Is there any kind of tirck to over heads besides mic placement?

M

Malone

New member
i did a drum track for this band i am recording and the ov er heads sound good but i was wondering if there was any thing that you should put on overheads. compression, noise gate.. reverbe? any thing..

they are a funk rock band and i used a pair of apex 190's
i already pan hard left and right and that sounds awesome but i just wanted to know if there was anything that you guys would recomend

thanks
 
Mic placement IS the trick.
Some people like to roll the low end out of the overheads and compress a little (or a lot). I generally leave the overheads alone and do my processing on the close mics, which take massive compression and EQ'ing and reverbing much better.
 
You do have to watch for phase problems - especially if you place the OH's apart in a Spaced (| |) instead of a Coincident pair - XY ( V )...

IMO, your best-sounding mics need to be on overheads because they're essentially capturing the whole flavour of the kit, which you accentuate using the close-mic'd tracks..... at least, that's typically how I approach it...!
 
Blue Bear Sound said:
You do have to watch for phase problems -
Click to expand...

Oh come now, you know just as well as anyone else that chorusing and flanging cymbals are the rage :rolleyes:


SoMm





Use a tape measure and a calculator to start. Then find a nice hissy amp cranked with no source plugged in and sit it on the drummers throne. Use headphones when placing the mics, your hear the phase sweep so you'll know what direction to move the mic relative to other. OH should be 6 to 8 ft above the kit for the sound to fully cature the bloom.
 
I was trying (unsuccessfully!) to diagram the mic placement for a Spaced pair of mics (2 OH mics spaced apart on a parallel plane, hence the | |), and a Coincident pair of mics (placed 90-130 degrees from a common point, as in a V shape)
 
Blue Bear Sound said:
You do have to watch for phase problems - especially if you place the OH's apart in a Spaced (| |) instead of a Coincident pair - XY ( V )...

IMO, your best-sounding mics need to be on overheads because they're essentially capturing the whole flavour of the kit, which you accentuate using the close-mic'd tracks..... at least, that's typically how I approach it...!
Click to expand...

This is some of the best advice you can get. This is the way to get a natural and full sounding kit if the room has good acoustics.

Like whipped cream - blend till its smooth.
 
woah. I just realized how stupid I look for writing that wrong..


"well man if you get that done could so you me a copy?"
 
Tricks?

Well, i wouldn't pan hard left and right, unless i wanted the drums to appear as big as the room where the music is played.

But... i like to use a moderate amount of compression. Sometimes (in ballads) when i want to get rid of ride bell, and make cymbals open "slower", more like an approaching storm or something, i'd use underheads instead of overheads. Jus like overheads in spaced pair, but you place them below cymbals.

Sometimes i just put a single AKG C1000 right over drums and be done with it:) - with its harsh 6-8 kHz it's perfect for rock with distorted guitars. AKG D12 (no, not D112) or sennheiser e602 for bass drum, sm57 for snare. That rocks:) Mono compression with bass.
 
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