Drum Miking with an SM58 & a PG58

[Elvisish]

I get some fairly acceptable results with miking my kit with these two mikes thru my (don't laugh) Mackie DFX12, but after countless hours of different combos (putting the PG under the snare wasn't such a great idea after all) I'm wondering if there's anything that you gurus out there could suggest?

I get a professional, albiet empty sound by whacking the Hi EQ on the SM up to the top and putting it near the hihat, (as you know, the PG cannot do high frequencys from its excessive hiss) and I use the PG on the toms, placing it overhead and towards the snare, over the top of the toms.

Can anyone suggest a more civil miking setup using this modest setup?

Thanks!

s.

 

[Phobophile]

It would be great if someone could answer this--I'm finding myself in the exact same situation.

 

[Elvisish]

Phobophile, have you managed to setup anything yet, and if so, what arrangement did you use on the mics?

 

[DigitalSmigital]

A tall order, sirs...

Drum kits are an art to mic, science does not apply. Only a true guru could do a pro sounding job with two mics.

The shure SM 58 is a good start; get yourself a few more, at least three.

A couple of condenser mics for the overheads, and a handful of cheaper dynamic mics and you'll get a truly pro sound.

The basic problem here is you have two mics that don't get a good response from a distance of more than a few feet, you can't really use them as room mics.

 

[mshilarious]

Can anyone suggest a more civil miking setup using this modest setup?

You're on the right track with the SM. To fine tune your position, move your head around the kit with somebody else playing (not too loudly) until you hear the best sound. Unscrew the ball from the mic to get an ever so slight improvement in high-end response.

The PG, I'd put on the beater side of the kick aimed to get the kick and a bit of the bottom snare. If the bottom snare portion is useless, move to the front of the kick.

 

[manning1]

ive found that the sound of the drum room itself makes a big difference.
try recording a drum kit in a deadened room, then a hallway, then a loading dock. big differences to the sound. a lot of studios have used loading docks to get a certain big drum sound. one of the best i ever heard was in a great sounding studio drum room with a pair of crown pzm's in xy over the kit. with if i remember an ev mic on the kik. and supplemented by kik and snare samples triggered in a sampler. as the other poster said - drum recording to get right is a true art.
sometimes you can get THE SOUND with cheap mics, but often you cant sometimes you need an excellent sounding room as well.