How to set up drums for recording

[Pinny]

Hello. Me and my band are thinking of investing a few nickles into new equipment. But we're pretty clueless about which mics we should buy and how to set it up. Right now we only have one silly condensor mic that we use overhead. We want to record with 4 or 5 mics. Anyone have a suggestion of which ones I should use and how to set them up? Also, we're not very rich so our budget is a bit...small. Thanks in advance!

 

[Greg_L]

Just about any one of the pre-packaged drum mic kits from the big name companies will do you good. Some are less expensive than others. More importantly, tune the kit properly and play good. A good recording just amplifies how bad a sucky drummer or kit sounds.

As for mic placement, there are hundreds of variations. You need to do some trial-and-error and see what sounds best in the room you will be recording in. The overhead mics can't just be stuck anywhere though. Some thought needs to be put into where you put them. Do some research on overhead mic techniques and decide which one you think will work best for you.

 

[andyhix]

foir budget overheads, consider the MSH mics, sold at naiant.com. Owner of the site/mic maker is a member here, and everyones been quite pleased with his mics (myself included).

Then, I'd suggest the recorderman technique. Basically this technique ensures minimal phase issues with your overheads, and gives a nice even stereo picture of the kit. Look it up. Then, mic the kick, and snare (try top and/or bottom - I like both).

Oh, and if you use the top and bot snare mic, be sure to flip the polarity/phase on the bottom mic. You should also try that with the kick mic, and see which way sounds better.

 

[Pinny]

Thank you for the replies, I will be sure to try the suggestions.
Another question of mine is (totally new to this...):

If I use 4 mics, two overhead, one on the snare and one on the kick, won't the overhead mics record the kick and snare too? And won't the kick and snare record the toms and cymbals too?

Thanks!

 

[RAMI]

Yes, you mix them together.

 

[Greg_L]

Yes, you mix them together.

Lol.

There's gonna be "bleed" between the close mics, and the overheads are supposed to pick up everything. Bleed is natural. If/when you start micing your toms, you may want to gate them at some point. Whatever cymbals your kick and snare mic pick up will be negligible compared to what the O/H's get.

 

[mikeh]

I would suggest the best way to get a cohesive recorded drums sound is to use overhead or "room mics" to record a well tuned, well played kit and then only dial in the close mics to enhance certain drums if needed (as an example the snare and the kick).

If the drums don't sound good through a pair of condensor mics - then a dozen close mics are not a good solution. There are soooo many affordable, decent sounding condensors these days that it is very hard to make a specific mic recommendation. As someone indicated almost any of the drum mic packs can do the job.

The CAD M179s are very decent, low cost mics, RODE makes some very affordable mics, you can never fo wrong with a paid of Shure 4033's.

 

[andyhix]

Thank you for the replies, I will be sure to try the suggestions.
Another question of mine is (totally new to this...):

If I use 4 mics, two overhead, one on the snare and one on the kick, won't the overhead mics record the kick and snare too? And won't the kick and snare record the toms and cymbals too?

Thanks!

Yes, as others have said, each mic will pick up everything. But it will be at widely varying levels. Your kick mic, for instance isn't likely to pick up much of your ride cymbal... Also as has been mentioned, be sure to get what you think is a good drum sound with JUST the 2 overheads (hint - tune the drums, buy new heads if needed, pull the kit out of the corner of the room). If you can't first do that, then you will not likely be able to improve the sound with other close mics. Once you get a good sounding drum mix from your overheads, you can then fiddle with a close mic(s) on the snare, kick, toms, etc. I personally don't close mic toms, as I am happy with the amount of tom sound I get in my overheads.

The idea of the snare and kick mic is to be able to have a little more control over their individual sounds, since they are really the foundation of the kit (in most rock applications anyway). You can change the EQ, compression, etc. on those individual tracks a bit, to get more (or less) of a crack out of your snare, more thump from your kick, etc.

 

[drossfile]

Hello. Me and my band are thinking of investing a few nickles into new equipment. But we're pretty clueless about which mics we should buy and how to set it up. Right now we only have one silly condensor mic that we use overhead. We want to record with 4 or 5 mics. Anyone have a suggestion of which ones I should use and how to set them up? Also, we're not very rich so our budget is a bit...small. Thanks in advance!

if you want to get a decent beginner setup, PM me. i'm selling some mics and a mixer that will meet your needs nicely, well under the $500 range. i'll even throw in some bad advice for free!
seriously, though, PM me if you're interested. i was about to list the stuff on ebay...

 

[mm2k5]

at4040

I picked up a pair of audio technica's 4040 mics. They work beautiful on my drums, they sound great on vocals, and just as good on the acoustic guitar. You mentioned a budget is an issue, and the 4040s are not 'cheap' by any means, but you may be able to use them in several situations as i have and save a ton of money in the end.