How would you record a whole drum kit with just one SM57?

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an old used trick

just to go back to the subject:

try to put your mic (a pair of cardioïds would surely work much better) over the left shoulder of the drummer pointing at the snare

record like that and listen, you should get a good sound image of the kit except some of the kick

try the other shoulder if you are not happy with the balance

Just my 2cents

Philippe, Paris, France
 
A single 57, a TWO FUCKING CHANNEL mixer, and a cassette recorder... That's all OP has a o work with. Why the hell does it seem like EVERYTIME someone has a question on this site the answer is "spend more money because you are an idiot lol"? Answer the question at hand. Even if you need the "this won't sound amazing but" in front. Sounds like OP knew this wasn't ideal and just wanted a bestt case. This is HOME RECORDING DOT COM right? Not PROJECT STUDIO RECORDING DOT COM. There have been like 5 actual helpful posts.

Miking the kit from the front at drummer's chest level 4-5 feet away is a good starting point. Lower and closer for more kick and higher/further for more air and cymbals. Can also do the over the shoulder from behind thing for a different sound but you lose some kick. Those are about the only 2 decent options and I've done a ton of quick demos this way for reference purposes. With the right compression and EQ it becomes practically listenable. Lol. Have fun with it.
 
RAMI said:
I think I made him cry. I exposed a talentless, angry troll. :D

I'm out. My work is done here. :)
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Ha! You can use as many smiling faces as you want, but the reality is, no smiley face is going to cover your ugly self. Lol. #homerecordingslutz
 
:D :D :D :D :D

Still not posting any of your "music", huh? You just made a total jackass of yourself.....again.

:laughings::laughings::laughings::laughings::laughings::laughings:


Nothing left to say until this troll posts some of his "professional music". LOL! :)
 
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..and the best way to get any drum sound, or any sound at all, is to experiment moving the microphone(s) arounds until it sounds good. You can record a full Orquestra with two mics (stereo) or a single mic (mono)
Good luck!
 
Depending on the size of the Kit, if its a smaller kit, try standing the mic off center towards the high hat about 5 feet away from the front of the drummers upper chest area, if its a larger kit try placing the mic directly in front, , also if you can get some Plexi glass sheets place them on sides of the kit, that should direct some of the sound towards the mic, another to thing to think about is how is the area set up, is the area square, typical 20ftx20ft? (6mX6m) if the room is longer then its wide try placing the kit on one of the short walls, that'll help direct sound towards the mic, its not just where you locate the mic if you have the time try moving the klt to different spots of the room.....Have fun and lets hear it when your done.
 
ZiM_XG27 said:
...............Why the hell does it seem like EVERYTIME someone has a question on this site the answer is "spend more money because you are an idiot lol"? Answer the question at hand. .............
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People did answer the question you moron... You don't need to spend more money just should learn to read..
 
I finally have the answer.

Take one mic shove up your rectum press record and finally join the military...

---------- Update ----------

Just to qualify my advice...

You should not attempt this without a poop filter.
 
ZiM_XG27 said:
"spend more money because you are an idiot lol"?
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They read lots of recording industry marketing material. . .

Obviously, if you've got an unlimited budget you could get the kind of gear that you could get an amazing sound with ease (it's a lot less effort with better gear), but it's surprising what you can do with what you have. Hell, I've even been in situations where I had access to some top quality gear and in order to get a certain sound, I'd throw something cheap in on a track because the high end gear was too clean and lacked the proper aggression (i.e. the uncontroversial, almost cliche technique of people using guitar effects pedals to affect the signal even in an expensive pro studio in order to get the right edge). Instead of people always saying "I'll make better recordings when I get better gear" they should just record and hone their ears. . . because their EARS are what really are going to get them a better sound. If they have good ears, they can make even modest setups sounds decent (within reason). You could have two people, with identical gear lists make recordings that sound totally different. The gear is just a tool.

Some amazing albums that still have staying power today were recorded under less than ideal conditions. I'm not knocking high end gear (I'm pretty sure we all pine for that) but there's no reason you can't work with what you've got if you're able to make it sound good and appropriate for the music you're trying to make. There is no correct way to please the listener, unless a bunch of audio geeks like us are the target market for the music you're making. If the listener is pleased, and the artist is pleased, then you've done your job. If you can afford high end gear, it's great, but you don't NEED it to make quality recordings as long as you understand the fundamental rules and hone your ears.

Trying to get a good sound of a drum kit from a single sm57, even if you have a huge studio, is a perfectly valid sonic experiment. The OP did a fine job accomplishing that, so I think he's proven my point.

Audio snobs For The Lose.
 
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Where did anyone say to spend a ton of money? I totally missed that.

Some of you newsletter freedom fighters are making up things to argue about.
 
MrUserNameIV said:
They read lots of recording industry marketing material. . .

