Drum Recording

[Sasha]

Hello everyone,
I am new to the business of recording and I am currently looking to invest in great mics for recording my drums.
Here is what I am already pretty much decided on and I'd like to here some feedaback about these choices.
Kick AKG D112 with SM57 on beater side
Snare Sennheiser MD441 or Shure Beta 56
Snare (under) Shure Beta 98DS or SM 57
Toms (8", 10", 12", 13") Shure Beta 98DS
Toms (14", 16") Shure Beta 98DS or Sennheiser MD421
HiHat Shure SM81 or AT (woops can't remember which one)
Overheads Shure KSM32 x2 in stereo
Room mic Studio projects or ...

I still have doubts about the Beta98DS as I haven't found any reviews on these. I tend to hear many people say that condensers are no good for micing drums for recording ('cos they pick up so much). Any opinions

I am also lookinf at the Presonus ACP88 (8 channel compressor). Is that any good.

I'd love to hear from all you experienced people out there.
looking forward to it.

Ciao

 

[MadAudio]

"I tend to hear many people say that condensers are no good for micing drums for recording"

Not true! A studio engineer once miked my toms with small cap condensers and they sounded HUGE! A lot depends on placement, and sometimes a little bleed is a good thing!

I'd say your mic list looks pretty good. I've read tons of praise here for the D112 on kick.

 

[lpdeluxe]

The July issue of Electronic Musician http://www.emusician.com/ has a comprehensive feature on micing drums.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

I tend to hear many people say that condensers are no good for micing drums for recording ('cos they pick up so much). Any opinions

I use AKG C418s quite often without an issue...........

 

[xstatic]

A lot of Drum mic choices really depends on the style of drumming and the targeted drum sound. Condensors on Toms can be really hard to use if you are going for that heavy or modern gated drum sound. Especially if the drummer has a lot of cymbals or rides them pretty hard. However, for a more natural and unified sound, condensors work great. A while ago when GC had the little Oktava mics on sale for super cheap I bought 8 of em thinking they have to good for some things. To my surprise, they work well on toms. If you are using micro condensors (the shure 98's, AKG 418's etc...) bleed isn't so bad. If you are using 414's, you must pay extra careful attention to placement, shileding, and EQ's. However, when done properly, a 414 on toms sounds HUGE. So far the Oktava are kind of a cross between the mini condensor and the LD condensor. There is some bleed, but nothing like the 414.

As far as kick goes, very rarely do I ever like the sound of a mic on the beater side. Making the tunnel and placing a large diaphragm at the end of it works OK for me, but for most rock, my personal favorite is still a beta 91 on the inside (about mid shell between the two heads) and my trusty old D112 stuffed right in the port. However, I do mostly rock and aggresive blues so that mic technique works pretty well for me. Also, I have used an AKG 451 inside the kick (like the shure beta91) when my shure wasn't available.

Overheads can be tough. Usually I like to use my AKG 414's, but occasionally I will use Shure KSM32's or AKG 451's. It all depends on how I feel that day Sometimes I plce them in an X/Y, sometimes a little more out front angled about 30 degrees vertically, sometimes from right behind the drummer each side focused towards the snare, sometimes high and flat, sometimes low and tilted in a touch. Also, don't be afraid to space them differently. There is no rule that says they have to be evenly spaced on either side of the kick. If the drummer has more stuff to his right side, then I tend to move both mics around that direction. The biggest thing is always pay attention to phase.

For snares I like either a beta 57, or an AKG 414 on the top and a standard 57 or a 414 on the bottom. Once again always check phase. Also, I have been known to purposely mix the two snare mics out of phase. Its all about what sounds best.

Good luck

 

[charger]

Damn that's a lot of mics. I think your list looks good, you've basically picked all the favorites. Only thing is if you are really new to recording, it might be better to start with less mics and a more compact miking system and work your way up.

 

[boingoman]

I've got beta 98's and love them. A mic I haven't seen mentioned on this forum is the EV N/D 468 great tom mic, good meaty sound, works great for horns, too. (not too bright sounding)

 

[Lance135]

Some of those drum microphone kits look pretty good, but do they sound good? CAD, Audix, Samson and other companies have some kits that are ridiculously cheap, too.

We've been using:

Kick - AKG D112
Snare - SM57
Toms - EV Dynamics (can't remember model number N/D something...)
Overhead - C414B ULS

I don't necessarily recommend this set up as the SM57 picks up a lot of hihat, but it sounds good.

The AKG C418 minis sound great on toms, with lots of "smack"--very bright. They are sensitive, but the hypercardioid pattern provides a bit of isolation. Too bad a drummer (not our drummer) smacked them a few times, and they don't work reliably anymore, or I'd definitely be using them.

 

[charger]

I don't necessarily recommend this set up as the SM57 picks up a lot of hihat, but it sounds good.

It's extremely directional. If you get it pointing away from the hi hat (instead of just next to it) a lot of that hi hat will disappear.

 

[xstatic]

Boingo, if you like the 468's, see if you can get your hands on a set of the older 408e's. I mentioned that I have used the Oktava's in my earlier post. However,m my main set of tom mics are my old 408's. 19 out of 20 times they are what I use. I much prefer them to 421's as well. Very round warm mics but maintain a little more of that attack than the newer EV's tend to.

 

[Sasha]

Thanks for all the nice feedback, Guys (and Girls perhaps...? )
Very helpful.

I haven't seen any comments about putting a Senn. MD441 on a Snare

For what regards the sound I am looking for, I like a tight sounding snare with that high pitch ring and attack. I like a kick with a lot of bass but also good attack. (not just the thud that disapears in the mix). Toms need to be warm but also bright and with nice attack not the resonating rumble you get when you roll your toms.

 

[charger]

For what regards the sound I am looking for, I like a tight sounding snare with that high pitch ring and attack. I like a kick with a lot of bass but also good attack. (not just the thud that disapears in the mix). Toms need to be warm but also bright and with nice attack not the resonating rumble you get when you roll your toms.

WEll, 99% of this is in the tuning of the drums, the heads you choose, shell material, etc. I can tell you that I don't use mics that are all that nice, but I can capture the sound of my drums in the room. So the most important part for me is getting the drums to sound the way I want them too.

 

[ssscientist]

Charger's right. One can only do so much from this side of the glass --- the rest is up to the player, the instrument and the interaction between...