How many drum mics do you record with

  • Thread starter Thread starter buryher17
  • Start date Start date

How many microphones do you use when recording drums

  • 4

    Votes: 70 23.6%

  • 5-6

    Votes: 51 17.2%

  • 7-9

    Votes: 136 45.9%

  • 10-12

    Votes: 32 10.8%

  • 13+

    Votes: 7 2.4%
  • Total voters
    296
I recently started using 4

2 Niants as overheads
Audix D6 in the Bass drum
Audix i5 on the snare
 
12. And not always the same mics in each position:

Kick: D112 or AT Pro 25
Kick: (beater side) 57
Snare: (top) audix i5
Snare: (bottom) senn e609
Toms: senn md421 (3)
OHs: Rode NT5
HH: ACM310
Room: CAD M177 (2)

Just ordered a tambale--so I'll likely be adding another mic.
 
I usually use 8. 1 on the kick. 1 for each tom. 2 for the snare. 2 overheads. And sometimes I will use a room mic. Or I will trade a snare mic for room.
 
An experiment with 2

Here's a recording done with a Rode NT-4 about 11 feet from a Bonham style kit. The Rode was almost to the 8 foot ceiling near a corner and pointed about toward the top of the kick. The second mic, a Shure ksm141 was pointed at the snare shell just above the bottom rim for a little sizzle. Your drummer has to create a balanced mix off the kit or this won't work at all. Anyway, as I mentioned, "an experiment". I liked it.

 
acattoir said:
Here's a recording done with a Rode NT-4 about 11 feet from a Bonham style kit. The Rode was almost to the 8 foot ceiling near a corner and pointed about toward the top of the kick. The second mic, a Shure ksm141 was pointed at the snare shell just above the bottom rim for a little sizzle. Your drummer has to create a balanced mix off the kit or this won't work at all. Anyway, as I mentioned, "an experiment". I liked it.

Click to expand...

hey dude that sounds cool, but i'm getting a really really high pitched noise in there that's hurting my ears and making me cringe. i dunno if it's feedback or noise from a plugin or something, but i can hear it big time and it's killin me.
 
4--with a twist

kick-akg d112
snare-akg d8300
overheads-shure 300 ribbon mics

the 300s are figure of 8, so i get a stereo image with 2, and plenty of room
 
Overheads: 2 x Sennheiser ME40, or 2 x Rode NT1 (depends how I feel)
Snare: SM57 top and ME40 bottom (rev phase)
Hats: Sennheiser ME40
Toms: Sennheiser 421
Kick: AKGD112 or AKG D12 (for old school or Jazz sound)

This is not fixed in concrete and I change it around now and then. I also have to use what I have and there are always more mics on the wish list.

The most important to get right is the overheads, that will be 80% of my drum sound. The room where the drums are being recording has to be right. If the room and the overheads are right you could just about record the whole kit with 3 mics if the drummer hits the kit consistently.

Cheers

alan.
 
acattoir said:
Here's a recording done with a Rode NT-4 about 11 feet from a Bonham style kit. The Rode was almost to the 8 foot ceiling near a corner and pointed about toward the top of the kick. The second mic, a Shure ksm141 was pointed at the snare shell just above the bottom rim for a little sizzle. Your drummer has to create a balanced mix off the kit or this won't work at all. Anyway, as I mentioned, "an experiment". I liked it.

Click to expand...

That has kind of a Bonham sound, minus serious compression, but also some of the body and attack is missing. It's a great experiment though.

If I remember right, Bonham used 2 U47's as overheads and then something on the kick like an old broadcast mic. They squashed the hell out of it with compression.

Anyone remember?
 
It varies. The fewest I've used is one (seriously, try a single ribbon or fine-quality condenser out from the entire kit). The most so far is, um, seven - D112 kick, Beta 57 snare, 603 pair overheads, 414/Oktava 219 in mid/side away from the kit, and an old RCA ribbon mic for room. Haven't tried close-miking toms and don't want to start.
 
I use 7 mics, all cheap t-bone ones and I'm both poor and new to recording. I think the overheads have come out suprisingly well really, it's just the snare that is really suffering.
 
Hm... I do a lot of different techniques...

My favorite one recently has been this:
Audix D6 on Kick
Audix D2s on Toms
Audix D4 on Floor Tom
Audix i5 on Snare Top (SM57 on Bottom)
MXL 603 on Hi-Hat/Snare
AND.....
Blu Baby Bottle Right In front of my head as I play! I know it's weird but it Sounds like Im right there!!!

Also, using another pair of overheads are good too... and for ride heavy people, a 603 or another condenser is great on the ride...

Pan Everything Accordingly and Voila! It makes you feel like your still drumming...

Julien
Recording Engineer @
The Electric Blu Studio
www.electricblustudio.com
Asheville, NC, US of A
 
i use however many i feel like at the time within reason. i just make sure that no matter what i may be experimenting with that the OHs, kick and snare work well together before doing anything else. then i worry about toms after that. lately i've also been experimenting with hi hat mics, room mics and an outside kick mic. all of those things are secondary to the overheads, kick and snare though.

it's fun to experiment and i dont' have to use all of the channels recorded in a mix.
 
I normally use 8, although I plan to go higher when I buy some more converters :)
Fairly unoriginal setup, but I have to borrow some mics to do it...

Overheads - XY/ORTF/variations-upon, usually with Rode NT3
Kick - D112 inside up close to beater
Kick - DIY Subkick on outside
Snare - Rode M3 on top
Snare - SM57 underneath
Toms - MD421
 
7 shures
1 kick-pg52
1 snare-sm57
3 toms-pg56
2 overheads-pg81
 
Hi Gents.
New here. (8)
akg D112 BD
sure sm57's Snr top&bottom
sure sm 57 High hat
sennheiser 421's mtt&ftt
sure ksm109's oheads
 
Go big or go home...

I'm a firm believer in using a butt-ton of mics. They may not all make it to the final mix, but I'd rather have the data and not use it then really need it and not have it. Currently for my 7-piece kit:

OH's - Rode NT-5's
Snare - Heil PR20 or Beta 57 Top and Sennheiser e609 Silver Bottom
Rack Tom's - Audix D2's
Floor Tom's - Audix D4's
Kick - Beta 52 and Yamaha Subkick (If you've never used a Subkick and you like kick drum that rattles shit loose, I highly recommend it)
Hi Hat and Ride - MXL 604

And then usually a LDC like an NT-1 for a room mic for a total of 14.

Although I am looking to upgrade from the MXL 604's, they were good to start with but since I replaced my 993's with the NT-5's they just don't sound as good. So I'm open to any ideas as to good Hi Hat/Ride mics.
 
7 for me: 1 for kick, 1 for snare, 3 for toms, 2 for overheads
 
4 mics:

-2 behringer c-2s for overheadss
-1 sm 57 for snare top
-1 sm 58 on kick (for now...)

i do have an at2020 and an m-audio pulsar left over... any ideas where I could use those? Mind you i'm using a mixer.... and NOT a firewire interface. :( but I'm working on it

p.s. does anybody use large diaphragm condensers for overheads ? I've heard of people using the at2020 for that but i don't know if I want to do it (i only have 1 anyways.)
 
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