can i record drums without drum mics?

[woodman2112]

i'm too poor to afford the drum mics, and i'm tired of using tabit to do my drums.

help?

[WhiteStrat]

Umm...do you have any mics? Are you asking if you can use other mics since you can't afford drum mics, or are you asking if you do it without any mics?

[Greg_L]

You should send me your drums and I'll record them for you.

[woodman2112]

haha, yeah, ive got mics at my disposal, but how many do i need?
do i need a mixer?

[WhiteStrat]

I'm just an interloping guitar player. I'm gonna bow out of this one and let the amazing Dr. Greg (or some other percutive master) take over...

[woodman2112]

i wish i could.
i could prolly just buy mics with that shipping cost. lol.

[Greg_L]

Originally Posted by woodman2112

haha, yeah, ive got mics at my disposal, but how many do i need?
do i need a mixer?

Are you serious?

[ermghoti]

Originally Posted by woodman2112

haha, yeah, ive got mics at my disposal, but how many do i need?

One, maybe more.

Originally Posted by woodman2112

do i need a mixer?

Possibly.

[nero's lung]

it's possible to get good recording of a drum kit with just one mic... depending on what style of music your recording... if trying to record a modern pop/rock project you might not get the right sound... but anyways regardless of style, whoever is playing drums will have to 'mix himself'... kinda like bonham used to... he'd pound like crazy on the drums and then hit the cymbals with maybe half the power... super controlled...

I've done a lot of one mic recordings of drums, for a killer room sound you might have to have someone play the drums and you walk around the room... maybe even have to bring in some step ladders, and find out where it sounds best... and then position the mic there... it's all about finding the sweet spot in the room.

for a tighter closer sound i'll occasionally have the mic positioned just to the side of the drummers head... usually the drummer will play the kit so it sounds good to himself... so you'll kinda be picking up what the drummer is hearing...

at other times i've positioned a SM57 or 58 horizontally about 2 inches in front, and slightly above the kick drum pointing towards the the drummer. this has picked up mainly kick and snare... but still a decent amount of the toms... again the drummer has to go easy on the cymbals.

just experiment.

hope this helps

[gdavi1]

read this thread first, before starting any drum recordings, to insure great sound!

http://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=263560

[Elton Bear]

HAHAHA! I was expecting the recorderman thread

[Dogman]

I record my drums into the phone, and have GergL make them sound good.

[mattr]

Originally Posted by Elton Bear

HAHAHA! I was expecting the recorderman thread

I'm amazed the recorderman hasn't been mentioned yet!

Its a lifesaver if you find yourself running with mics/inputs/preamps/etc, or if close-mic'ing everything just isn't necessary. You can get a great image of the whole kit with just two mics.

The thread is helpful, but I think seeing it done in this video is the best way to picture the setup...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiFOD1EeKhQ

[Greg_L]

Originally Posted by Dogman

I record my drums into the phone, and have GergL make them sound good.

I use Pro Tools and chinese mics under 100 bucks.

[Elton Bear]

If you don't have any money for mics and you're handy with a soldering iron, I hear re-wiring an old speaker is a great substitute for an LDC overhead, just make sure you've got some sturdy stands and whack a couple over the kit.

Lovely!

[FunkDaddy]

You can record drums with a Fisher-Price cassette recorder...just sayin. Depending on how much time you want to spend experimenting, you can get a great drum sound even out of the most basic of equipment.

[Steve Moser]

nero's lung offers good advice.

It is possible to get a good drum sound with one microphone, but a lot of things have to come together.

Your drums, the room, and the microphone all have to be good sounding instruments. Then, you have to be acutely aware of the volume level of each instrument as you strike it, and how it will sound to the mic. A lot of trial, error, and experience are what it takes. Many beginning drummers would benefit from having to record with just one well-placed microphone until they get their playing dynamically balanced. The first thing most drummers notice is how hard they're smacking the cymbals.

IMO, of course.

[BentRabbit]

Originally Posted by Dogman

I record my drums into the phone, and have GergL make them sound good.

I have him send me samples of his B8's before I let anyone hear my tracks...

Gives me that elusive 'certain-sumpin' we're all striving for...

Oh... You're talking about GERGL... I thought this was a GREGL praise thread...


Nevermind...

[_brian_]

Originally Posted by Elton Bear

If you don't have any money for mics and you're handy with a soldering iron, I hear re-wiring an old speaker is a great substitute for an LDC overhead, just make sure you've got some sturdy stands and whack a couple over the kit.

Lovely!

And if you blow a fuse at any point just stick your big toe into the wall socket and plug your finger into your mixer. Don't use two fingers from opposing arms though or you may stop your heart. It has to be a big toe & a finger.

[PhilGood]

The best sound I got for drums with one mic was when I hired Chuck Norris to be the mic stand. He'd just sense which drum or cymbal I was about to hit and he'd move the mic there before I struck it!

[_brian_]

I bet he would have been tired after that session

[Supercreep]

It's hard. Try a single LDC and good headphones with great isolation. Listen to the music and play the drums so that it sounds rights. That sometimes means digging into your kick and snare and playing softer on the HH and cymbals. Then compress.

[PhilGood]

Originally Posted by _brian_

I bet he would have been tired after that session

Chuck Norris doesn't get tired! He just goes and gets more AWESOME!!!

[Elton Bear]

Chuck Norris never sleeps. He waits.

Everyone knows that.