Quality of Overheads on Drums

T

takk

New member
Am I right in saying modern drums recorded these days have a very tight close miced sound. With this in mind, are the overhead mics' job to just pickup the highs of the cymbols, The crashes, the pings, the tings?

So do you really need nice overheads to get a good overall drum sound?
 
If all you got were nice overheads you'd be working. Drums can be done very well with just over-heads. Better yet would be nice over-heads, an SM57 on the snare and a kick mic of your choice. Another favorite alternate is two over head and one about 5 feet in front. I've read where lots of folks are getting by with one OH, one snare and 1 kick. Some like to add a high hat...my feeling is that if the OH's are set up right, the hihat is over-kill

I always say, don't do anything else until the drum set sounds good with the over-heads all by them selves. ONLY then add the snare and kick mics...most of the sound comes from the over heads unless, you're gonna use 15 mics and close mic every cymbal and drum...then...don't ask me...I'm not into it.

I should add...tuning the drums properly and the room acoustics play a vital part. These items should considered equally when setting up for recording. They're not something you can "just fix later" in the mix.
 
I think overheads are the most important mics. One of the first Hollywood engineers I ever met told me he wouldn't record a drumkit without condensers for overheads. They are for the stereo image of the kit and it really wouldn't sound right without them.

Close mics are definately a big part of the modern sound, and have been since the 70's. The room has a huge effect on the sound today. In the 70's, studio rooms were very dead spaces. It's why 70's drums sounded like, well, 70's drums.

Overheads pick up the articulation and punch of the kit. Close mics fill in the body. Granted, you can do alot by close micing and letting the bleed pick up the cymbals. I've done both and much prefer to have a set for the overheads. Over time I've been lucky enough to build up my gear to be able to track every drum and mic. I've had some good recordings that were done with minimal equipment and a great deal of jury rigging and creativity.

There really are no rules, but there are excepted and established practices.
 
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