Recording drums?? Which option should I use for a room?

T

trandg

New member
I will be recording my band with my Fostex MR8. It has a max of two channel recording at a time.

We practice in a big church hall, about the size of two gymnasiums.


There are some smaller rooms in the building as well (everything from confined bathroom sized rooms and larger...)


Which room would be best to record the drums in? I don't have any experience (obviously! hehehe) with any proper recording technique, so I'm just wondering your opinions.


I was planning on recording everything else in the hall, but I don't know if the reverb will be picked up.


Thanks!


David G. Tran


www.random-thought.com


PS I guess you could say our music is a cross between pop and alternative rock.....does that make sense? no? !!!
 
when you play the drums in the church hall,is there MASS big reverb coming from it? like, just hit the kick drum. do you hear it for 5 seconds after it's been hit? if so, i think you may want to pick a smaller room, and just record in IT. put the set in the center of the room, away from walls (less reflection), and record it and keep trying different mic placements.

of course, if you DO want a lot of reverb, you have the best tool at your service - the big church hall!
 
A good room would be non square, preferably with unparallel walls, 10'-20' ceilings and enough furniture along the walls to help disperse the sound randomly. Lots of curtains and carpet will give you a tighter, darker sound and lots of flat, hard surfaces will give a more live and possibly boomy sound. If there is any obvious slap back echo it needs to be at the same tempo as the song or it will sound really bad.

Walk around the rooms and clap your hands or play a snare drum and try to notice the differences in the rooms. Hopefully one of the rooms will really stand out. Don't be tricked into using a room because you hear a lot of echo and think it sounds cool. You want a room that compliments the sound without overwhelming it unless you want to use the room as an effect.
 
trandg said:
We practice in a big church hall, about the size of two gymnasiums.
Click to expand...

Just a wild guess, but I would probaby start there. :D


Hint: if the reverb is too much of a problem, then try hanging a bunch of packing blankets around the kit and close-mic . . . definitely stick a couple of room mics up, though, several feet back.
 
Maybe just leave the drums in the larger room. Mic them. Then roll in some coat racks and hang sheets, clothes, cloth, etc. around the kit to knock down the reverb. You know, like a temporary closet?
 
If the large room is your only option and it is giving you too much verb, try to create some baffles with whatever you have around that is absorbant. Close mic the set, but try using an extra room mic set back pretty far to seeh ow that sounds. You might be able to grab some great natural reverb.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top