drum kit micing

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Whats the lowest amount of my mics I could use to get a good recording of a drum kit with a badd drum, snare, three toms, one hi-hat, and two or three cymbals?[ besides the option of using one omnicardioid mic.]
 
Well, you could do it with zero mics--just use samples. Or, if you have to have real drums you could always use one overhead mono mic like they used to use. Or you could use a mono overhead and a mic on the kick, or you could have two overheads and a kick mic.

Heck, there are a bunch of combinations. You could mic the toms up/down with 2 mics each, and use one overhead mic if you wanted.

Realistically, if you wanted to go for fewest mics I'd do it this way (5 mics total, with what I'd use personally in a typical scenario):

Kick -EV RE27
Snare -AKG D3500
Stereo Overheads -AKG 414 XLII's
Mono Room mic -Neumann U89
 
i think the fewest mics needed for a pretty decent drum sound is....

2 overheads (L&R)
1 kick
1 snare

usually the toms will come through well enough on the overheads for a pretty good sound
 
Two carefully considered, well placed, quality overhead mics could give you a great sound. Lots of good choices out there:

SM81s, AKG 414s, Earthworks, AKG 451s, KM84s

My drum philosphy is to spend most of my time and energy on getting the overheads exactly right. I'll move the kick mic a couple of times and maybe the snare, but I've found that correct overhead placement saves me a lot of EQing come mix time. Plus, I guess I just really like the sound of drum overheads.
 
I really like using two overhead (one directly over the snare and one, the same distance from the snare and kick, over the drummers right shoulder), snare, and kick. The overheads give a great image of the kit and give a good mix of snare/toms with the cymbals. The one over the snare is usually two drum sticks length over the snare head and the one over the drummers right shoulder is the same distance from the snare just slightly behind the drummer. This works great unless you have an extremely wild drummer. Then you'll be buying new overhead mics. :)
 
I vote for two overheads, placement being vital depending on how the drummer plays, and one on snare and one on kick. If you have a sloppy drummer, a million mics wont make them sound good.
 
Newbie dude said:
Whats the lowest amount of my mics I could use to get a good recording of a drum kit with a badd drum, snare, three toms, one hi-hat, and two or three cymbals?
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Well...Medeski Martain and Wood put out a live album (Tonic) where the entire band was recorded with a single microphone so....I guess 1 is the answer. The album sounds fantastic by the way.
 
Newbie dude said:
besides the option of using one omnicardioid mic.
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Omnicardioid? That's a new one on me... If you want the fewest number of mics you can use if 1 is not an option, the answer is 2. If you want the fewest number of mics you can use if 2 is not an option, the answer is 3...etc.

For a minimalist drum recording you could kick ass with one overhead and a kick drum mic if placed right and performed right.
 
EleKtriKaz said:
My drum philosphy is to spend most of my time and energy on getting the overheads exactly right.
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I'm very close to this philosiphy. I spend the most time/energy getting the drum sounds right. Moving the kit in around the room, tuning heads, swapping out snare drums, etc. After that, I spend the most energy on overhead placement. I listen carefully for a pleasing snare sound in the overheads, good relative volume between the drums and cymbals (heavily dependant on how good the drummer can play), a nice focused stereo image...stuff like that. After all of that is working in the overheads, the rest is much easier.
 
silentman said:
I really like using two overhead (one directly over the snare and one, the same distance from the snare and kick, over the drummers right shoulder), snare, and kick.
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Silent's the man...I was using XY until I discovered this, and my drums sound WAY better with this configuration. I wonder if it has a name.
 
Silent - Your signature should win a Pulitzer Prize. What the hell, 10 Pulitzers, one for each hand! :D :D Dave
 
Sorry Silent. The Pulitzer people called and when they found out we got a 10011 on our English SATs both prizes were rescinded. :( :( Dave
 
I generally use 4 mics and get results I'm happy enough with for demo purposes.

My setup is very basic:
Kick: SM57
Snare: SM57
Room: Rode NT1A

...and the 4th mic is usually a SM58 (sometimes an AT4041) aimed where I want to accentuate the kit, depending upon the song. Often it's pointed at the ride/floor tom, but far enough back that it captures both.

An example of the sound I get using this setup:


Again, demo-quality, not pro, but good enough for my purposes for now.

I'm upgrading slowly; I'll be purchasing a Yamaha Subkick to add to this mix today, I think.
 
(jumping on the train)


in addition to the others mentioned:


-2 good large diaphram condensers-spaced pair above and just behind the drummers head

-2 additional LCDs or perferbly ribbon mics in front and slightly above the drums. X/Y, or spaced (Ambient).

If you want more room, then move the ambient mics further away. This works best in large and favorably sounding rooms.

Dosn't seem to work well in small rooms that are suseptable to comb filtering, standing waves, unfavorable reflections. etc
 
pointfive said:
I generally use 4 mics and get results I'm happy enough with for demo purposes.

My setup is very basic:
Kick: SM57
Snare: SM57
Room: Rode NT1A

I'm upgrading slowly; I'll be purchasing a Yamaha Subkick to add to this mix today, I think.
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Man, get yourself something like an AKG D112, Shure Beta 52, or Audix D6 before getting something like a subkick mic. You'll find a standard Large Diaphragm Dynamic much more useful and versitile than a "special effects" mic.

Besides, if you really want that subkick effect, just plug a guitar cab into a mic pre. Use the speakers as if they were mics. You get very much the same effect.
 
Chibi Nappa said:
Man, get yourself something like an AKG D112, Shure Beta 52, or Audix D6 before getting something like a subkick mic. You'll find a standard Large Diaphragm Dynamic much more useful and versitile than a "special effects" mic.

Besides, if you really want that subkick effect, just plug a guitar cab into a mic pre. Use the speakers as if they were mics. You get very much the same effect.
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Chibi, thanks for the advice. Will do. Of those 3 mics, which would you most recommend? I was leaning towards the Beta 52, but I'd heard/read mixed reviews.
 
What if the overhead mics arent the same mic? Does that pose a problem?
 
SillySillyStacy said:
What if the overhead mics arent the same mic? Does that pose a problem?
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Only if your ears are both the same shape...
 
pointfive said:
Chibi, thanks for the advice. Will do. Of those 3 mics, which would you most recommend? I was leaning towards the Beta 52, but I'd heard/read mixed reviews.
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Can't go wrong with the Beta 52. Most people (myself included) love it. Of course, out of those 3 it's the one I don't own. :D Both the Beta 52 and the Audix D6 are kinda' eq'd for what you want in a bass drum sound. I find that the Beta 52 has a little more meat and the D6 has a little more click. The D112 is an old standard, and a bit more versitile (bass cabs, floor toms, etc). Read some reviews. You can't go wrong with any of them. Most engineers I know usually reach for the Beta 52.
 
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