drum micing

T

Thyst

New member
I was wondering if there is anyway to mic a 5 piece drum set with only 2 mics. I want to get the boss br-8 and it only records 2 tracks at once. Could I put like one a bit above the drum set and the other on the bass drum or would this sound like shit. Help
 
You can get a good sound out of 2 overheads. I've done it before. Just get 2 really good condensors. Suggestions, everyone?
 
The only option open to you other then El Barto's 2 overheads condensors
is 1 condensor as a overhead and 1 dynamic in kick or snare.
 
I'm not sure about the BR 8, but with most multitrackers you can use as many inputs as the box has to record several sources to a stereo mix. You'll have to check your manual, but it'll open up some possibilities. The only drawback to this approach is that you cannot adjust individual mic levels once it has been recorded, you have to go through the trial and error of getting right before it goes to tape (or HD as the case may be). Best of luck.
 
Do you have an external mixer? You can use that to mix down to the BR-8. If you don't have a mixer 2 overheads will work best. I have had decent results. I put the mics up from behind, and a little further behind than traditional overheads so you'll get some of the kick's beater head. I tuned and tweeked my kick so in the room it sounded overwhelming, but came out ok in the mix. I hope that makes sence.Also If this project is for anything more than a demo, I'd rent a mixer for a day or 2.
 
when i record drums, i use two overhead mics, and as someone said before, i place them behind the kit. placing them directly overhead or in front of the kit tends to pick up on the cymbals too much..personally i like to hear the snare and toms a lot and the cymbals not as much. its gonna be a lot of trial and error that way, you dont have control over the individual drum and cymbals but by placing the mics behind and a bit further back you get a big, roomy sound which is nice.
 
just one microphone,in a great sweet room,should be good enough!!or as the other person said,one condenser and one dynamic.placement is dependent on the room and what overall sound you want.i own a br-8 ,and will be doing live drum recording in the future.my living room is huge with hardwood floors,but i want to use this as my advantage.i just bought an akg c-2000,and have a dynamic .i am gonna set up the condenser for the room sound and the dynamic low for bass drum and all bass response.
 
yeah i've recorded my band's demo live on a 4-track using one well-placed mic behind the kit, one on the guitar amp, one on the bass amp, and one in front of a PA speaker. the drums came out sounding really good, i was suprised, i was expecting it to sound awful.
 
Like the others said... it can be done. QUALITY condensers as overheads and experimenting with placement can do a LOT. Getting a small mixer though and getting the best sound you can on that can be a big help too. I once recorded a demo using a Tascam 4-track as a mixer, with a compressor and a reverb unit as aux effects. I went out of the stereo outs on the 4 track into an old Fostes digital 8-track. It didn't sound that bad at all... BUT there was really no way to change the drum mix save for EQ fiddling.

Check out the matched Joe Meek small condenser sets that pop up on eBay all the time for $99 or so if you're on a budget, or definitely take a listen to the MSH mic samples all over this board. And most importantly, take your time with placement and experiment.
 
I've done drums with a single condenser in a room. But depending on the sound you're going for, consider getting a 4- to 8- channel mixer for a submix.
 
I think I did a track one time with just overheads and snare and then did the bass drum seperate. seemed to do the trick.
 
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