How many tracks do you use to record drums?
- Thread starter coolsoundman
- Start date
rory
New member
I generally use between 5 and 10 mics for drums. I've gotten really great results with three mics, but I like a little extra manipulation.
My minimum is usually a large diaphram condensor about 6' in front of the kick. I move it around and try to find a "sweet spot" that captures really the whole kit. I also stick a mic either up against the res. head on the kick or in the hole in the kick. My third mic is an I-5 (usually) on the snare. 4 and 5 are overheads. The position changes a lot, but I usually put them somewhere like this: Left channel goes just in behind the snare about head level from the drummer. The second OH, right channel, will go anywhere from over the floor tom to maybe three feet away from the floor tom aimed at the snare.
If I want more control, I will suppliment these mics with close tom mics and an under the snare mic. I also have about three SM-91 boundary mics scattered around the room that I most always record with, but don't regularly keep.
Rory
My minimum is usually a large diaphram condensor about 6' in front of the kick. I move it around and try to find a "sweet spot" that captures really the whole kit. I also stick a mic either up against the res. head on the kick or in the hole in the kick. My third mic is an I-5 (usually) on the snare. 4 and 5 are overheads. The position changes a lot, but I usually put them somewhere like this: Left channel goes just in behind the snare about head level from the drummer. The second OH, right channel, will go anywhere from over the floor tom to maybe three feet away from the floor tom aimed at the snare.
If I want more control, I will suppliment these mics with close tom mics and an under the snare mic. I also have about three SM-91 boundary mics scattered around the room that I most always record with, but don't regularly keep.
Rory
Hmmm...depends. Generally 3 or 7.
For my open, roomy faux-jazz stuff, it's a Beta 52A inside the bass with two AT3035's overhead...sorta over the hats and between the floors.
To get more focus and/or isolation, I close-mic the toms with two EV468's, put a 57 under the snare, and for now anyway, a 609 on the hats.
For my open, roomy faux-jazz stuff, it's a Beta 52A inside the bass with two AT3035's overhead...sorta over the hats and between the floors.
To get more focus and/or isolation, I close-mic the toms with two EV468's, put a 57 under the snare, and for now anyway, a 609 on the hats.
Am I doing this wrong?
I use 4 mics:
1 overhead center of kit, panned center
1 inside kick, panned center
1 behind hi-hat + ride, about 2 feet from snare, panned left
1 behind toms, panned right
I'm new to recording, and this seems to sound alright to me, but would I get a better sound if I moved the mics to different places? Everyone seems to have a mic on the snare.....
I use 4 mics:
1 overhead center of kit, panned center
1 inside kick, panned center
1 behind hi-hat + ride, about 2 feet from snare, panned left
1 behind toms, panned right
I'm new to recording, and this seems to sound alright to me, but would I get a better sound if I moved the mics to different places? Everyone seems to have a mic on the snare.....
I just tried exactly that, and I must say the stereo imaging is MUCH better on the track. The cymbals seem brighter without the lingering decay, and the snare stands out much better. The only problem is my kick doesn't sound flat and punchy like before. It now seems distant, kind of like Bonham's drums in Zeppelin. I am shooting more for Grohl on the 'In Utero' album. I've messed with the EQ controls and just can't seem to get the kick to sound closer and fuller. Any suggestions? I am using an AKG dynamic mic in a ported head.
Maybe Try useing a Different Mic on the Bass or maybe Try putting the Mic closer to the head near were the Batter makes contact with the Head and maybe you will get a Better sound....
You also might try adding a bit of Compression to the Bass drum which should make the Bass stand out more and Bring up it"s Volume a Bit.....
I personally use 2 Mics on the bass drum ,One Mic is a Dynamic that is Very close to the head and the other is a Condenser that is Just inside the bass drum and seems to really Bring out the sound of the Bass.....
these are a few things you can try and surely one of them will get you closer to the sound you are looking for.....
Cheers
You also might try adding a bit of Compression to the Bass drum which should make the Bass stand out more and Bring up it"s Volume a Bit.....
I personally use 2 Mics on the bass drum ,One Mic is a Dynamic that is Very close to the head and the other is a Condenser that is Just inside the bass drum and seems to really Bring out the sound of the Bass.....
these are a few things you can try and surely one of them will get you closer to the sound you are looking for.....
Cheers
drossfile
nope
the poll question is a trick one!
ok, i answered the poll honestly with "2" tracks, which is true, but only to the extent that i mix 8 mics down to 2 stereo channels for recording. sure, it's a pain in the ass to get the right mix, but once i did, now i just push a couple of buttons and voila! great drum tracks taking up minimal space! plus it means i don't really have to do any compression because so much data is already crammed into those 2 tracks! here's the setup for anyone who cares (i wouldn't consider this bragging, since my stuff is pretty cheap--what can i say, i'm bored):
numbered by mixer channel:
1 hi-hat, rotos--akg c1000s
2 left OH, CAD icm-417
3 right OH, CAD icm-417
4 kick, akg d550
5 snare, sm57 (of course)
6 12" tom, CAD tsm-411
7 13" tom, CAD tsm-411
8 floor tom, CAD tsm-411
shouldn't i be downstairs using this stuff right now instead of here talking about it???
ok, i answered the poll honestly with "2" tracks, which is true, but only to the extent that i mix 8 mics down to 2 stereo channels for recording. sure, it's a pain in the ass to get the right mix, but once i did, now i just push a couple of buttons and voila! great drum tracks taking up minimal space! plus it means i don't really have to do any compression because so much data is already crammed into those 2 tracks! here's the setup for anyone who cares (i wouldn't consider this bragging, since my stuff is pretty cheap--what can i say, i'm bored):
numbered by mixer channel:
1 hi-hat, rotos--akg c1000s
2 left OH, CAD icm-417
3 right OH, CAD icm-417
4 kick, akg d550
5 snare, sm57 (of course)
6 12" tom, CAD tsm-411
7 13" tom, CAD tsm-411
8 floor tom, CAD tsm-411
shouldn't i be downstairs using this stuff right now instead of here talking about it???
