Overhead mics

[Bdrum]

If I have a group of cymbals panned left and right,
how do I cover them. I mean.... I have a crash and some chinas on the right and the same on the left how far should the mics be?

[MichaelM]

Hmm... I would just mess around with placement until you got a realistic stereo image.

[Cloneboy Studio]

Well placing mics is a 3D exercise in which you have to worry about height, distance, angle of the microphones on an X and Y axis (up/down and which direction the element is pointing).

Here are a few tips to guide you:

On drums the *further* you move away the more 'room' sound/ambiance you will get... in general.

Likewise the closer to the drums your overheads are the more drum sound you hear, and the less of the room. If you're not in a great sounding room I recommend getting pretty close to minimize the crappy room sound.

The higher the microphones are placed the more cymbal and low end you get (bass waves need distance to develop).

The lower height of the microphones the less cymbal you get and the more 'kit' sound you will have. If you put it so low they are under the speakers cymbals will sound a little different, a little darker and meaner.

The wider you set the angle to the drum kit (meaning: are they far to the sides pointing at each other towards the drum kit, or more at 45 degree angle towards the kit) the wider your stereo image will generally be.

Keep in mind that you can point overheads AT the drum kit or AWAY from the drum kit in an "x" shape (usually over the drummer's head pointing outwards). Both sound different so experiment to see which you like better. The "x" sounds more natural, and pointing them towards the drum kit sounds wider.

Myself I point them at the drum kit and use a 3rd overhead directly over the snare pointing down at it to capture overheads. This center mic 'meshes' the stereo sides together and gives a pretty heavy duty, centered image. I also always use a different mic for the center mic to get a more complex sound. If I'm using C451's as RL overheads I'll try and grab something like a AKG414 or other large diapragm condensor; likewise, if I have LDC's on RL I will choose a SDC if possible. I guess you could say I'm not sure whether I prefer the SDC or LDC sound on overheads, because I want a bit of both!

There is no "one" place for overheads. You have to find it thru some listening and experimentation. What is most important is to know the options/choices available to you to aid in your investigation.

Also, another general drum tip: set the overheads FIRST and get those to sound amazing. When you start adding in your close mics on snare, kick, toms do it from the objective of *adding* more clarity, definition, power, tone to the main overheads.

Don't ever think of overhead mics as just "cymbal" mics. They are so much more than that. In fact, I can't stand the sound of drums recorded and mixed with that "close" sound... I want to hear the drum kit.

Just remember that the drum kit is a single instrument, not just a collection of drums, and you'll do fine!

[Bdrum]

I suppose with so many factors I should of been more specific.
I have a matched pair of Oktavas 012
about 12"+ away in a very dead room.
I know Ambiance is the key, but a tighter room helps my playing.