New to triggers and Mics for recording.... Help please

BEAST

Member
So I am in need of recording my drum tracks for a band I am in, the problem is im new to recording. I play in a garage and have ruled out mics for now as it is so boomy and echoes like crazy in there. So, triggers would be my best bet, right? I was researching triggers and found the Yamaha dt 20s, the ddrum hot shots, and I know there are more out there. My question however is what is the most quality and dependable trigger that I should consider purchasing. Also, should I use over head mics just for the cymbals or should I try to trigger those too? The problem then comes on how to trigger the hihats with a trigger.
Any info on what you guys use would be great.
If it matters I use a 3 up 1 down set up and use 2 crashes and a ride with bell, and hats...
 
Drum triggers are just triggers, not microphones. They send an impulse to a module. They do not pick up the sound of the drums, they enable you to capture MIDI and/or the sound of the module/VST.

Give us a little more information about what you're attempting to achieve. From The Recording Questionnaire.

What is your desired budget? What is your maximum budget?
Are you recording alone, or with other instruments playing simultaneously in the same room?
Will the equipment be used to record live performances?
How many pieces is the drum kit you will be recording?
Are you currently using a mixer? Are you looking to add a mixer?
What DAW do you intend to use?
Do you require the ability to record when 'not' tethered to a computer?
What is the intended quality level (amateur / professional)?
What styles are typically being recorded?
What equipment do you already possess?
How do you intend to monitor and playback (headphones, studio monitors, pc speakers?)
Will you be recording anything other than drums?

Who knows, perhaps triggers will be the way to go. I have a feeling we'll end up pointing you towards proximity mic'ing, isolation, and gate'ing during mix down.

Peace, love, and goodwill.
 
Basically, what um trying to do is record ny drum parts for input into a program my gutarist uses to add tracks inti a song. He has his parts recorded as well as vocals and they are layered in a pc program. I dont know anything about recording. I want to have somewhat better quality than amature but it doesnt need to be top tier quality. My budget is about 600$ for mics and whatever else i need. I was looking at shure pg mic packs. My kit consists of 4 toms one kick and a snare, with hats, a ride, and 3 crashes. I am recording onky myself alone. I onky have my drum gear at the moment. I will be playing Alternative rock.
I thought i would need to have a computer near by but you stated I can be untethered? I was thinking a small mic on the hats and a single mic ib the snare and kick and perhaps a mic in between my 8 and 10 tom and my 12 and 14 with overheads for the cymbals...Where do these get pluged into.? All i need to do is record my part and layer it into mix. Ive heard good things about shure mics. Are there any other brands i should consider, perhaps stuff on ebay?
 
You know, I get what you're talking about. However, I think a bigger consideration would be if you are doing this for yourself or for this band project? If you don't see yourself getting into recording for yourself, then it sounds a little wrong to be buying stuff that you may never use if this band project doesn't pan out, right?

On the other hand, if you're into this so you can learn how to record yourself and possibly upload your playing online so other people can check you out, then I can understand making the investment.

But you've stated that your guitar player already lays his tracks down into his computer, and you'd be recording alone anyway. So this would meant that your guitarist already has the gear you need to record and you would only need a couple of microphones to plug into his audio interface so he can record you.

If you two are going to "exchange" music files where he gives you what he's done on his computer, then yes, you would need your own computer, interface and microphones to lay your tracks down to his music.

If you only have $600 to spend, then that doesn't cover buying yourself a laptop, a nice USB interface and some mics. However, with $600 you can get yourself a couple of really nice mics, and plug into his stuff for recording. So what does he have?

Before you convince yourself that you absolutely need a microphone on everything, you need to learn how to record. And like photographers who buy lenses for their cameras, many learn how to shoot with just one or two to start, and really learning how to maximize what they have. You would be surprised what you can achieve with only two mics - one overhead, and one in front of your kick drum. I would start there. Buy a new pencil condenser mic, like an Audio Technica PRO37, with a boom stand and cable, and then a Shure Beta 52, stand and cable for your bass drum, plug those two mics into your guitarists' rig and see what you get.
 
I agree.

If this is your very first dive into recording, and you want to keep it cheap, there's no shame in a 2CH interface and an LDC. There's chap who runs a $300 studio youtube channel that I think is a good demonstration. Starting with an large diaphragm condenser, and slowly adding close-proximity feature mics is a good way to learn.

Take a listen and see if it's what you might be looking for.

Recording untethered requires a DAW. It's basically a little microcomputer tailored for recording audio.
 
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I agree.

There's chap who runs a $300 studio youtube channel that I think is a good demonstration. Starting with an large diaphragm condenser, and slowly adding close-proximity feature mics is a good way to learn.

Thanks for the heads up on the $300 Studio Project, KamaK. This guy is sort of the Mike Johnston of home recording. He's a good instructor and breaks things down into easy to understand bits. The OP needs to watch this series ,for sure. Good call.
 
Your garage being boomy might not necessarily be a bad thing. I'd recommend trying the above suggestions, just going with a minimal mic layout (Overheads, snare, kick). Experiment with placement and positioning, listen to your playbacks. Then you'll really find out if you like the room or not. Or, looking at it differently, if your tuning and head combo likes the room. You may also want to try moving the drums around in the room a bit.

If you don't like what you can hear, that's not too hard to change for not much money. It's easier to make a room dead than it is to liven it up. You're just trying to kill some reflections, not soundproof the place (at least you haven't mentioned that being a factor). I've hung carpet on walls, made gobos with 2x4s, MDF, and rockwool, and various other ad hoc ways to change how sound moves. It's not all that hard, although it requires a bit of trial and error.

I really think triggers are going to overcomplicate things for you at this point. You can also use mics to trigger if you want to experiment with that. Maybe somebody here can explain that better than I, or you can google it. I'd just be filling your head with misinformation.
 
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