Condenser mics for drum recording

[skyguy]

Hi there, i'm fairly new to recording, but myself and some friends have decided to build a home studio.

So after some reading we have decided that we would try using 4 mics for the drums, one bass, one snare, and two condenseres.

my question about condenser mics are as follows, since you have two of them, do you want to use the same model? I mean if you have the same model hanging over either side of your kit you wouldn't have any varience about how things were recorded correct?

or should we-because we are just starting-go and get different models for versitility when it comes to using them for vocals.

any advise or opinions atall when it comes to recording drums would be appreciated.

oh yea, were going to purchase a sm57 for the snare/guitar recordings, were not sure about what kind of bass mic we want, but the reviews i have read about the schure beta 52a seems appealing. and as i said i havent done any real reasearch on condensors, any help would be apprecaited.

 

[littledog]

Most traditional stereo recording techniques use two mics that are the same, because you are simulating the sound as heard by a pair of ears, and ears are assumed to be almost identical. (There are other techniques, like Mid-Side that don't use the same two mics, for obvious reasons).

But sometimes using two different mics can work out just fine - it will be different than a "stereo" recording, but might work for what you are trying to do.

I would recommend having a pair of the same mics though, because at some point you will want a "stereo" sound, and having two of the same mics makes it easier. (Again, unless you are using Mid-Side technique).

 

[Big Kenny]

What's your budget?
The shures will work fine, not my first choices but they will suffice.
If you have little $, grab a pair of CAD M179's
Got more? A pair of sdc's, oktava, marshall, rode, studio projects, pelusa, etc
Got more? A pair of AT 4040's or 4033's
Got more? A pair of Neumann 193's
Got more? Contract out.
How high the ceiling? Short, don't try to go overhead, the reflection off the ceiling will wash the hell out of the cymbals unless you do some room treatment (which you should have already done) or find the perfect angle to capture the drums without the bounceback

 

[skyguy]

my cieling isn't very high, maybe 8 feet.
we can probably spend...$1200 on mics right now.
its about 100 for the sm7, so that leaves us with $1100 for the other three mics-that is unless my cieling is too low and we can't do what we want to do with it, in which case i guess we will have to mic every piece indivigually.

 

[Supercreep]

AKG D-112 for the kick and Josephson C42 for the OH - right in budget.

 

[skyguy]

if the option i go with is to mic every piece of the kit, what type of mics should i be looking for? dynamic? condenser? any brands?

 

[littledog]

Go with four mics. You won't get that much better results mic'ing every piece of the kit, unless you are recording "Concerto for Hi Hat and Chinese Cymbal".

Use a kick mic, a snare mic, and two overheads. This gives you a lot of flexibility at mixdown. Almost every mic manufacturer (AKG, Beyer, Shure, Audix, Audio Technica, Sennheiser, EV, etc.) has a mic designed specifically for kick. Everyone has their own favorite. In most cases, they are dynamic mics, with large diaphragms.

The classic snare mic is the SM57 - but you can find as many people who like something "better" as those who are still using them. In most cases people are using small diaphragm dynamic mics.

For overheads, the majority of people use small diaphragm condensers. With your lower ceiling, I would suggest cardioids, rather than omnis. For the same reason, I would avoid ribbon mics, which are usually figure-of-eight. Some people love large diaphragm condensers, but that is usually a more expensive solution.

Rather than rehash all the possible specific choices, I would recommend using the search function and try searching the terms "kick drum mic", "snare mic", and "overhead mic". You will find more recommendations than you can shake a (drum)stick at.

Since opinions will very drastically in every category, nothing beats borrowing, renting , or getting store loaners to try a comparison test for yourself in your own room.

 

[skyguy]

okay i'm definatly going to go with the 4 mic setup.

but i've also come up with a second room in my house-it has nice 11ft. high ceilings so that should be high enough to record overheads.
i'll just be limited in the hours that i'll be able to conduct my experements!

 

[littledog]

definitely go with the 11 foot ceiling room - good move!

 

[skyguy]

it's amazing how you can forget the simpleist things!