newb alert... LOL

[CycleDude]

Hey everyone, my name is Kevin and I'm a drummer. I'm looking to learn about recording gear and techniques. Not looking to go pro, but just for my own wnjoyment and for making web videos for sharing with my friends & family.

I'm just starting out at this. My MAC laptop has Garage Band, and I have 3 dynamic Nady SP-5 mics coming in the mail, but I still need to get a mixer.

Since the mics are dynamic, can I plug them into the 1/4" line inputs of a mixer since they don't need phantom power, or do I still need to connect them to an XLR input?

[Dogbreath]

nah...1/4" to 1/4".

You have cables, right?

Welcome and happy tracking, sir.

[CycleDude]

LOL, no, not yet. The mics are coming in the mail. I was asking on a drum forum and someone recommended I come here.

So could I use an xlr to 1/4" cable for a dynamic mic or would there be an impedance issue? I don't wanna buy the wrong cords or buy adapters that I don't need.

[Dani Pace]

If your mic cables are 20 feet long or less then the 1/4 cables should be fine. If you need to use longer cables or link 2 or more together you will be better off using XLR cables.

[dastrick]

This maybe off topic, but how are you planning on getting your sound recorded to your computer? built in line input? interface? The reason that I ask is that you may not need a mixer. You may want an audio interface.

[CycleDude]

The Plan

I want to mic my drum kit for home recordings and possibly playing out in a band. I have 3 dynamic cardoid Nady SP-5 mics so far but will get more eventually. I know that they're not great mics, but I have 3 kids so my music budget is slim.

I was planning on getting a mixer to break down each drum to it's own track, so track 1 would be bass drum, 2 would be snare, 3 would be the two rack toms, 4 would be the two floor toms, and 5 & 6 would be ambient room sounds and cymbals. That's 6 mics total.

This is where I get confused....

Since the mics are dynamic, can I use an XLR to 1/4" cable, since most small mixers usually have twice the amount of 1/4" inputs to XLR inputs?

Would I only need the XLR input for a condensor mic to power it?

Since I am using 6 tracks, I assume a USB out wouldn't work since that can only transfer 2 tracks to the MAC at a time? Would I just go with an RCA stereo out to an interface like the Behringer U-CONTROL USA202 interface?

[CycleDude]

Thanks for the help, guys. I am a total newb!

[eternalpayn]

Mixers condense everything into 1 track. You're looking for an interface.

[dastrick]

Instead of buying a mixer, I would recommend spending the money on an interface or a firewire mixer.

[mattdee1]

Originally Posted by CycleDude

The Plan

I want to mic my drum kit for home recordings and possibly playing out in a band. I have 3 dynamic cardoid Nady SP-5 mics so far but will get more eventually. I know that they're not great mics, but I have 3 kids so my music budget is slim.

I was planning on getting a mixer to break down each drum to it's own track, so track 1 would be bass drum, 2 would be snare, 3 would be the two rack toms, 4 would be the two floor toms, and 5 & 6 would be ambient room sounds and cymbals. That's 6 mics total.

This is where I get confused....

Since the mics are dynamic, can I use an XLR to 1/4" cable, since most small mixers usually have twice the amount of 1/4" inputs to XLR inputs?

Would I only need the XLR input for a condensor mic to power it?

Since I am using 6 tracks, I assume a USB out wouldn't work since that can only transfer 2 tracks to the MAC at a time? Would I just go with an RCA stereo out to an interface like the Behringer U-CONTROL USA202 interface?

To elaborate a bit more on what has already been said:

Your proposed "mixer" method will send an overall drum mix to your computer, and you will not be able to make adjustments to the drum mix after the fact. For example, if you want more kick drum, you'll have to move the slider up on your mixer and re-record the whole thing again. As you can imagine, this will lead to quite unacceptable levels of trial and error to get anything decent--and in this context I use the term "decent" very loosely.

Like the guys have said, you want some kind of multi-input recording interface with pre-amped inputs which allows you to plug the various mics into different inputs, and stream discrete tracks to your computer. Then, you will be able to mess around with the drum mix in software because each mic will have it's own data stream recorded simultaneously with the others.

Since 6 inputs is what you're after, you may need to buy something with 8 because I think they typically come with 2, 4, 8 inputs (I could be wrong). Word of warning: be prepared for some sticker shock to get even a half decent piece of equipment to achieve this. Maybe try e-bay?

[mikew]

Hi CycleDude, we would need a budget. We need to know what you are currently using. GarageBand and MAC, anything else? Just the builtin mic on the mac?

He's using Nady mics, he's got three kids and a slim budget.
For recording drums, you can get away with 4 mics.

2 overheads, 1 snare and 1 kick.

This means you will need 4 inputs (with preamps) to the interface. Even an m-audio usb interface (with only 2 preamps - like the fast track pro) is going to run you $200 new or around $150 used (check ebay) and you will need 2 of them. Not sure if you can record 4 simultaneously through usb? Never used it honestly. The mac should have firewire but that will be more expensive for an audio interface.

Your best (cheapest) bet is probably to try and get something like a Fostex MR-8HD ($299 new, probably get one cheaper on ebay). You can record 4 inputs at once and transfer wav files into garage band via usb where you can mix and tweak to your hearts desire. If you are set on recording more than 4 tracks at once, you have to go to the 16HD.

Obviously, your recordings will not be professional grade but they should be decent enough for what you are trying to do assuming mic placement and the room acoustics are ok.

Note: you get what you pay for with audio equipment. With that said, i've been using a Roland VS 1680 for a while and make decent recordings, not the best but most of it is user error. There are some really good sounding recordings done with Vs1680s and run of the mill mics (sm57s and the like).

Good Luck,

- Mike

[mikew]

Ah forgot to ask, is your mac a laptop? If it is, your best bet is probably to get the cheaper audio intefaces (like the m-audio i mentioned) assuming you can use two at once. used they would run you 300-350 dollars and be less hassle than the fostex. If you need to go away from your computer to record drums, the fostex will help since it is more portable.

- Mike