Hey all, I've been looking to improve my recording setup for drums in my basement as I've only been using 1-2 mic setups with vocal mics, not instrument mics. So, considering some of the equipment I already have, after some research I found a microphone kit and a couple AI's that would help improve on my setup. I'd also like to incorporate my band recording some decent sounding demo's with the setup, and what we have now is definitely lacking.
What I got
What I'm considering
With the cheaper option of the M-Audio 8, we're looking at a little over $1200 CAD which feels a bit steep for me at the moment. That being said I do understand that this stuff isn't cheap so definitely can wiggle if it means getting the best out of what we have downstairs.
Where I am comfortable is with the Shure drum mic kit. It comes with 3 SM57's and a Beta 52A for the kick. These mics would be lovely to have and I'd never need to think about getting anything better unless we really start taking to some professional audio production past good sounding demo's. I'd use the 52A on the kick, 1x SM57 on the snare, and 2x for overhead to get stereo. Later down the line, I can invest in more SM57's to add to my other 3 toms, and potentially under-sides of them. EDIT So instead of 2 as OH, I'll bite the bullet, grab a 4th sm57 to cover each tom, and Neewer NW-410 pair for OH condensers.
How we've been recording is through the vocal mics into the M-Track. This sounds pretty decent on drums but only 1 or 2 mics, more so for vocals on top of it, isn't quite hitting it for demo quality. Guitars and what not have been DI into the DAW and played with but with some SM57's we could get that sweet sweet live tone from the amps. Same with Bass. Nonetheless, we'd toy around with DI in the new software and their plugins.
Where my concerns lie are with what is really "needed."
When it comes to the mixing console, I have run several mics into it, then aux out into the M-Track to record drums. The only issue is within the DAW it's only considered 1 track. If you realize after recording you want the kick to have more lows then you'd have to re-record...
So unless there is a way to have it record as individual tracks within the DAW for each mic, I take it I'll need a new AI that supports more inputs. Next comes to which one out of the M-Audio and Focusrite is better for the long run. I'd rather spend a bit more now than have to upgrade a part later down the line because it won't support the growing needs. That being said despite hitting 7 inputs already, I don't know if I'm ready for anything with more than 8 mic inputs just yet. That's something I'll buy a Thunderbolt PCIe card for and install it into my PC or one of us should have a Mac or something with Thunderbolt capability later down the line.
Are there any other drum mic packages that will give the same quality as the Shure kit but better pricing?
Is the Focusrite significantly better than the M-Audio for drum/band tracking? Any other AI I should consider?
Any suggestions are welcomed and if I've left anything out (like something that comes with an item, I don't know, it may vary) I'll do my best to fill it in.
I've been experimenting with what I got in a couple of different ways with not too much improvement so I feel some investment is needed.
Thanks in advance!
What I got
- M-Audio M-Track 2x2 C-series
- Fender PX-2208D Powered Mixing Console
- 1x Shure SM58 mic
- 1x Audio-Technica ATM61HE mic
- 2x standard XLR cords
- 5 Piece Mapex Drum Kit
- Windows 10 laptop, Audacity and MusicMaker (which came with my VegasPro 15 installation) my brother can't access Cubase??
- Due to the windows laptop, I don't have any access to Thunderbolt and I'm pretty sure FireWire, thus limited to USB AI.
What I'm considering
- Shure DMK57-52 Drum Microphone Kit + 1x SM57
- Focusrite Scarlett-18i20 Gen2 or Gen3 OR
- M-Audio M-Track Eight
- Both come with similar software, though Focusrite seems to have a wider selection
- Neewer NW-410 condenser micsOR
- LyxPro SDPC2 condenser mics
- Both support Omni, Cardioid, and Super-cardioid
With the cheaper option of the M-Audio 8, we're looking at a little over $1200 CAD which feels a bit steep for me at the moment. That being said I do understand that this stuff isn't cheap so definitely can wiggle if it means getting the best out of what we have downstairs.
Where I am comfortable is with the Shure drum mic kit. It comes with 3 SM57's and a Beta 52A for the kick. These mics would be lovely to have and I'd never need to think about getting anything better unless we really start taking to some professional audio production past good sounding demo's. I'd use the 52A on the kick, 1x SM57 on the snare, and 2x for overhead to get stereo. Later down the line, I can invest in more SM57's to add to my other 3 toms, and potentially under-sides of them. EDIT So instead of 2 as OH, I'll bite the bullet, grab a 4th sm57 to cover each tom, and Neewer NW-410 pair for OH condensers.
How we've been recording is through the vocal mics into the M-Track. This sounds pretty decent on drums but only 1 or 2 mics, more so for vocals on top of it, isn't quite hitting it for demo quality. Guitars and what not have been DI into the DAW and played with but with some SM57's we could get that sweet sweet live tone from the amps. Same with Bass. Nonetheless, we'd toy around with DI in the new software and their plugins.
Where my concerns lie are with what is really "needed."
When it comes to the mixing console, I have run several mics into it, then aux out into the M-Track to record drums. The only issue is within the DAW it's only considered 1 track. If you realize after recording you want the kick to have more lows then you'd have to re-record...
So unless there is a way to have it record as individual tracks within the DAW for each mic, I take it I'll need a new AI that supports more inputs. Next comes to which one out of the M-Audio and Focusrite is better for the long run. I'd rather spend a bit more now than have to upgrade a part later down the line because it won't support the growing needs. That being said despite hitting 7 inputs already, I don't know if I'm ready for anything with more than 8 mic inputs just yet. That's something I'll buy a Thunderbolt PCIe card for and install it into my PC or one of us should have a Mac or something with Thunderbolt capability later down the line.
Are there any other drum mic packages that will give the same quality as the Shure kit but better pricing?
Is the Focusrite significantly better than the M-Audio for drum/band tracking? Any other AI I should consider?
Any suggestions are welcomed and if I've left anything out (like something that comes with an item, I don't know, it may vary) I'll do my best to fill it in.
I've been experimenting with what I got in a couple of different ways with not too much improvement so I feel some investment is needed.
Thanks in advance!
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