Hello! Need help with studio gear decisions

tdwctdwc

Junior Member
Hello all,

I've been a lurker here for some time now.

A little about myself:

I'm a pianist/keyboardist/songwriter but always been a drummer at heart (I do play drums as well).

My fascination for rhythm has always been with me since i was a kid. My dad got me a keyboard when i was 8 and i used to use the drum patches in the keyboard so i can finger drum my passion away lol. Over the years, i managed to self train myself to finger drum (live, no overdubbing, just like a live drummer would play) on all the keyboard workstations that i bought/used over the years. I now record my drum tracks on all my released songs using the Korg Kronos built in drum kit. I basically finger-drum the drum track live in one take and i'm done.

Even all the bands that i formed over the years revolved around the best drummer i could find first, then the rest of the members were recruited around the drummer and myself.

All my favorite bands were "favorites" because of their drummers. Examples: Chick corea electric band (Dave Weckl), Porcupine tree (Gavin Harrison), Dream theater (Mike Portnoy) and many more to list !

Anyway, I just bought a custom made fusion-size maple kit and spent some good money on Sabian cymbals (22 HHX legacy ride, aax 14 stage hats, aax 16 crash), some Remo ambassadors on all the kit and a Powerstroke pro on the kick, hole in the kick reso head etc...

My question is:

Should i really spend the money on a Scarlett 18i20 and a shure drum mics kit so i can record my drum kit into my songs ? or should i just buy the smaller scarlett 6i6 and stick with finger drumming my drum tracks on the Korg Kronos into my songs ? I do have a fairly good experience in mixing a kit and multitracking in general and i use Ableton live as my main DAW along with a large collection of VST effects etc.

Here's a example of what i do on the Kronos with drums. The drum track is recorded live in one take, no overdubbing, simply me finger-drumming live on the keyboard with both hands : https://soundcloud.com/rabih-rihana/tell-me

Thanks in advance and sorry for the very long intro. Oh and yes, this could be a good story about a keyboardist turned drummer lol.

Regards
 
Although the finger drumming result was good - very good even, it lacked a degree of flow you'd expect from a competent kit player. Where it really lacked however was ambience. That "one instrument" vibe you get from all that mic crosstalk & room sound that the individual samples just can't replicate. The whole offering greater atmosphere & dynamic possibilities.
 
Welcome to the forum!
I say go for the Scarlett (2i2) I hear those are really worth the money. As for the drums, I'd say stick with programming. I mean an e kit can be good for dynamics, and then you have total control (samples) in the mix. But acoustic drums are just way more costly and way harder on mixing. You said you're fairly good at mixing kits but I'm not sure if you meant actual live drums or vice versa.
If you want the sound of specifically you're drum set, get the mics dude and freaking go for it! Or, just a suggestion, you sample all your drums/cymbals and program them in, or even use an E kit to get the feel as well. This way, like I said, you get a lot more control and what not and you didn't have to bust out the cash for all those mics.
Just my opinions though, recording is more of a foreign area to me.
Enjoy the forum!
 
Hi tdwc,

While the SM57s are great all-rounders (and certainly good for drums) you might want to consider a pair of condenser mics for overheads. It just depends how far you want to go.

I have used SM58 (similar response to SM57) as overheads with reasonable results when they were all I had, but condensers give a little more 'sparkle' on the cymbals and when used as overheads.

If I was buying 4 mics for home recording now, I would get:
Kick (the Beta 52A is good - I have AKG D112 which is also not bad);
Snare (SM57 is great);
and a couple of condensers for overheads.
For condensers I have a pair of Audio Technica AT2020 - they are a similar price to SM57/58. They are by no means the best you can get but they are great value for the price. There are also many other condensers in this price range so lots to choose from.

Of course lots of folks have their favourite mics, and this is just my opinion. But for home recording I would say it's worth at least considering condenser overheads. Your interface will need phantom power, but based on a quick look I think it does have it. They can also be used for other instruments (and even voice) in the studio.

Good luck!
 
Hi tdwc,

While the SM57s are great all-rounders (and certainly good for drums) you might want to consider a pair of condenser mics for overheads. It just depends how far you want to go.

I have used SM58 (similar response to SM57) as overheads with reasonable results when they were all I had, but condensers give a little more 'sparkle' on the cymbals and when used as overheads.

If I was buying 4 mics for home recording now, I would get:
Kick (the Beta 52A is good - I have AKG D112 which is also not bad);
Snare (SM57 is great);
and a couple of condensers for overheads.
For condensers I have a pair of Audio Technica AT2020 - they are a similar price to SM57/58. They are by no means the best you can get but they are great value for the price. There are also many other condensers in this price range so lots to choose from.

Of course lots of folks have their favourite mics, and this is just my opinion. But for home recording I would say it's worth at least considering condenser overheads. Your interface will need phantom power, but based on a quick look I think it does have it. They can also be used for other instruments (and even voice) in the studio.

Good luck!
Hey Bonzo.

Yes i'm planning to get a set of condenser mics for overheads of course :)

The way i see it : All my sm57s will be on toms and snare (i only use two toms, a 12 on the kick rack and a 14 floor) and the 52A will be on the kick.

I might even add along the road a room mic and place it somewhere. I'll just follow my ears and see where things go.

And yes the 18i20 does have phantom power, but not on all inputs if i'm not mistaken...

Thanks for your reply

Regards
 
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