Trying to record a 6 piece drum set

And I appreciate your opinion. Thanks.
 
sorry for the late reply bud, that's what I tend to use when recording. live tends to be different. kick, snare, all the toms close mic'd and that's it really, maybe the hats depending on the venue. Its the sound engineers job really to mic the kit up, so whatever he wants to use is cool with me.
 
Thanks for that. From what I have seen in the cover band arena there are no soundmen so it is up to the band. So for live do you use overheads at all?
 
in a live situation, overheads are really only used to pick the cymbals up really. if you have decent cymbals, then they shouldn't be needed. if ever you needed to mic your cymbals up, it would be at a venue that would supply a sound engineer.

I find 4 mics give a more natural "real" sound. close mic setups tend to be clinical and extremely detailed to me. some people like it, some don't. im not a massive fan myself, I like the live/raw sound
 
What I've seen a lot of guys do is place a microphone in between the toms. Like between the racks and then again between the floors. It's not ideal, but it works.

Personally, I mic everything. Two overheads, snare top, snare bottom, each tom (I play 1 up, 2 down), hats, a mic on the ride, and then 2 on the kick (subkick, D112). Seems like overkill, but it gives the engineers something to play with. That's 11 mics on a 5 piece kit. Sometimes I place a condenser in front or behind the kit as well to catch room ambience.

The suggested two overheads, snare, kick is cool, too. It works, and you can always throw samples on the toms if you find that they lack "oomph!"
 
All these replies have been extremely helpful, I feel like I'm learning a little with each post. Do you guys have any recommendations for overhead condensers? The room I'm playing in is approximately 14x14 ft. with an 8 ft. ceiling. I plan on getting a D6 for the kick, an SM57 for the snare, and a Tascam US-1800 interface, I plan on doing the EQ and compression on my computer so I won't need a mixer? I also just realized how expensive xlr cables can be, lol any tips on some good affordable ones? Kind of a mouthful to answer but I appreciate everyone's insight, it helps more than you may know. Thanks!
 
All these replies have been extremely helpful, I feel like I'm learning a little with each post. Do you guys have any recommendations for overhead condensers? The room I'm playing in is approximately 14x14 ft. with an 8 ft. ceiling. I plan on getting a D6 for the kick, an SM57 for the snare, and a Tascam US-1800 interface, I plan on doing the EQ and compression on my computer so I won't need a mixer? I also just realized how expensive xlr cables can be, lol any tips on some good affordable ones? Kind of a mouthful to answer but I appreciate everyone's insight, it helps more than you may know. Thanks!

If you're on a budget, the AKG C1000 are an industry standard.

Personally, I've found Audio Technica AT4040's seem to be really popular. For a while, I used the AT2035's, and they sounded amazing for the price ($135 CAD).

EDIT: The Rode NT5's are nice as well. They're what I'm currently using as my overheads.

As far as cables go, people usually like to cheap out on cables, but you really sacrifice sound quality when you go that route. Spend a bit of money and treat your cables nicely and they will last you a LONG time. Make sure you're wrapping them properly, as well.
 
I'd like to have a mic setup for the following:

- snare
- 2 rack toms
- 2 floor toms
- kick
- 2 overhead condensers
I would also like to mic the hi-hat and my secondary snare if possible

If I did the counting on my fingers properly I would need 10 mics. I don't think my laptop supports firewire so I've had my eyes on a usb 2.0 interface. I'm yet to find an interface with more than 8 xlr inputs. I'm not sure if there's some kind of add-on that would allow me to get a few more xlr inputs and I don't want to have to buy 2 interfaces if that would even work. As you can see I'm completely new to the recording world so any kind of information would be extremely helpful. What are my options and what do you guys do? Thanks in advance!
I would start with 2 well placed over heads and close mics on the kick and each snare. As long as you play with a reasonable balance the OH's will pick up the toms just fine. If you absolutely need to place 1 mic 6-8" above and between the rack toms and another between the floor toms

Beta52 on the Kick. SM57's on the snares. Rode NT-5's as OH's and something like CAD M179's on the toms if needed
 
I use Sterling Audio ST51s as overheads and they seem to work really well, but I haven't compared them to other overheads. I just know that I'm happy with them.
 
Little update. A few days ago I was at samash and they had a used Tascam US-1800 for $200 which I figured was a good enough deal for me. After taking it home and trying to set it up I realized they didn't even include the usb cable.. which is funny.. because it's a usb interface.. and I kinda need a usb cable to use it.. and it should have came with one.. but it's used.. Anyway, I did some research on what you get when you buy it new and for the extra $100 I should have took that route considering it comes with a $200 recording software, a driver installation, a manual, a NEW interface, and not mention the cables and wires you need to use it. I think I'm going to return it and pick up a new one.

I also picked up an Audix d6 and i5, I had a tough time deciding between the SM57 and i5 but from what I've heard online my ears chose the i5. They didn't have the Rode NT-5's or any decent condenser mics worth checking out, the salesman was too busy trying to shove these little $50 mics down my throat. It's a shame what these guys will do just to earn a little commission, I should have known better and checked to see what cables the interface came with but at the same time I feel like he conned me pretty good.
 
Little update. A few days ago I was at samash and they had a used Tascam US-1800 for $200 which I figured was a good enough deal for me. After taking it home and trying to set it up I realized they didn't even include the usb cable.. which is funny.. because it's a usb interface.. and I kinda need a usb cable to use it.. and it should have came with one.. but it's used.. Anyway, I did some research on what you get when you buy it new and for the extra $100 I should have took that route considering it comes with a $200 recording software, a driver installation, a manual, a NEW interface, and not mention the cables and wires you need to use it. I think I'm going to return it and pick up a new one.

I also picked up an Audix d6 and i5, I had a tough time deciding between the SM57 and i5 but from what I've heard online my ears chose the i5. They didn't have the Rode NT-5's or any decent condenser mics worth checking out, the salesman was too busy trying to shove these little $50 mics down my throat. It's a shame what these guys will do just to earn a little commission, I should have known better and checked to see what cables the interface came with but at the same time I feel like he conned me pretty good.

Yeah, I've always thought used equipment from stores seems way overpriced. However, you can usually find good deals on Craigslist and Ebay.
However, before you try to return what you've got, bear in mind USB cables can generally be purchased for around $5 online (Amazon, Newegg), and you can get drivers and manuals here: http://tascam.com/product/us-1800/downloads/
Just a thought.
 
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