drums with one mic

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drum_

New member
if you were using a single overhead to track a small drum set where would you position it.
angels height and such.
ye i wouldn't do this either but its for a essay.
thanks.
 
I'd position it about 8~10 feet from the kit, centrally to the kit, about 3~4 feet above the ground and pointed towards the bass drum.
I've done this before and the results surprized me. But I wouldn't record like that usually. As a room mic it can really add to the presence of the miked kit.
 
Back in the day, it would be centered left to right over the drum kit, and aligned with the center of the snare frum front to back.

Height-wise, and depending on the mic, the engineers I worked with would try to place it so the cymbal volume would be somewhat "cut" by being enough off-axis to be affected by the cardiod pattern.

Doesn't mean that's the only or the best way to go, but that's the way at least some folks did it...
 
i've recorded with one mic before, but an overhead always seemed to produce low kick noise etc. the best way i've found is to place the mic in between my legs or even behind me to the side. seems to produce too much kick directly in front of the set. i dont know, thats the best way i've found using one mic, but cymbals tend to be a little low in volume. im not a great drummer or recorder, but thought i'd give you some insight anyways lol. i found it best just to position, record then listen, move the mic again, record and compare until you find an ok sound.

you will never get an ashtonishing sound using one mic obviously
 
If you only use 1 mic there is no way to recommend a mic position really. It all depends on your room. Move around and see how it sounds. Where ever in the room sounds best try that. Sometimes its a weird corner, other times its above the drummers head. Experiment with it.
 
Recording drums with only one mic isn't necessarily bad its just a different a sound, a sound that some people don't like and some do. I think it would be really cool if you made a really kick ass recording using this idea and just didn't tell anyone unless they asked, or if you wanna brag about it.

If this is some thing that you wanna do its really going to depend on the room your in. Also about where GrimTraveller told you to put the mic is a good starting point. Just don't be recording next to an air port like my band does!lol
 
Either directly (like literally inches) over the drummer's head pointed midway between the upper rim of the kick & the snare, or like grimtraveller said in post #2: In front of the kit just a few feet off the ground pointing straight ahead.
 
Weren't some of the drums on the black keys' latest album recorded using only one mic? I thought I heard that somewhere, possibly on this forum.
 
Bob Ross said:
Either directly (like literally inches) over the drummer's head pointed midway between the upper rim of the kick & the snare, or like grimtraveller said in post #2: In front of the kit just a few feet off the ground pointing straight ahead.
Click to expand...

^^^YES. then through on some stereo room reverb and tell all the people with 11 mics to suck it
 
I use one mic for recording drums quite often. I place it on a short stand next to the kick pointed at the bottom of the snare. I use low EQ gain to control the amount of 'thump' in the track from the kick drum.
 
_brian_ said:
you will never get an ashtonishing sound using one mic obviously
Click to expand...

Hey u better watch out, I got neg'ed for saying that once.. The purist drum mic police on this board are out to getcha! Altho I do agree with ya :D

Listening to any OH tracks I ever recorded (which arent a lot but still..), I'd say putting the mic right over the drum kit would render a pretty cymbal-heavy track. ALtho I've never tried it, I kinda like clivus's idea, cuz the kick is so distant in the OH's, that sounds like it might help with that.
 
bdenton said:
Back in the day, it would be centered left to right over the drum kit, and aligned with the center of the snare frum front to back.

Height-wise, and depending on the mic, the engineers I worked with would try to place it so the cymbal volume would be somewhat "cut" by being enough off-axis to be affected by the cardiod pattern.

Doesn't mean that's the only or the best way to go, but that's the way at least some folks did it...
Click to expand...

That's how I recorded my drums for a Ricky Nelson backing track......way out of character for me but it sounded great!
 
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