Cymbals sound "choked"

[poo]

Hey guys.
Ineed help..the cymbals i record lack vitality and sound choked. Im using two condensors as overheads..c1000s
what couldit be..the mics? positioning? the mic preamps? do you think im givin them TOO hot a level?
can you guys gimme some tips on overheads?

thanks

[Blue Bear Sound]

The room - likely (try damping, especially overhead - YES! Overhead - hang sheets across the ceiling over the drums!)...
the mics - possibly...
the positioning - also likely...
the hardware - if the cymbals sound like crap "live", they will sound like crap going to tape........

Experiment varying all of these variables...


Bruce

[theletterq]

What make and model of cymbals are they???

[poo]

Th cymbals are AA sabian crash...im not sure how many inch....they seem to sound good live. im gonna try the damping suggestion!


thanks!!
i'll let ya's know what happens!

[pglewis]

As always, posting a good quality MP3 could help a lot. There are some good ears hanging about that might pick up specific problems fairly quickly from a sound snippet. It's a lot tougher from a description.