Recording different sides of the drum

K

KenekeBarnes

New member
What is the difference between recording from the top or bottom of a drum? Aren't you going to get a clearer sound if you have the mic near the striking area? This sound guy I was working with set up kick, snare, and tom mics from the underside of each, saying the sound was just as good, with the additional benefit of being isolated from cymbal noise. But doesn't that take out drum highs as well? (Not that that matters for the kick, granted)
 
Cloce micing the bottom (also known as the resonator head) of a drum may give you a little more ring but you might also pick up a lot of unwanted resonance if the drums are not tuned properly. You may get a lot of boominess from larger toms. Top micing gives you more attack and a shorter decay. The way a drum is miced depends on what type of sound you are wanting to get.
 
If I put a mic in front of your mouth and one behind your head, and you sing, will the 2 mics hear the same thing? No. Look at a snare drum. Gee, the snares are on the bottom. Or say, a Djembe. The attack of the slap and the highs come off the skin. Most of the bass is blown out of the throat below. As Dani says, it depends on the sound you want. Most people mic a snare from the top, but I will often add a bottom mic, especially if the floor is soft (carpet) with no platform. I will always mic a Djembe with 2 mics, top and bottom. Remember when doing that to reverse the phase on one of the 2 mics.-Richie
 
I'd say play with the polarity on the djembe mics, not absolutely flip one. Since the mics are different distances from the head, and phase/polarity issues are affected by that, you should try both ways. That's the reason people stress having snare top and bottom mics be the same distance from the heads, and one with reversed polarity. You get correct polarity (+/-) and closest phase (arrival time at the mic) that way.
 
Alright, what about the difference between miking inside a bass drum right in front of the point of contact, and placing a mic outside the drum right outside the point of contact? Lots of overtones/reverb inside the drum, I presume?

Thanks again
 
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