Beginner Micing Technique for Drums

[selfcase]

I have ONE microphone, and it's probably not even that good. Let's get that out of the way.

I am recording drums/guitar/bass/vocals directly into my computer, and using Cool Edit Pro to fuck around with everything, and then putting it all on a CD.

The reason I am recording this is so that I can bring this CD to a real recording studio, so the engineers have a better idea of how I want things to be.

I need to know the best way to mic a drum kit, with ONE microphone. I have 3 drum kits in my basement, they are all fucking amazing, and they're all tuned and sound great and I keep them in amazing condition.

So where should I put the microphone?

As well, and this will sound very amateur, when I'm recording bass/guitar/vocals, I've got my one microphone plugged into the 'Mic In' jack in the back of my computer. I've noticed when I record something through the microphone, and I've got an MP3 playing, for example, even if the speakers are turned off and there's no sound in the room, it records the MP3. How do I fix this?

Also, I have an old multitrack, would it sound better if I recorded directly into that, and then go from the multitrack to the computer through the Line In?

Finally, using my current 'Mic In' method, I'm finding the recordings to be really really quiet. Any suggestions?


Anyway, any help at all on the above subjects would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Tim Brown]

First,

I would highly suggest you get at least a decent ($50-$100) Condenser mic.


Use the Multitrack recorder for the drums.

Make sure the drumkit is tuned really well.
Put the mic directly over the drumthrone and aim it down at your head.

This will give you sort of a "pre-mixed" sound.

Once you have this on tape:

Put the Mic in front of the kickdrum, then go back and play the kick drum parts along with your already recorded track.

This way you have the drumkit on 1 track, plus a separate kick track so that you can balance the kick against the rest of the kit.
It will also allow you to EQ th kick separately.

Then record these onto your computer.


Try it and see if that works for you.
What recording software are you using?

Tim

 

[selfcase]

What are some decent brands for a condensor microphone? Do I need anything else for a condensor mic, or can I plug it directly into the multitrack?

What do you mean by balancing the kick against the rest of the kit?

I'm using Cool Edit right now. It seems like an okay program.


Finally, when I play along to the first track, it's rather difficult just to play the kick drum.. Will it mess stuff up if I use the hi-hat/snare as well?

Actually, I suppose I could just dampen the snare head/hi-hat so there's no sound when I hit it. That's probably be the best option.

 

[neirbo]

I second the idea of using a condesor. You can get a great sound with one mic.

Problem is, most condensor mics need phantom power delivered through a mixer of some sort, and it sounds like you don't have one. There are some condensor mics that can run off batteries. The cheapest that I know of is the AKG C1000s, for aroun $200 new and maybe $140 on Ebay. But, for that price you can probably do better. You can get an MXL 603 condensor for around $75, and probably pick up a small preamp with phantom power for $60 (I'm guessing here). The 603 is great as a drum overhead.

If you really can't spend the cash, and want to use your one mic (I assume it is dynamic, not consensor), you can get away with using it with the technique Tim Brown mentioned. You might need to boost the signal though. If you have a guitarist friend, you can use one of his stomp boxes or even his amplifier as a pre amp. This is not ideal, but it is cheap.

 

[Wireneck]

Condenser

CAD makes some cheap battery powered condensers. I think you can get one anywhere from 80-100 bucks. There not the greatest sounding things but im sure it will sound better than the one dynamic mic you have now.

try looking on www.musiciansfriend.com you might even find them cheaper somewhere else.