Recording cajon drum

[ReneR]

I wanna record cajon drums but at the moment I don't have any good equipment to do it, just some cheesy microphone and that's it. I've been thinking about to buy some microphones for cajon drum recording purpose but I don't know exactly where or what equipment should I look for. Any help?

 

[Spare Dougal]

What's your budget? That's going to determine what you can buy more than anything. To be able to record Cajon and still be able to record other things (full drum kit for example) I'd say you'd be best off getting a Kick drum mic (so large-ish diapragm dynamic mic, something like a Sennheiser e602 or AKG D112) an SM57 (front of the cajon, snares, vocals, anything really) and a couple of Large Diaphragm Condensers (LDCs) (something like the SE2200). This will mean you can record pretty much anything.

There are loads of mics out there and it's generally personal prefer about which ones are best, but with a Large diapgram Dynamic, Something like a 57 and two LDCs you'll be good to start with. Have a read around the forum for some pros and cons on other mics, but here's my suggestion of mic selection for those starting out. It'll get you off the ground and won't be useless in years to come....MixTips: Building a Home Studio On a Budget

 

[treidm]

but with a Large diapgram Dynamic, Something like a 57

Just to clarify a large diaphragm dynamic in my circles would be something like an EV RE20. An sm57 would be a small diaphragm dynamic. (Or medium if that category is used)

EDIT:
Large Diaphragm (LD)
Any microphone with a diaphragm larger than (and potentially including) 3/4" is considered to be a Large Diaphragm microphone.

Up until recent times anything smaller than a LD was considered a SD
Now a new category has emerged.......

Medium Diaphragm (MD)
Historically there have been large diaphragm and small diaphragm mics, but more recently the medium size has begun carving out its own category, though not everyone agrees on the precise upper and lower limits. Most professionals and manufacturers agree that any microphone with a diaphragm near 5/8" to 3/4" can be characterized as a Medium Diaphragm microphone.

Small Diaphragm (SD)
If using a medium diaphragm category, a size that most professionals and manufacturers would agree upon for a Small Diaphragm is that any diaphragm smaller than 5/8" would be considered a Small Diaphragm microphone.


Diaphragm Size------------------Small------------Medium----------Large

Self Noise------------------------Higher------------Lower----------Lowest

Sensitivity------------------------Low ---------------High------------Highest

SPL Handling----------------------High -------------Lower----------Lowest

Frequency Range-----------------Wide-------------Narrower------Narrowest

Influence on sound field----------Little ------------Medium---------Larger

Dynamic Range--------------------High-------------Lower-----------Lowest

 

[moresound]

Does Spare Dougal mean SM7 then?

I've found that a boundary microphone (take your pick) within the cajon works just fine.