I have almost every mic and I am tracking drums

sk8ingsnowman

New member
I get the oppritunity to track a band and I have just about every mic at my disposal.
Its for a school project and we have a huge mic locker. This is what I was thinking about, let me know what you think. (I don't know what type of music yet so this could all change?!?)

Kick- EV RE20 (other options Beta 52,
D112, MD421 or Senn. E602)
6 feet in front of kick-TLM170
Snare- SM57 or Beta 57 I have to wait till I hear the snare first.
Toms-Senn. 504's
Hat- AKG 4041
Floor Tom-MD421
Over heads- XY U87's

I am not used to hvaing options wo let me know if something looks funny.

Peace
 
Nice list.


Are you tracking everything in isolation? If I were you you I'd at least track the rhythm section (bass, guitar and drums) as a unit in order to enable them to play off of one another (I guess you can either run the bass and the guitar direct and re amp later, or try to isolate the cabs from the drums and mic them up with whatever you didn't use on the kit).

Oh, and everyone will be properly tuned, intonated and rehearsed before you roll whatever it is you'll be rolling.... right?
 
where is this school??

what kinda school is this?? is this highschool or a college or what?? and how did they get the money to buy all these mics? i mean holy shit. Those neumanns aren't cheap, ha. But yeah that sounds decent. I dont' normally use a ev for the kick though... i think the 52 or a d112 would get better results. I just dont' like how the ev sounds i guess. I do have a set of speakers mains that kick ass by them though... Ok, back to the drums. Well... a suggestion might be to use 421's on all the toms. I normally do when i record in the studio and really like the sound. They are great mics. Oh and before i forget, i like how you are using 2 kick mics, one in and one out. I do that too and have gotten great results. I believe the u87's will do fine as your overhead/cymbals, considering they are kick ass mics. Never actually used em before on overheads, but i'm sure they would sound great. Normally i am brought down to an akg c3000, but they do the job. Sound pretty good too. I won't argue with anything else your doing, that is a wise choice, but i might suggest, if you have all these mics at your disposal and probably have close to unlimited tracks, that you use some room mics as well. A pair of stereo u87's, or bascialy some high quality condenser mic. might give you some intersting sound and make the kit seem more alive. Plus, if you dont' like it in there, then you can just take it out. The only draw back would be if you using tape, but fuck it, just do it. Well sounds like a lot of fun. Good luck and happy tracking.

~Andrew
 
Re: where is this school??

nascentjunkie said:
what kinda school is this?? is this highschool or a college or what?? and how did they get the money to buy all these mics?
Do you have any idea how much those schools charge? :D
 
Re: Re: where is this school??

ChristopherDawn said:
Do you have any idea how much those schools charge? :D


Unfortunately I do...anyways I don't want to think about that..

good call on the 421's for toms I was messing around with those on toms today and they are nice. 504's seem too bright. I just have to wait and hear the drummers kick before I am going to decide on a mic. I have never heard u87's as overheads but I think they should sound good. I would like to put up some room mics but we are tracking to 2 inch tape then transferring to pro tools then mixing on a Sony DXM-1100? (I can never remember the model number of it but that should be close) which is only set up for 24 tracks. This kind of sounds weird considering we are tracking on a SSL900J but it’s more about curriculum rather then making a hit record.

Anyone have any tricks?? There is a contest to see which group gets the best finished mix.
 
Depending on the music I might be tempted to stick a couple of mics for "room" micing. I have no experience, but any decent mic would do the job here.
 
Personally, I'd be using the MD421 on snare before either of the 57's, but that's just me. A pair of U87's for overheads? Rich SOB's! Christ, I wouldn't let two 87's get within 5 feet of a man with a stick in his hand! I can only dream of mic'ing a kit with mics like that.-Richie
 
Do you have other mics at your disposal also? Not that those arnt great mics but if you have other options let us know. The reason is because i dont generally like U87s. Guess it might depend on the style of music. My favorites at the moment for overheads are the AKG C414s.

I never really liked the EV RE20 on kick drum either. Its usually a toss up between my e602 or MD421. Definately try a MD421 before the AKG D112. I bet you will like it better. MD421 works really good if you want a really tight sounding kick. This includes the bass frequencies. The e602 will be a better choice for a big bottom kick. Both of these mics EQ really well if you need to shape a little.

Never used the beta57 on snare before. Do you know what style the music is going to be? Dont forget to use a bottom mic if its a heavy drummer.

Good luck.

Danny
 
Yes, I do have plenty of other options. I can also get 414's for overheads. Never used 414's before But I hear they are Brighter then the U87's is this true?

Not 100% on what style yet just trying to get a strating point then I can make changes on the fly if neccesary. Don't think I will be recording jazz or anything that will completely change the mic selection.

I am enjoying all the comments feedback and tips. Thanks!

the session is still a week away but I will be sure to posts the results when finished.
 
I have used 2 U87's many times on overheads(its what they do best IMNSHO) and they'll make garbage can lids sound good.If you are recording in a 'good' room, then (if you have em),put up a couple more room mics.Get an LDC of some sort up and away from the kit and also get another above and behind the kit.This will give you a large amount of dimensionality and size to your drumkit.Use the D112 if its a rock sounding kit.Use the RE20 if its a jazz kit.Use an MD421 if its anything else with the LDC out in front and the 421 you'll have all the bases covered.I would agree with the poster suggesting the 201 on snare.If you have one, use it.Dont even consider any other mic if its available.Also if you have a Beyer 422 use it on the snare.The tom mics are incidental IMO unless its a track that uses a lot of them.The Sennheisers will give you a better sound and if you use the 421 on all the toms your frequency band for them will be very similar and easier to mix.I only use a different mic on the individual toms when I want a specific sound on,say,the rack as compared to the floor.The song style always dictates this.Good Luck and have fun.BTW if you're tracking on the 9000J, will they allow the use of the compression on the channels? If so this is where a lot of guys get that 'special' drum sound .The SSL compression sounds like nothing else.Some guys love it, others hate it.Try it.
 
why?

well i can see why u might want too... but you stil dont' need to, if ya get my drift. Bascially its a pain to get correct phase relationships between the top and bottom mic... so i prefer to just not do that. Also you can get snap from your overheads and just by equing it right. Although i suppose if you don't have limited tracks i would mic the bottom as well, i mean, why not?ha...
~Andrew
 
I would expect the U87s to be brighter than the AKG414s. But it might depend more on what you call bright.

Try them both if you can and see what you like better. Especially since cavedog liked them so much you might have the same tastes.

Danny
 
Hiya Darnold...I've used 414's also and like them too.What I truly like about the 87 is when you get a little 'air' around them they really seem to shine.I dont think they're all that good in an intimate vocal situation, though on some voices they're all you can go to...the 414's always sound so 'tight' in an overhead situation and while sometimes thats good other times its too much.I guess the right word would be 'focused'.The 87's seem to like the distance and their tone gets so sweet in that usage.Of course, these where 87i's and not the newer ai's.Dont know if that matters.I know some folks say they're not as 'bright'...I like to think of the 'bright' as describing a 414 and a U87 as 'presence'.....
 
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