Stereo Recording? Mixers and all that!

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bruntm

New member
I have read many many many posts on drum recordings etc and basically I can tell that there is no simple solution to any kind of recording!

However, I am a "middle" drummer with a semi decent premier cabria exclusive kit, all heads are decent i tune them to exactly how i want etc. I have tried recording straight into a PC microphone and the sound I experienced was....terrible.

I would still like to record onto the pc but with drum mics, I have read about stereo recording? what exactly is this please?

Also, I have been looking at a tom,tom,tom,snare,bass kit of mics and a tom,tom,tom,snare,bass,overhead,overhead kit of mics. Which would be better?

I also have been looking at the Samson MDR8 - 8 Channel Mixer, at http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=shop&prodid=1934 this seems good except there are only 6xlr inputs, so what about my other mics (if i where to get the set with two overheads?)

Anyway, im confused, if I can go stereo and only use two mics i could get away with cheaper ones (only needing two) and a cheaper mixer?

Please advise me as much as possible!

By the way, my kit is snare,2 toms, 1 floor tom, hats, bass, 2x crash, 1x splash, 1x ride if that makes any difference.

thanks a lot :)



ps: i am not recording for pro or anythin, its just for personal use, a bit of editing etc maybe? and possibly adding in some instruments over the top? what software would i need?
 
bruntm said:
I would still like to record onto the pc but with drum mics, I have read about stereo recording? what exactly is this please?
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When you record on two chanells, panned L/R, and you play back, you'll hear the snare and hi hat on the left, and the floor tom and ride on the right, and the ride toms in the middle, for example.
 
where would the mics be placed? is stereo just a cheap quick way to record ?? or is it classed as a "real alternative"
 
first off, if you dont have a good sound card dont record onto your computer. bad sound cards makes it sound like crap. You really only need two drum mics(Bass,overhead) the overhead can just be hung above the set, or on a boom stand. Always go with a decent bass drum mic, this makes for a much better sound. "Audix D-6" is the bass mic that i use, it is one of the best i have come across($199.00). For the overhead the mic doesnt need to be that great.

The mics that you are talking about would be better if you dont mind spending money. You should go with the set that has an overhead mic, if you have each drum miced then you wont hear the cymbles. go with the overhead kit....that mixer it way over priced, "Behringer Eurorack UB1622FX-PRO 16-Input Mixer " this is a fine mixer, 16 inputs, effects, and much more ($175.00) this is what a use with two drum mics and it sounds great....uuummmmmm, i donno, just reply sometime and i could give you a better answer because i am a little to stoned to keep typing..........if you can understand anything that i am typing
 
I have decided to go with the simple one mic in kick one mic overhead with a boom. It sounds great! PLus it seems a lot cheaper than what I had in mind.

Two other things though, if I only intend on using two mics what do you rekon to only using a mixer with fewer inputs, perhaps four? as all the others would go to waste. (I can always upgrade later if I really need to)

The mixer you refer to Behringer Eurorack UB1622FX-PRO 16-Input Mixer actually retails for around £115 here rather than the £150 i WAS going to pay. The mixer I was thinin about (http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=shop&prodid=1934) has something called hard disk record mode (whatever that might be!) does anyone know what exactly this is and is it a useful feature to include :S

Also, my sound card is not great (on board ASUS). I can easily get a soundblaster pro live digital thingie for next to nothing, would this be better or would you suggest I record some other way?

Thanks for your replies (and even though you where stoned it makes perfect sense to me!)

LOL
 
bruntm said:
I have decided to go with the simple one mic in kick one mic overhead with a boom. It sounds great! PLus it seems a lot cheaper than what I had in mind.
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any idea on which mics you'll be getting? i'm going to suggest two over heads and a kick mic, this will give you heaps of options on mic placement and stereo image. perhaps look at a pair of studio projects b1 mics or mxl 603 or if youre really on a tight budget behringer ecm8000s (i use them all the time because i like the sound on my kit). then something like an atm 25, d112 etc on kick or if your on a tight budget an at25 pro.

as for a mixer ,something the size of the behringer 1204 will be fine, however i would suggest you get the yamaha mg102. the yamahas sound a lot better than the behri's for around the same price. the way you would use the mixer is by using channel 1 for b.d. panned center, channel 2 for your first overhead panned all the way left, and channel three for the second overhead panned all the way right. go out the main output of the mixer into the soundcard.

your soundcard should treat you well enough for now, i think you are better off spending the money on better frontend gear. if you are unhappy with the sound you can replace the soundcard further down the track... if you get hooked on homerecing you may even want a multi channel card or something, so i'd hold off on that for a while.
 
"studio projects b1 mics or mxl 603" I am finding it hard to locate any of them on google, there are plenty of reviews but I cant see any UK outlets?

The behringer ecm8000s are only around £32 each so thats only £64 for two overheads which is cheaper than I was planning on paying anyway! (I saw two for £80)

I am still looking into a kick mic (I cannot seem to locate any of the ones you mention).

As for the mixer, if you suggest the yamaha mg102 then thats great as its actually around £20 cheaper than the Behringer!

I'll let you all know how I get on! Thanks for your help :)
 
bruntm said:
I am still looking into a kick mic (I cannot seem to locate any of the ones you mention).
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How about an Audix D6. Very nice kick mic. Easy to get a great sound from it.
 
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