Video & Audio equipment needed to be used for Drum Company

[drumwerx]

Hi,

Brand new at this but have been reading a lot of it.

I need to record the sounds of our drum sets that we make and also make video recordings playing them at the same time. I am not sure what might be a good solution to this. I will need to purchase at least a 8 input audio interface so I can record 7 or 8 mics on the drums. I have a fast pc running XP.

I will probably have two overhead mics, one on the snare one on the hi-hat and one on the bass drum with 2 or 3 on the toms. Thus using 7 or 8 mics.
I want to be able to video the drummer playing along with the great sound to help sell our kits. I do not have a good video camera so will need to get that as well.

The results will be used to send DVD's to customers as well as having files on our web site to be able to hear and see what we have.

I am pretty set on what mics I need but need to get advice on the 8 chanel audio interface. I like the firepod and the 8pre so far but need to make sure that I can sync the camera with the audio.

Thanks in advance.

[ermghoti]

Were it I, I would make a very serious attempt to record the kits with a couple of room mics or overheads. Close-micing is great, but is certainly not a faithful reproduction of the sound of a kit. Far from it, sounds can virtually be synthesized from a multi-mic setup, or, of course, the tracks can be Drumagogged and sound-replaced. A pair of overheads can sound great, with good stereo spread, provided the source, performer, and room are also great.

As a sales pitch, I would rather see a dealer boasting of the natural in-the-room sound, or driver's seat tone, than some highly produced multitrack.

[msmales555]

i agree with the poster above, but would also like to add that I think all of the close mic-ing would get in the way of the drums. i wouldn't want you to be able to see all of the mics on the drums if I were making this video. to me, that is just another reason why i would rather use overheads/room mics.

by the way, i own two firepods and love them. most places have reduced its price to $400 at this point which is a steal as a purchased my first one for 600 two years ago.

good luck!

[ausrock]

Hey 'werx, get back over to GN where you belong .


For your purposes, the only advantage with close micing, is that it may allow you to disguise a poor acoustic/recording environment which would be apparent if you were only using o'heads and/or room mics, which BTW, would be my preference, however, establishing a good acoustic area should be your first priority.

From a marketing/customer relations point of view, it would probably be in your best interests to set up a specific area, with correct acoustic treatment, etc.........make it not only decent for sound but also "professional" in appearance. Also, you have to consider the possibility of accomodating different sounding kits and one way to do this would be to have a treated "booth" with one side made up of a pair of "barn doors", these can then be opened or closed as required to adjust the sound for any specific kit.

If you choose to take this approach, I strongly suggest you go John Sayer's studio design forums, try and get John's attention but regardless, ask for advice there.......... http://johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/index.php

[drumwerx]

Thanks everyone for all of your ideas. It really helps to take it all in and then decide. I again thank everyone.

[Schloo]

Easy. Just dump the recorded track and add the mp3 to the recorded video!
We do this all the time here on macs.