best positions for 8 mics

[StupidKid]

About to record my drums just curious on any ideas on how i should positon my mics. I have 8 inputs, a 5 piece kit , plus hihat, 2crash, ride cym, and a china.

would 1 mic per drum, and 1 over head left, 1 overhead right plus maybe one for the hihat be my best bet?

any tips would be awesome
-thanks

[donkeystyle]

what kind of music are you playing? in most cases you wont need a mic on hi hats, as they're very loud and cut through really well. I imagine in country and some pop you might want more hats though.

are you going to be recording on your own, or with a guitar player? if you're going to be playing with a guitar player, you'll probably want to use the last mic/track for a scratch guitar track.

if you're on your own, or recording to click, you might use the last mic/track as a room mic. you could try putting it level with the top of the bass drum about 3 to 6 feet out. then when you mix, really overcompress the track and if you really hate the amount of cymbals it has in it, you can take some highs out.......then mix it just high enough that it adds some room sound, but doesn't turn your drum mix mono.

the room mic thing will probably sound like poop if you're doing metal though. it can also sound bad if like say you happen to be recording in a garage. so another idea you could try is using a mic inside the bass drum really close to the beater and then one just out in front of the bass drum a little further away than you would put it if you were using just one kick mic. I'm assuming there's a hole in your resonant head. if there isn't, then you wont get a good sound............................................................................................... ....just kidding of course . if you don't have a hole in your front head, you can just put one of the mics on the beater side if you want the click of the drum then on the outside of the reso head for the body off the drum. the beater side will pick up any squeeking of the bass drum pedal though and it will also pick up a bunch of snare. not that that's neccessarily a bad thing. you may or may not like the sound.