Drum Recordings

[dcptnsdcvd]

Hello all,

Long time drummer, short time recorder.
Everyone has always told me that the pro studio's that are recording for Tool and Dream Theater and other bands who get truly good, clear drum sounds are using mics like SM57's and d112's. I don;t believe it for a moment. Whenever i've used these mics they've always sounded like cheap garbage vocal mics. But, they say 10,000 people cannot be wrong. So, i was wondering if anyone out there has made good recordings using SM57's or other mics of the same type. If so, show me the recordings, i am dying to hear these mics used by someone who knows more than me about miking.
I am currently using Oktava MK319 condenser mics (two of them for the room/overhead) and an AKG C1000s (bass drum/or wherever else i need it) and Sennhiezer vocal mics, cheap 3 pack ones (for any extra sound needed from toms and such that arn;t in front enough with just the condensers. I have a cheap radioshack "egg" mic cliped on my snare rim which seems to be working good enough. The condensers (MK319) are sounding tony-the-tiger gggrrrreat!. But, i feel they could sound better, just because i know extremely little about how to use condenser mics and where to put them and whatnot. I was using one of the Sennhiezers for the kick, but i wanted to use all the same mics for the toms, so i used all three and put the AKG C1000s in the kick. Sounds good, i yet to really get it perfect. By the way, i have a large set, 10 peice, including Remo Roto-Toms and a 7 peice yamaha set. Cymbals ranging from very loud to very quiet (louder on the right side).
Anyone out there who's used Oktava condenser mics before?
If so, it would be splendid to have a recording to listen to as an example of their performance.
Everyone out there seems to be all uptight about giving out their precious techniques and "studio secrets". That sux if you ask me, lol. I am new to this group, and it;d be nice to find someone who was interested in passing one the knowledge that makes REAL professional recordings.
Sorry for the long post.
Mike...

[ZEKE SAYER]

i hade the same prom. with my sm57. where are you placing the mic? that makes alot of diff. where you put the mic. i have myne
placed about 2-5" where i hit the rim (for rimshots) it's about level with the snare rim. i also eq. some people don't because
they "clame" to beable to get the sound they want with mic placement and i'm cool with that but don't be hard on your self.
i eq my snare like this.... on the channel i boost the hi's at about
5-10+ and on the snare track i boost about the same. i add a nice room revurb to. compression can also my a snare sound good. i'm saying up for one. with the kick drum (bass drum) i have a "super kick"drum head on the back which is made by some company called "aqruaion"? or someting like that. and a plan remo head on the front with a muffuling ring. i have no pilows or
nothing like that in there. i cut a little hole in the front head down to the right of the front head. i then took a pecie of foam sheet about 1 by 3' and made a tunnel out of it and placed my kick drum mic ( a shure beta 52) inside the tunnel and place it right in the middle of the bass drum about 3-6" away from the back head. with the eq i take alot of low's off the channel and
about 8- off the track. i also put a room revurb on it too. with the overhead, i only use one right now and it's right above my 16" crash cymbal that is between my snare and my hi tom. it's about
2 feet and one half. abouve it. i use a nady scm900 mic for my overhead. it sounds great!!!! i eq it also (boost low's/cutmid's/boost hi's) you won't beleive me but you can get that mic at musiciansfriend(18007765173) for $79 bucks! or 2 for
$130 bucks! let me know please if any of this helps you.


from a drummer to the end,


zeke

[dcptnsdcvd]

zeke, got anything i can hear as an example of these techniques?

[sae]

Can you use an AKG c1000 in a kick. I thought this was super bad for that mic b/c it's so sensative

[dcptnsdcvd]

sae,
your the third person who's told me that, so i ain;t doin it no mo.
thanx

[wes480]

sm57 is a great snare mic...but placement is sensitive. don't get it *too* close and make sure that it is pointed to the middle of the drum. here is a link that might help you...

http://www.drumweb.com/profsound.shtml

[ZEKE SAYER]

sorry dude i don't have any samples right know because i'm try'n
to find out how to get those samples on the internet.

but i'm work'n on it!



zeke

[Sonixx]

hey dcptnsdcvd,

Here's my studio kit that I recorded yesterday; The drummer is a friend.

The kit was miced with:

• Kick - D112
• Snare - SM57
• Tom1 and Tom2 - SM57
• Floor Tom - D112
• Overheads - Two NTK's

Take a listen KitSonixx.mp3 and decided for yourself about SM57's and D112's.

The first half, ~23sec, is the kit totally dry as recorded and the second half is after some EQ, Compression and Reverb.

Here's some pictures of the Kit as recorded:

[dcptnsdcvd]

whats the black tarp for?

[dcptnsdcvd]

just got done listening.
sounds like SM57's. No offense to the engeneer or anyone.
Notice everything sounds like theres some loud, un-definable noise above the sound of the drums. silence is noisy. some sort of noise. I think thats the best way to describe it. like the drums sound behind the room noise. I find that cardioid mics kinda do what i'm lookin for, only not enough. It makes everything sound alot fuller. Like theres more room between quiet and loud. silent parts are really silent! lol. but it still seems theres something else that makes a recording sound like your in the same room.
i wonder if doing what your doing, minus the overheads, and placing two cardioid mics in the right places might be perfect. That way, you'd only have to use the SM's to fill in the little imperfections in the toms. i am in dire need of mic stands, so i can;t really hack it at the moment. i think using the three sennheisers for the toms and my two Oktava MK319's for room/overhead. but that leaves me without a mic for the bass drum, unless i wannna use one of the shitty vocal mics for the bass.
suggestions?
got a snare/instrument mic, clips on to the rim
got 2 Oktava MK319's
got a AKG C1000s
got two shitty vocal mics, one radio shack, the other CAD.
got 3 sennheiser (seem to be) vocal mics.

i'll be workin on it soon.

[Sonixx]

the rack is an old one and has some rattles that i've had difficulty taming...so the black tarp which works well

Sounds like SM57's

well...i guess so...they're 57's

Notice everything sounds like theres some loud, un-definable noise above the sound of the drums. silence is noisy

i don't have a clue what you're hearing unless it's the toms ringing or the snares buzzing. i generally don't care to gate too much to get rid of the excess unless it's really messy in the final mix.

good luck...

[pratt]

dcptnsdcvd-

noise can be created by many, many things - the preamp(s) that are used, the signal chain, how you are recording (ie. analog or digital), etc...I'd bet ya that the mics aren't the culprit but rather one of the other things mentioned above...

in my opinion....overheads are essential to getting a good drum sound...getting rid of them will not help make your recording quieter....nice clean preamps and a clean signal chain running into a clean recorder will....also, if you're using condensers - a quiet room to record in won't hurt either....