Obviously, if you've got an unlimited budget you could get the kind of gear that you could get an amazing sound with ease (it's a lot less effort with better gear), but it's surprising what you can do with what you have. Hell, I've even been in situations where I had access to some top quality gear and in order to get a certain sound, I'd throw something cheap in on a track because the high end gear was too clean and lacked the proper aggression (i.e. the uncontroversial, almost cliche technique of people using guitar effects pedals to affect the signal even in an expensive pro studio in order to get the right edge). Instead of people always saying "I'll make better recordings when I get better gear" they should just record and hone their ears. . . because their EARS are what really are going to get them a better sound. If they have good ears, they can make even modest setups sounds decent (within reason).

Some amazing albums that still have staying power today were recorded under less than ideal conditions. I'm not knocking high end gear (I'm pretty sure we all pine for that) but there's no reason you can't work with what you've got if you're able to make it sound good and appropriate for the music you're trying to make. There is no correct way to please the listener, unless a bunch of audio geeks like us are the target market for the music you're making. If you can afford it, it's great, but you don't NEED it to make quality recordings as long as you understand the fundamental rules and hone your ears.

Trying to get a good sound of a drum kit from a single sm57, even if you have a huge studio, is a perfectly valid sonic experiment. The OP did a fine job accomplishing that, so I think he's proven my point.

Audio snobs For The Lose.
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Interesting. OK, in the name of keeping an open mind, can you please point me towards a successful commercial recording that was done with one 57 on a drum kit in the last 40 years? Thanx.

(Don't forget, I'm the guy that earlier in this thread provided the link to the Hall and Oates song that was done with 57's on the kit, so I'm not anyone's "side" here. But you spent 3 paragraphs defending the use of a single mic on a kit. Do you have an example of that?)
 
RAMI said:
Interesting. OK, in the name of keeping an open mind, can you please point me towards a successful commercial recording that was done with one 57 on a drum kit in the last 40 years? Thanx.

(Don't forget, I'm the guy that earlier in this thread provided the link to the Hall and Oates song that was done with 57's on the kit, so I'm not anyone's "side" here. But you spent 3 paragraphs defending the use of a single mic on a kit. Do you have an example of that?)
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I'm not sure. I don't tend to make music with one 57 on a kit, but I'm just saying: Why not, if it works? Do you think the listener is going to turn off the song and never listen to it again if they find out you didn't use the flagship set of mics on the recording? Literally nobody but audio geeks listen to music and give a care how it's made. I'm an audio geek, so I do listen to music that way, but I realize that I'm not my target audience.

I'm defending the act of experimentation itself and learning to hone your ears with what you have, instead of thinking you have to purchase all the latest greatest gear before you can start making music. You'll get a better result easier with better gear, but there's zero reason to defecate on people who are experimenting with the tools they have. Who wouldn't want to have a multi million dollar studio with all the top gear to work with? Just because you don't, doesn't mean as much as the marketing would lead one to believe. I've heard people mix total junk on an SSL board with racks full of high end boutique outboard gear, and I've heard people with a shoestring budget make music that astounded me. That's my point (not whether a single sm57 on a drum kit in and of itself is the best recording technique in history)
 
MrUserNameIV said:
I'm not sure. I don't tend to make music with one 57 on a kit, but I'm just saying: Why not, if it works? Do you think the listener is going to turn off the song and never listen to it again if they find out you didn't use the flagship set of mics on the recording? Literally nobody but audio geeks listen to music and give a care how it's made. I'm an audio geek, so I do listen to music that way, but I realize that I'm not my target audience.
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But that's just it. Nobody's being an audio geek. Not EVERYTHING works. On the one hand, you're saying the tired old "Some amazing albums that still have staying power today were recorded under less than ideal conditions.", which is a nice, safe thing to say. But we're not talking about a vague, smug phrase like that. We're talking about something specific, which is recording a drum kit with one SM57. Nobody was being a snob here. They were simply saying they wouldn't use one 57 to record a track, unless you want to settle for crap. Unless you can give an example that would contradict that sentiment, then all you're saying are empty words.

Yes, many great albums have been recorded with less than stellar equipment (or, at least, we're supposed to believe that because it's a cool thing to say), but what does that have to do with what we're talking about here? Let's just fill this thread with empty cliches so that we cam all come of like Mr. Practical Advice, while not being able to back up anything we say. Christ, at least I provided an example and a link to a hit song that was recorded with a bunch of 57's, and even that was barely relevant to this thread.
 
RAMI said:
:D Hee!

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure MusicWater's best friend was trolling here before, refusing to put up any of his "Music that he makes a living from". :laughings:
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I'm waiting for the definitive Chicago Shuffle demo. I need to know for sure where my left hand goes.
 
LToro said:
Have anybody listen to this guy ^ recordings? Some retro surf rock, sounds exactly like the recording made with one mic. Lol. He's just probably just bitter. Hey Greg love your retro surf rock sound bro. But it doesn't sound that good, perhaps you want to try recording the w one or two mics next time. Rock!
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And what is your point that benefits this thread by giving your opinion about another members musical tastes?

Sounds insulting to me.
 
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