Recording Drums: 4 Channels and 6 Mics. How Would You Handle It?

[BrentDomann]

I also put the overheads under the height of the cymbals so I don't get wild loud cymbal spillage.

Don't put them near the cymbal edges, though! As the cymbals rock you'll get weird phasey or swishy sounds.

[grimtraveller]

Don't put them near the cymbal edges, though! As the cymbals rock you'll get weird phasey or swishy sounds.

They don't go close to the cymbal's edge. That would defeat the object of not getting lots of cymbal sound.
Mind you, sometimes, those phasey and swishy sounds are pretty neat.Sometimes in the past, I've caught this deep resonant aftershock that hums and whirrs, menacingly. Great atmospheric sound, on the right song.

Grimtraveler: I'm interested in your approach to overheads. By under the cymbals do you mean like a room mic in close proximity. What is your placement like in that position? XY, Spaced Pair.

Whenever I've tried a room mic thingy, I've usually used that mic as a kind of super overhead, up high, pointing to the centre of the kit. I did once use a room mic placed in the back of a van {I was recording in the warehouse at work} and it picked up the entire kit {with a surprizingly good kick} better than any overheads I've ever managed !
The reason I place my overheads as I do is because the drummer that I play with the most, being young would sometimes get a bit wild and on occasion, was hitting the cymbals so hard that it overloaded the mics and I learned firsthand about the dreaded digital clipping. I also found that the cymbals used to be the dominant sound in the O/Hs, even though the mic wasn't close to them. But by putting the mics below the cymbals' height, they pick up the body of the drums and seem to level out the cymbals. They're never dominant anymore, no matter how wild the drummer gets {he has calmed somewhat !} but nicely balanced.
I don't use XY or spaced pair because I look for the drums to be centrered as opposed to dead centre. I'll usually pan the snare slightly to the right and the kick slightly to the left. So the overhead {well, underheads really} mics could be placed in a variety of ways. I might do one adjacent to the floor tom and the other slightly off the hi hat but under it's height. Or both might be in front of the drums, one to the right of the kit, the other to the left. I think I use variations of the Glyn Johns method without the precise measurements and with close miked toms fed in with the O/Hs. It sounds a little higgledy piggledy but it works for me. I've been very experimental with recording drums since I had more tracks to devote to them {I used to have a single track for drums} and I daresay, I'll get around to XY and spaced pairs and other ways at some point.

[witzendoz]

Funny how micing and recording drums quickly becomes rocket science, I feel very sorry for the newbies that want to know how to record drums

Alan.

[grimtraveller]

Funny how micing and recording drums quickly becomes rocket science, I feel very sorry for the newbies that want to know how to record drums

Part of the reason for my approach was that I didn't want complex bells and whistles. I just wanted to put the mics where I think they should go to pick up the kit and be done with it ! In truth, there are actually lots of ways to mic a drum kit, little variations but as ever, it comes down to what a person likes in terms of the sound and balancing all the little {or maybe not so little} variables.
For me, regardless, drums always end up sounding like........drums.

[witzendoz]

regardless, drums always end up sounding like........drums.

I think that was the point I was trying to make, the other was to keep it simple.

Alan.

[totenkopf]

I think that was the point I was trying to make, the other was to keep it simple.

Alan.

I agree; keep it simple. It seems to me the best alternative for the original question is to stick with four mics on the drums. It's all that's really necessary (arguably). That way they can track the bass and guitar at the same time. If you have a headphone amp that allows all of you to listen at the same time, you might put the amps in a separate room, or perhaps you could DI the bass to get another channel, but it's hard to be very specific without knowing how your room is set up and what the options are.

[JG96]

....you might put the amps in a separate room, or perhaps you could DI the bass to get another channel, but it's hard to be very specific without knowing how your room is set up and what the options are.

We are fortunate enough to have a walk in closet next to the live room for the guitar amp. I use my bass head to run the bass direct.