Since you have already spent your money, Jack, lets make the best of it.
You'll want to play with where you put that dynamic to get the best sound out of it. I'd definately use it to mic the kick. Worry about that later, though- your real challenge is going to be those omni overheads. Almost all of your kit sound needs to come from them- see why these guys are recommending better mics?
Overheads are typically panned out right and left so that your drums have a nice stereo sound. Your ticket will be to get the
snare to sound like its dead center. Move those mics around and keep them the same distance from the snare until you get the best snare sound you can.
Step one down. This might take a while...but it'll be worth it.
Record a sample (yes, using only those two mics) of the drumming you'll be doing for the song- hit everything just like you would playing it live. Then put on another pot of coffee and
listen to it really, really carefully.
What sounds need to be different? Are the cymbals too loud and sizzly? Do the toms sound dead? Most importantly, does the snare still sound good enough? How does the kick sound?
Here's the main point of this step: if the snare sounds good with those mics set up the way they are
don't move them!! Tell the drummer to hit the cymbals more softly and live with the toms the way they are, but keep that snare sound!
If the snare doesn't cut it for you after listening for a little while, take really good notes about where those mics are before you move them. Try, try again.
Next up: The kick.
Listen to your most recent scratch recording and pay close attention to the kick. I know it doesn't sound great through those omni overheads- your only job with that dynamic mic is to somehow get the sound that is missing.
Are you getting a fair amount a beater click through the omni's? Great- try putting the dynamic on the back drum head to get some boom into that bass. If you aren't getting enough click, try micing the beater side and move the mic closer to or further from the beater to get a balance of boom and click. Perhaps better is to stick the dynamic through the hole in the back head and move it further from or closer to the place where the beater hits the front head. Record sample tracks freqeuntly and listen to them.
Move the mics first. Don't touch the EQ until you think you have the best sound you can get. If you do your job right you may not have to touch that EQ- it generally creates more problems than it solves.
Good luck! It might take more than one pot of coffee, but this is what home recording is all about!
And plan on recording the drums for as many songs as you can before you have to take those mics down or take down the kit. Every time you set up to record the drums the setup process will be the same and almost as long.
Chris
