recording hand drums

[mark_guinn]

What are your experiences recording hand drums (ie bongos, djembe, etc.) I've seen them mic'ed on the top and/or bottom in live situations. Are there any major pitfalls to look out for? What mic's are best?

Thanks

[mikeh]

IMO the heads are the primary focus - in particular with bongos and congas. Normally you are looking for the high end sound (attack of the head) to cut through a mix - as such you want to mic the heads

I have on occasion placed a secondary mic on the bottom of a Tumba (and in particular on a Djembe) - since the low end of these drums is as important as high end on these drums - I then blend in the amount of low end I need.

Naturally there are several good mics, and many specific for drums/percussion - but for me, one SM57 between the heads (on bongos or congas). If I need the bottom end I normally use a 57 on the bottom as well.

Some people like to mic each head seperate (2 mics on the congas etc.). If you have the channels more power to ya, but I feel the more sends, the more noise, the more potential for problems and more faders to tweak.

[bongolation]

I should be doing some of this in the next month or so and will post any revelations I encounter.

The previous post seems to sum up what I'd suspect, though I'll be using different microphones.