First timer Drum/Guitar recording experiment questions...

[santiu]

Hey guys,

First time posting, so I wasn't sure where this should go. Hopefully it's in the correct forum.

Anyhow, I'm going to experiment with recording some drums and guitar tomorrow, and I'm a drummer not a sound engineer. I was hoping for some advice on technique and mic selection given what we have. Basically, this is an experiment to see if I can get a descent recording. Doesn't need to be CD ready, just hoping to show enough promise to convince my band to spend some of our money on some more recording equipment and trying to record some of our own songs (I'm growing weary of paying a gazillion dollars to be in the studio, and then having to rush).

Here are all of the mics we currently have (which is what I'm limited to in my experiment):

1 x Shure SM57
1 x Shure SM58
1 x Shure Beta 58A
1 x Shure Beta 52A
2 x Shure KSM27
1 x AKG C-5900
1 x Audix OM-3
2 x Audix OM-5

Clearly, the Beta52 will be used for the kick (I actually bought it just for this experiment), and I'm figuring that the pair of KSM27s will be used for overhead. Not sure what to do with the rest, my drum setup is a kick, snare, 2 toms, and a myriad of cymbals.

As for guitar, I figure a SM57 right up against the cab, and maybe experiment with mixing in a KSM27 a few feet away. Guitar amp is a Fender Twin Custom 15.

Everything is going into a Carvin 16 channel mixer and then mixed down to stereo before going into an M-Box. Our singer has a Digi002, but it's not going to be used for this experiment.

The room is a small den (~10'x10') with high ceilings and is essentially square except one corner is angled. Floor is hardwood, but currently completely covered with rugs.

Music style is a bluesy-funky-popy-jam-rock (sorry it's hard to describe). So yeah, let me know what you guys suggest doing. If you need more info, ask away.

Hopefully this all goes well, and I get to come back and ask about your thoughts on further equipment to buy.

thanks a bunch

 

[Dogbreath]

Looks like ya got a good game plan.

I'd add the 57 to the snare myself. And ya might try taking the carpet out from under the snare. I've had good results. It's subtle, but it's a little brighter.

Never worked with the Audix but maybe close mic'd on toms?

Do you have any treatment on the walls?

I dunno, I'm just throwing out some food for thought. Most of my stuff comes from just experimenting and tryin different stuff...

Luck to ya man...............

 

[Nico2112]

Your mic setup seem more than enough for what you call an "experiment". Play around with mic placement.
I recorded some songs lately, with less mics than you, and of less quality too. If you want to check it out www.soundclick.com/jorgesalo (check Sweet child o mine)
The best of luck on your recording.
Cheers!

 

[santiu]

No treatments on the walls... yet. Provided tomorrow shows promise, I want to build some baffles out of mineral wool.

Also, just FYI. Those are just all the mics we have, we have a lot of 4 part harmonies in our songs, hence why we have so many vocal mics (the Beta 58, C5900, and the pair of Om-5's are our usual vocal lineup for practice) . And then each of us have a couple mics of our own to do our own personal recording of stuff to help work out new songs (but nothing of publishable quality). That's why we have such a collection now. By no means am I planing on using all of them. I was just sort of hoping that you guys could help me pick which mics to do what function, which is why I listed them all.

Another FYI. Here's my old band's website: www.marcihall.com (new band is actually all the same members but a new singer, but we haven't chosen a new name yet, so there's no website yet). The goal of tomorrow is to convince my band mates that with a reasonable amount of work, we can achieve comparable sounding recordings to those that play on the webpage (those were done in a home type studio that we paid to use, although it was more of a studio than a home).

thanks guys!

 

[staring]

Well, you got pairs of good mics man. Experiment with the mic placement and EQ to get the decent sounding.

Anyway, you could check this out http://www.drumdojo.com/tech/mikingstudio.htm.

Good luck

 

[santiu]

Well, my experiment went so-so. My guitarist/helper never showed up, so I had to play, walk over to the mixer, adjust, walk back, repeat ad nauseam, so I never got the mix and EQ exactly to my liking, as I got sick of doing that. I also never got a chance to try recording the guitar cab.

Also, I could only find one of our KSM27's, so here was the setup I used:
KSM27 for overhead (only one overhead, positioned more on the snare side of the kit)
SM57 on snare
Beta 52A on kick
SM58 on rack tom

I'm not ecstatic with the results, but it is promising enough to convince me to try again, but this time with some help from another person. I never realized how "live" the room is. When everybody is in there making noise, I don't notice it much. But when it's dead silent, and I crack the snare, i can hear it bouncing off all the walls. I think want to make some 2'x4'x4" mineral wool baffles to put in various places.

Anyhow, here's one of the samples I recorded. You'll have to excuse the playing quality, I got so caught up in trying to get everything setup that I didn't concentrate much on playing well:

 

[marshall409]

I don't know if you really care, but if you want your average joe opinion for a change than i think someone off the street might say that the cymbals sound okay but everything else isnt so stellar. i think it may be that i just personally don't like the sound of the snare, maybe not how you recorded it. dont know if this helps, im trying to contribute as much as i can in these forums.

Adam

 

[santiu]

Marshall, I totally agree. That's why I mentioned that I wasn't very happy with the results.

As for the snare. I do personally like a more open, woody, snappy snare than the standard rock/pop sound. Although, I'm not at all that happy with how it turned out in the recording.

Anyhow, hopefully I'll find some time again in the future to mess around with this stuff more

 

[Cult_Status02]

I think you're OH sounds great and I like the tom sounds. I'd just recommend playing with snare mic position a bit perhaps.