Drum and bass mic selection

T

Tuner

New member
Tomorrow I'm recording bass and drum tracks and have the following mics available:

2 x AKG C414B (overheads)
1 x AKG CK1/C451 (hats)
2 x SM 57 (?)
1 x Beta 57 (snare)
3 x Sennheiser MD421 (toms)
1 x AT-4033 (?)
1 x Beta 52 (kick or bass amp?)
1 x Beyer M88 (kick or bass amp?)

* I am limited to 8 tracks *

My questions are:
1. Which mic to use on the kick drum; Beta 52, Beyer 88 or even the 4033 ??
2. After choosing the kick mic, which mic to then use on the bass amp (as well as blending with a DI signal) ??
3. If a run out of tracks and can only mic one of the toms, which tom should I mic; rack or floor?

Thanks for your help!
 
Having only eight channels to record the Drums and bass, I would recomend the following set up:

Drums:
2 x AKG C414B (overheads)
3 x Sennheiser MD421 (toms)
1 x Beta 57 (snare)
1 x Beyer M88 (kick)

Bass:
Direct
 
Depends on the kit and the style of drummer. Here are a few tips. Try both the Beta and the SM57. Listen to the interaction between the snare and the hat. If you can’t find a location where you have enough off-axis rejection to lower the apparent volume of the hat, you will end up not using the hat mic at mixdown.

In that case, use the hat mic on the bottom of the snare. That way you can roll off a little of the sibilance if the hat gets too crispy and still bring out the sound of the snare wires. Make sure you run these two mics out of phase if you do it.

4033 on bass or kick is probably a waste of time. Try using the 4033 aimed at the bass fretboard to pick up all that great string noise and stuff. It’s a great way to bring a bass track to life.

Try both the 421 and the 52 on kick. I’ve had good results w/both. The M88 could be a winner too, but I’ve never tried it on kick, so I really don’t know.

Brad Gallagher
http://www.just-for-musicians.com/
 
Tuner, miking the hat is something that is falling out of practice w/ a lot of engineers.
Especially since you're limited in tracks, I'd save yourself the trouble and leave the 451 in the case. [ though it's a shame cause it's such a great mic. Use it on acoustic gtr or piano if you get a chance. ]

I pretty much agree w/ Fishmed's choices, except I'd also audition the SM52 on the kick and compare it w/ the 88.

I'd also run the bass direct. The bass, strings and players fingers will affect the tone more than any mic will.

That's 8 tracks.
 
If you can, submix the toms to a stereo pair, that way you can do the whole kit on 7 tracks and the bass on the eighth.
 
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