Whats Needed to Record

bradmapex

Senior Member
I was wondering what would i need to record myself drumming. Mics, interface, mixer etc. I am just looking for an idea of what would be needed, and so products that give you the most bang for your buck. Thanks
b r a d .
 
Mics, cables, interface, computer, software. That's what I use.
 
I was wondering what would i need to record myself drumming. Mics, interface, mixer etc. I am just looking for an idea of what would be needed, and so products that give you the most bang for your buck. Thanks
b r a d .

There are many, many threads on this... do some searching to learn more than you'll probably get in this thread.

You should look into...

- Microphones. The most obvious pick. You can do one, two, and three mic setups, but for a good stereo setup you should go with two overheads, kick, and snare mic. This helps you easily get a balanced and full sound and if your technique is not great in terms of playing balanced, you can mix around it to some extent. For overheads, look at a condenser. Large or small diaphragm, your pick. Of all the mics to spend on, these are the two, as they'll be the foundation of your kit's sound. For snare, it's hard to go wrong with a Shure SM57 starting out - it's been on zillions of recordings, and it can be used on other sources. (Guitars, etc...) For your bass drum - a large diaphragm dynamic, something like an AKG D112, a Shure Beta 52, or an Audix D6. There are other mics that will do the trick, but these tend to have a scooped sound that will work for a lot of applications out of the box. Don't go too cheap here as you'll want to upgrade soon otherwise.

- Cables - not much to say here. As many XLR cables as you have mics.

- Interface - what you use to convert your mic output into digital form. Required for digital recording, there are many forms. Your best bet here just starting out is something with integrated preamps such as a Presonus Firestudio or some other similarly-priced item with a few inputs and outputs. Make sure you've got phantom power available - you'll need it for condensers. You should try to go firewire if you can. Also, avoid the Presonus Firebox - the little 4 input guy - the preamps don't have enough clean gain in my experience, and if you have to use the software's "+12 dB" option, you're in trouble. There are other manufacturers beyond Presonus, but in that price range it's the one I've got experience on.

- Digital audio workstation software - if you've got a Mac, you're lucky - GarageBand gets you this for free. A step up is Logic Express which has a ton of the functionality of Logic Studio. Other options are Cubase or Pro Tools. I'm a Logic guy, and I think Logic 9 is a pretty amazing piece of software.

It's fun stuff to get in, and part of the fun is the weird experiments and learning curve. It's as much about tuning (and under mics your kit will have all kinds of sounds you may not hear otherwise; you can tune heads differently in relation to emphasize attack, resonance, etc), mic placement and choice (which can make HUGE differences in the ultimate recorded sound), and strange experiments that pay off. Plus you'll hear records in a new light, and you can set challenges for yourself - how do I get the bass drum sound from this album, or the snare sound from that album, etc. It's fun to just tweak on sounds and massage them subtly via EQ, compression, reverbs, delays, etc.

Also, it can set off a recording gear wishlist that makes your drum wish list downright reasonable. My current short-list for recording gear is way more than I could spend in a year... which forces me to go back and try and get what I've got to emulate "that" sound through other means... which increases my bag of tricks even more.

Very fun stuff.
 
would 2 Shure SM57 work as Condenders?
 
57's arent condenders, or condensers. They're dynamic mics. Also the OP didn't specify whether he was recording just to hear himself play, like at gigs, or recording to lay down tracks. He could get a Zoom H2 or an Olympus LS10 for a quick and dirty recording just to hear himself, any thing else is a much larger question
 
is an interface the same thing as a mixer or are they different
 
ok what i'm condidering getting is...
1 Shure beta52a(kick)
1 Shure Beta 57a(snare/guitar)
2 Audio Technica AT2021 Condenser(Overheads)
1 M-Audio Fast Track Ultra USB 2.0 Audio Interface
What do you think on that, and has anyone experienced the M-Audio Interface, thanks
b r a d .
 
They are different. A mixer just mixes several tracks down to one. A interface takes the sound from the mic and puts it into the computer.

Thank you, ya after i posted that i realized what one was, but still thank you.

But so how does the list look, i would start off with probly only the interface and the Overheads. Then from there i would either get the Beta 52 or the SM57, depending on which is getting lost in the mix the most, but my bass is pretty bad@$$ so id probly go for the SM57 first. how does the list sound, thanks
b r a d .
 
Thank you, ya after i posted that i realized what one was, but still thank you.

But so how does the list look, i would start off with probly only the interface and the Overheads. Then from there i would either get the Beta 52 or the SM57, depending on which is getting lost in the mix the most, but my bass is pretty bad@$$ so id probly go for the SM57 first. how does the list sound, thanks
b r a d .

It's a respectable start. I haven't used the AT2021 so I can't comment... it may also be worth looking at the Shure PG81 which may also be relatively inexpensive.

You'll probably want the Beta 52 before the SM57 - you should be able to get a good amount of snare in your overheads but they won't capture the low-end of your kick.
 
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