mxl 990 as an overhead

[drumboi]

i'm using an mxl 990 to overhead mic my drums. whenever i do it, the hi-hats tend to always be too up front and they make my recording levels spike all the time. i've tried compressing them and cutting the highs, but it's not really working. i have limited space in my room so i can't really move the mic that far away from the hi-hats. i also don't want to move the mic too far away from the drumset, as i want an upclose, isolated sound instead of a "roomy" sound. what should i do?

[tourettes5139]

I know this may seem stupid, but try playing the hats a little quieter, or hitting everything else a little louder. Sometimes simple solutions are the best.

[DJL]

Originally Posted by drumboi

i'm using an mxl 990 to overhead mic my drums. whenever i do it, the hi-hats tend to always be too up front and they make my recording levels spike all the time. i've tried compressing them and cutting the highs, but it's not really working. i have limited space in my room so i can't really move the mic that far away from the hi-hats. i also don't want to move the mic too far away from the drumset, as i want an upclose, isolated sound instead of a "roomy" sound. what should i do?

Get some mics better suited for the job... like some Oktava MC-012's, and work harder on the mic placement... also, stop hitting the hats so hard.

[chessrock]

When mic'ing drums ... nothing wrong with being creative.

Move the mics in closer and directly pointing to whatever you want louder ... and off-axis or further away from the things you want to de-emphasize.

Remember to keep the overheads the same distance away from the head of the snare, and basically anything else is open to experimentation.

And if you're a loud cymbal player, try making yourself play just a little quieter, and use some darker overhead mics.