drum levels

[cake1122]

when recording drums are there any guidlines as far as levels of each drum should be set ( bass drum loudest then snare ex.)

[Ironklad Audio]

well...you have to realize that the levels you're setting while recording/tracking are different than the levels you set while mixing...

when recording, you're gonna want to set the gain level so that it peaks no higher than 0dbvu...which is between somewhere between -18 and -12dbfs in the digital realm. and notice i said that's your PEAK level - you want the constant levels to be 8-12db lower than that, depending on the song/drummer/whatever. this gain setting has no bearing really on the playback volume - it's just setting how strong the signal is on the way in...moving faders up/down is controlling the volume of the signal on the way out, and for most stuff you'll want the kick and snare roughly even in volume, but it depends on the content

[littledog]

Here's one way to do it (and there are others):

Position your overheads so they capture a near-perfect image all by themselves. The one thing they will usually be lacking is a full-bodied kick, so add in enough of the kick drum mic next to get a fully balanced drum sound.

Now, all the rest of your mics should be added in only enough to fine tune the overall drum mix. Some snare mic if you need more snap. Some tom mics if you need punchier toms. Some room mic if you want to get a "bigger" sound.

These steps are usually done at the mix stage.

[Chibi Nappa]

Originally Posted by littledog

Here's one way to do it (and there are others):

Position your overheads so they capture a near-perfect image all by themselves. The one thing they will usually be lacking is a full-bodied kick, so add in enough of the kick drum mic next to get a fully balanced drum sound.

Now, all the rest of your mics should be added in only enough to fine tune the overall drum mix. Some snare mic if you need more snap. Some tom mics if you need punchier toms. Some room mic if you want to get a "bigger" sound.

These steps are usually done at the mix stage.

Yeah. I agree with all of this.

If the drummer's any good (and he better be or you're screwed no matter how you record or mix), he will control the balance of the drum kit himself. For example if the song calls for a particularly loud snare, he will give you a particularly loud snare in his performance.

So like was said above, listen to the overheads and room mic. They should hold balanced drum volumes already. Try not to upset that balance when you add the rest of the mics in.

Likewise, when you are placing the overheads, listen very carefully to a test recording to make sure they are in fact capturing the true balance of the drum kit. If you know the drummer's playing perfectly but your overhead recording sounds too heavy or too light in one area (kick drum excluded), you know you did someting wrong. Placement is critical.

So yeah, let the drummer do the driving. It's his job. Obviously there are always exceptions (going for a far-out crazy sound), but much more often than not you go with the level balance the drummer gives you in his performance.

[Harvey Gerst]

If tracking digital, I usually keep the snare peaks at -12 dBFS, kick and toms at around -6 dBFS, and overheads at around -12 dBFS.