Tony Visconte used to place microphones on all the drums top and bottom as well as use overheads.
With a large kit that could translate to DOZENS of microphones.
Of-course the more microphones and tracks you use the more control you will have at mix down.
BUT INDEED - It is completely possible to get a great drums sound using only 2 microphones..
-Stew
With a large kit that could translate to DOZENS of microphones.
Of-course the more microphones and tracks you use the more control you will have at mix down.
BUT INDEED - It is completely possible to get a great drums sound using only 2 microphones..
-Stew
14 mic's summed to 8 tracks .
2 tracks for a pair of room mic's
1 track from a direct out ( inside) bass mic
1 track from a direct out top snare
1 track from direct out bottom snare
1 track left side mix * ( * mix includes everything but room mic's)
1 track right side mix *
1 track of a sub mix of all the toms ( back up if needed in parts of the mix down)
mic's
5 condensers - 2 room , 2 overhead and 1 hi hat
2 bass - 1 inside port close to beater and 1 outside
2 snare over and under
5 tom - on 6 toms (1 shared between the 8 and 10 inch toms)
during mixing everything works around the left and right mix hoping that those tracks and some added ambience from the room mic's will nail it . Bass or snare can be beefed up if needed to cut thru all those screaming guitars !!!
Maybe a little delay on the the snares and some compression on the bass brought up under the mix to add some flavor . All depending on what the music needs . Flavor to taste !! 
2 tracks for a pair of room mic's
1 track from a direct out ( inside) bass mic
1 track from a direct out top snare
1 track from direct out bottom snare
1 track left side mix * ( * mix includes everything but room mic's)
1 track right side mix *
1 track of a sub mix of all the toms ( back up if needed in parts of the mix down)
mic's
5 condensers - 2 room , 2 overhead and 1 hi hat
2 bass - 1 inside port close to beater and 1 outside
2 snare over and under
5 tom - on 6 toms (1 shared between the 8 and 10 inch toms)
during mixing everything works around the left and right mix hoping that those tracks and some added ambience from the room mic's will nail it . Bass or snare can be beefed up if needed to cut thru all those screaming guitars !!!
Maybe a little delay on the the snares and some compression on the bass brought up under the mix to add some flavor . All depending on what the music needs . Flavor to taste !! the inhabitant
WTF is going on here?
Snare top: beta 57a
Snare bottom: shure 55sh (phase reversed)
High Hat: akg 535 (hardly ever mix it in - should probably stop using it)
Toms: MD421 (3 ea)
OH: KSM32 (2 ea)
Kick: D6
Front of kit (aimed at kick): Blueberry
10 total
I though everyone used 8 plus mic's. This thread has been really informative. I used to get decent drum track back when all I had was 2 sm57's and 2 sm58's. Now I can see that it wasn't magic.
I would trade all of my mic's for a nice room and two crappy overheads.
I know my overhead's are not ideal, but they work surprisingly well.
Snare bottom: shure 55sh (phase reversed)
High Hat: akg 535 (hardly ever mix it in - should probably stop using it)
Toms: MD421 (3 ea)
OH: KSM32 (2 ea)
Kick: D6
Front of kit (aimed at kick): Blueberry
10 total
I though everyone used 8 plus mic's. This thread has been really informative. I used to get decent drum track back when all I had was 2 sm57's and 2 sm58's. Now I can see that it wasn't magic.
I would trade all of my mic's for a nice room and two crappy overheads.
I know my overhead's are not ideal, but they work surprisingly well.
Blue Groove
New member
1-?
I'll use however many are needed. Sometimes one is enough, sometimes 3on the snare, t&b on the toms, t&b hh, 2 overs, 2 kick, t&b ride.
Or... royer 122s in a blumlein array
I'll use however many are needed. Sometimes one is enough, sometimes 3on the snare, t&b on the toms, t&b hh, 2 overs, 2 kick, t&b ride.
Or... royer 122s in a blumlein array
White_moon
New member
4. Just the standard 2 overheads, snare and kick. And I use an sm57 for the bass drum.
maskedman72
Member
lets see here.......
on a standard 5 pc kit i will sometimes use up to 16 tracks.
4 on kick (inside outside distant and trigger)
3 on snare (top bottom trigger)
3 on each tom (top bottom and trigger)
1 on hats
1 on ride
2 overhead
2 room mics.
but in other situations less can be more and use only 8.
on a standard 5 pc kit i will sometimes use up to 16 tracks.
4 on kick (inside outside distant and trigger)
3 on snare (top bottom trigger)
3 on each tom (top bottom and trigger)
1 on hats
1 on ride
2 overhead
2 room mics.
but in other situations less can be more and use only 8.
Elton Bear
Unregistered Abuser
I have had AMAZING results from 2 mics though, one in the Bass and one horizontal between the snare and the hi-hats; but generally - Bass, Snare, 2 OH's, sometimes mic toms, and if I feel particularly wasteful I go for an ambient condenser (AKG C414 or C3000 usually)