4 Mics on Drums--Recording Advice?

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whiskeyfoot

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Hi, my name is Jason, i'm new to the forum and studio recording in general.
and i'm just looking for some advice: i will give more info
on myself at the end of this post, but first the brass tacks...

I plan to record my band tomorrow, the first of many sessions
to come. I have a Zoom 1608 multitrack with 8 track simultanious
recording. I will be utilizing 4 of those tracks for the other
instruments, and plan to use the 4 last tracks for the drums. I
have the following mics left to use on those tracks:

1- Shure SM57
1- Audio Technica ATR30 (SM58 style dynamic)
1- Samson Co1 large diaphram condenser
1- Samson Co2 Small Diaphram condenser
1- AKG Perception 200 Large diaphram condenser
1- Shure RS230 (SM58 style dynamic)

I'd say the AKG, the Samson Co2, and the SM57 are my 3 best mics.
I'm guessing i'll use the Co1 also, being that its at least a condenser.
Just wondering if anyone had any advice on what 4 mics they would use, and in what 4 mic configuration. I know there's not a perfect way to set up, but i'm just looking for suggestions!

I've been recording electronic music for years, but using mic's to capture sound is a baffling thing thus far! i'm learning more every day!
thanks for your time...i hope you reply!!!! -Jason
 
Head on over to the Drums forum and check the "Great sound with 3 mics" thread (that should be stickied by now, who knows why it isn't). You're going to want to make sure you've got the kit set up in a place to help minimize bleed from the amps if you're live tracking. Some bleed is going to happen, just try and keep it minimal.

If I had those mics, I'd put the 57 on the snare, ATR 30 on the kick, and then the 2 Samson mics as the overheads.

Or, you can drop the 57, use the other 3 mics, and use the AKG as a room mic, but again, that depends on how much bleed you're getting from the amps.
 
awesome..

yeah..i just got done reading most of that post (3 mic method) and it sounds like its exactly what i'm looking for...
i'm guessing i'm going to use the Co1 to the left, the AKG to the right, then the sm57 on the snare, and my best sounding 'leftover' mic on the kick.......
thanks for the reply...any others?
 
oh yeah..

keep in mind, my band is a punkish rock band...sortof a Social Distortion sound??? some rockabilly punk country blues stuff...hahaa

it won't allow me to post URL's, so we're on myspace dot com
slash americandestitution

those are my first round of recording trials...hahaa
-jas0n-
 
Mic up the kick, the snare, put an overhead above it, and then use the other mic on the toms.

You can kind of "create" a stereo image with the one overhead by EQ'ing a little bit. You know, putting the single overhead take into two tracks, and then playing around with EQ on both and hard panning one track left, and the other right. I've done this on a few occasions back when I recorded a kit with only two microphones (kick and overhead) and got decent results.
 
I think you're on the right track
I would do something similar to what russtopher suggested with these variables:

I would be using the C01 and Perception 200 as OH's... you could try Glyn Johns method (google it if you're not familiar with it) or recorderman method (ditto). Since you have 2 "spare" tracks I'd go for the SM57 on snare and one of the 58 knockoffs on the kick.
One thing to look for is to try and place the drums in the best sounding room you have and in the best sounding spot in the room (think of reflections etc).

Good luck
 
I second the Glyn Johns/recorderman approach on the overheads. Brings in a lot more toms and a much better overall balance and meatiness vs. straight l/r overheads. And yeah, 57 on snare, condensers on OH's and the last on the kick.

Good luck man.
 
excellent, i take it the Glyn Johns method is the same as the sticky i found in the drum section? basically, i'm making sure the two overheads are
as close to the same distance from each source (i.e. the snare and kick)
as possible...so techinally...the 'left' mic will be 24 inches from the snare,
and the 'right' mic will be 24 inches from the snare, and then the 'left' mic will be say, 40 inches from the kick, so the 'right' mic will also have to measure to be 40 inches from the kick....
let me know if i'm wrong, because it seemed like there were some confused people in that sticky, and i think i have a grasp of it, and how to use
a mic cable as my measuring guide.

i guess while you're reading this, i'm going to post another question if any of you have time as a new thread....about the way i plan to record my band. Once again all of your suggestions are adding to my daily learning experience and i really appreciate it! look for that new thread posted under the title "Recording My Punk Band"....thanks ahead of time!
 
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