when using the one main mic. A little EQ in the right frequency can bring out the snare, toms, kick, etc.

Final comment, while I generally agree that recording drums in stereo produces a more "natural" sound, a lot of the early Zep stuff was mono drums and I doubt anyone can seriously say that the drums on the first two Zep records sucked. You'd be surprised how many great records had mono drums, even when stereo was the norm. A lot of Queen records have mono drums (guess they used all the other tracks for vocals and guitar!) and most people don't even notice it.

I think you just need to experiment with your 2 mics, your room, some compression and EQ and you'll be fine. Hope that helps.
 
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