I want to start recording drums at home!

A

adrumskinner

New member
Hey,
I'm Adam and I been playing drums for 6-7 years and have recently started to record drum covers for youtube. However, I have only been using a JVC camcorder and as you may have guessed: Sound quality is limited. I really want to start recording drums with mics and running it into my laptop where I can process it before adding the track I played to etc. I need to do this as cheaply as possible but still getting a good sound. I have Cubase 5 and would be looking to run an interface that is compatible. Im currently running windows 7

I have done some research and have decided that i could probably only really afford to run a kick mic, snare mic, and two overheads. I don't have a firewire port on my laptop so i would have to use usb. I believe that only usb 2.0 and 3 can run more than two digital outputs to allow me to EQ mics individually on cubase. I would need to run 4 Digital outputs for 4 mics yes?

What I really need to know is: what mics? what interface or mixer? and good tutorial videos etc. expected prices for these in the UK. any other info you feel I should need.

I apologize for reposting this if as already been a thread but I haven't found any that meet my requirements
 
What is the fascination with drum covers on youtube? I see a bunch of them, and they're pretty much always terrible. What are you guys trying to achieve with these drum covers?

As for mics, you don't need to spend a ton on mics. Basic entry level kit mics will be fine for what you're doing. Any interface that supports 4 inputs in your budget will be fine. Cubase will recorgnize your 4 tracks and you'll be able to tweak them individually.
 
Youtube is not my only motivation. I am studying music during sixth form and i have to put together a programme of 20 minutes of me playing drums. Being able to record properly will enable me to do this a lot easier.

Secondly I have been asked my some people to put together drum tracks for songs they have written etc. I used to be in a band and when we had written songs, the only way to record my drum parts were via an electronic drum kit which never gives good results unless you pay a lot of money for a top end Roland. I want to be able to record this without having to buy time in a studio when i could do this at home.

Thirdly I want to be able to monitor my progress as a drummer. it would be nice to take a look back in a few years and say, "well my snare technique has improved a lot" I don't wish to stop at youtube either, I am seriously considering a career in drumming either by playing live, session work or by teaching.

I don't see your problem with youtube drum covers? I agree a lot of drummers tend to be drum hitters, and there are only a few who can actually interpret music and respond in a creative way. I wish more people were subtle in they way they play, but thats just my opinion.

Do you know of any specific mixing desks or audio interfaces that meet my requirements or even any brands of drum mics?
 
lol. I'm a total drum hitter and not creative or interpretive in any way. I love it!

What's your budget?
 
Thanks

I've also looked at sontronics STC-10 condenser mics. I could start off using the recorderman technique and then add a bass drum mics and snare mic at a later stage. I dont think i would want to indivudually mic the drums as I dont think my laptop would cope with 7 or 8 tracks at once. Do you know of any other cheap Interfaces that have less digital usb outputs like maybe 4? I cant seem to find many.

Thanks again for your help.
 
On the tascam us 800 the monitoring is direct so latency is not a huge issue, when your mixing you can just change the buffering size. I started with the recorder-man technique. Immediately I craved more mics I added a snare and a kick mic. I will soon be micing toms. These mics seem to be popular for the price. I believe they are a product of reverse engineering of the cad set. http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Pro-PDKM7-Microphone-Mounting-Accesories/dp/B003FW0IHA
 
Greg_L said:
What is the fascination with drum covers on youtube? I see a bunch of them, and they're pretty much always terrible. What are you guys trying to achieve with these drum covers?
Click to expand...

If you are too young to play in the clubs or you don't have a band, it is an easy way to showcase your talent. It is a way for friends and strangers alike to feed you compliments. We all want some level of validation, especially if we are seeking ways to be discovered.

When we upload mp3's to the clinic, we say it is because we want advice on how to make improvements. But deep down inside, most of us are thinking, "Wouldn't it be cool if everyone loved it and offered up nothing but awesome compliments?"

I've never done one and I admit, half of them totally blow balls. But if YT had existed when I was young, I probably would have made a few in an attempt to get chicks.
 
RawDepth said:
When we upload mp3's to the clinic, we say it is because we want advice on how to make improvements. But deep down inside, most of us are thinking, "Wouldn't it be cool if everyone loved it and offered up nothing but awesome compliments?"
Click to expand...

I don't know, maybe that applies to the more experienced members who knows their songs sound good. Some of us (me) know there are mixing flaws in our songs, and just want to know how to make the song sound better. I'd honestly prefer constructive criticism on a song, as opposed to someone liking the song and having no advice.
 
"Liking a song" all comes down to taste and preference of style.

I do take the mix suggestions seriously, though, because I always find myself losing perspective after I've been too close to a tune, from writing it to recording it to mixing it. By the time I get to mixing it, I've heard it so much that my perspective and ears are way out in the left field. I guess that's part of becoming a good producer, which I'm still years away from.

I never find myself saying "I hope everyone likes this tune". But I do find myself saying "I hope Greg likes this mix". :D
 
On a budget, I would go with the recorderman overhead setup plus a kick drum mic. I'm a big fan of the Karma K10 condensers for overheads, you can get a pair for about £80 new, probably cheaper used. You can mic your bass drum with a Shure Beta 52 (around £90 used) or a Shure PG52 for much less. That would leave you about £230 for an interface with 4 inputs. If you buy used, you could just about get something like a Presonus Firestudio Project. That would actually give you 8 preamps, so when you're ready to get some more mics you won't need a new interface. If you don't already have a firewire port on you laptop, you can add an firewire express card for about £25.

These particular items are just examples, you should do some research, try to find recordings done with different gear and decide what will work for you. I just wanted to give you an example of how you could get this done within your budget.
 
About the most bare bones set up I think would yield decent results would be a mono condensor (your choice) about 36" above and aimed at the snare and a kick mic (SM57 to whatever you can afford) into a two channel interface (you gotta do your own shopping on that one). Except for the interface, you could upgrade from there. With these two channels you could adjust your playing and mic placement and do limited mixing of the kick/ snare relationship after the fact at least.
 
I assume you have a computer do to posting videos on youtube. With a 3 to 400 dollar budget get a pro tools mbox2 on ebay or on amazon. Get it used it will be cheaper. Then pick up 2 cheap boom stands and 2 cheap microphones. Use the boom stands as overhead mics and set them way up high behind the kit over everything. I know this not full control of all the individual drums but it's better than a computers internal mic. :eatpopcorn:
 
There is a top 5 mic list on the Learn How To Record website for a bunch of different drums, you might want to check it out. You can also rent mics instead of buying them, dunno how often you need to them or if you can batch your recordings? It would definitely be cheaper.
 
YouTube is a great way to showcase what you're doing, but it's only really worth it if you know how to promote yourself. If you get a big following, you can get sponsored by drum gear companies and can join some affiliate programs and make commissions on different drum-related products. It's not just for the ego, it's actually a really useful tool.
 
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