Interfaces for large-ish drum kit home recording

  • Thread starter Thread starter realmofdarkness
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That's real good. Being familiar with the material is the best way to record. Yeah ask questions. People here are helpful. Discussions often get sidetracked though, so don't go mental if they do.
 
I'd like to adress the original question about the interface:

Don't limit yourself in reguards to I/O. Shell for as much as you can, I started with a 10/10 I/O device and it sucks when you get to the point where you want more.

Shell/save for one of the big 26/26 interfaces (such as the profire 2626 or the presonus firestudio 26) and add pres as you need them (cheap way to go is the presonus digimax D8, or if your super budget a behringer ADA8000).

Plust unlike the interfaces you can daisy chain, such as the presonus FP10 for example. Dsp based interfaces like the ones above allow you to monitor a lot more channels at once (both analog and digital signals) at super low, inaudible latency (important). For instance the profire allows 16 (I think, it might be 18 not sure). Where as interfaces that are not and just use a mix knob only allow you to monitor analog signals at zero latency. Your relying on your computer for anything plugged in digitally (ADAT/ or S/Pdif). Another popular choice, although less I/O is the saffire pro 40.
 
realmofdarkness said:
i was actually looking at the tascam US1800
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Which is only 16 in and 4 out.

Is this enough for you? Your still going to have to shell for more preamps to get over 8 on that device.

I also have never heard of anyone running that many tracks on a USB 2.0 bus, but then again if they designed it to do so then it must be able to.
 
10 preamps actually. Mic's can be used with 9 &10 with XLR to 1/4" adapters. I have used all 16 at once with no problems. It can have problems however with say an external 2.0 drive on the same hub. 2.0 does not share well. I had to install a separate PCIe 2.0 card on my old Dell to run it. It is not an issue with my i7 tho. :)

Edit: Oh yeah, I'm running the Tascam via 3.0 port now.;)
 
which mics would you suggest running through the 1/4" lines man? or does it really matter? (so long as the condensers have phantom power available)
 
Condensers can be run on any of channels 1-8. When I had to, I used 9 & 10 for hh and ride. These really are not necessary though I like to have them available if the drummer is doing soft ghost notes that don't come through clear in the overheads. This is rare. I really only suggested this to get you started without the expense of more preamps. You seem determined to use a bunch of mics, which I commend, though I believe you will realize quickly that less can be more. That being said, the only way to realize how difficult it can be to get multiple mics to work, is to get in and do it.

Also, I recommended the Steven Slate Trigger EX for two reasons. One, you are most likely going to have a huge amount of cymbal bleed with 11 cymbals around the kit. You will have a difficult time getting the toms to sound out front like you will want for metal without getting harshness from the cymbals. With Trigger, you can sample your own drum pieces (without the cymbal bleed) and add them to support the recorded tones. Second, if there is an issue with the recording (poor micing, tuning, etc.), you can supplement with the included samples so that you don't waste a perfectly played track because of a mic or mic placement error. Getting everything right at this stage can take years of experimenting, if ever. I make this suggestion to get your prize tunes as good as they can be now.

I totally agree with Greg in that you should do a bunch of experimentation before you start tracking your good tunes. The last thing you want to do is get frustrated with recording and take the life and energy out of the tunes. Btw, glad you didn't get caught up in a pissing war. Getting real and good advice is going to come with things you don't necessarily want to hear. Hell, my advice may be completely off, but it worked for me very well.

Keep us posted with your progress. I can't wait to hear this either. :D

Jimmy
 
Man, I'm at 10 now and it sucks. I'm gonna pick up a couple digimax D8 pres this year and get my I/O up to 26. Not that I really need 26, but it would be nice to have in case the need ever DID come up.

But my ideal:

2X kick
2X snare
3-4X toms (depending on the amount of toms, I prefer a 4 piece for pretty much anything but I have had a 7 piece show up, it sucked)
1x high hat
2x oh
1-2x room (depending if that's wanted or not)
1x guitar scratch
1x vocal scratch
1x talk back system

So if you add that up, my ideal would be 16. Any more is a bonus (full band recordings, running triggers, spot mic'ing certain cymbals etc...)
 
Yeah, I've just about hit a brick wall with the 1641. It would definitely be nice to have the comfort of more I/O. Plus it would be really nice to leave the drum mics where they are and not have to rewire every friggen session. Got my eye on a Vintech X73 first, then it's interface upgrade time. :D
 
yeah greg suggested not micing the hats and ride unless i was doing softer things, which im not, so im gunna have at her with the 2 overheads and see what happens. haha im not determined persay, but in my mind at least, each drum should have its own mic, so theres 8 already, 2 overheads so theres 10 mics. sweet! i can do this without any extra pres. (thinking outloud haha) but yeah i plan to do a LOT of playing around. ive never actually heard myself played-back, so i definately wanna lay down some cover tracks i think i know pretty well, and see how they sound in comparison to the actual tune. and ive been doing a lot of reading and watching videos on mic placement and what not, and plan to spend the time to it right. hell, we're sitting on 6 year old material, whats a little more time for the important part of getting it done? thanks again for all the great advice everyone! Im sure youll hear from me again in the near future when i can't figure out what the hell i'm doing haha
 
Greg_L said:
No, I don't think I said anything like that.
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It's a miss mash. IMO, I wouldn't worry about a bottom snare mic for now either realmo. Get the basics as basic as you can for now. And if at all possible, put new heads on that beast. All of them. Around the same price as your interface, but you will regret not doing so. If have to, skimp first on the bottom heads, but seriously best if you start fresh with all of them. Seriously. Kick too.
 
Miking things like hats, rides, and bottoms of drums is a luxury, not a necessity. You don't need to do it.
 
aaronmcoleman said:
I don't know of any interfaces that have 12 inputs. A lot have 8 and can be expanded with other FireWire devices. So first the interfaces: maudio 2626, focusrite saffire pro 40, motu 896, a number of others I can't think of right off the bat. All pretty equal in my opinion. I use the focusrite and think it's great.

Now to expand you'll need something like a focusrite octapre. That will add 8 more inputs for a total of 16. Or get a 12 channel mixer but I'm not an expert on that so someone else will have to chime in.

But I'd stick to the interface and 8 inputs for now and mic the drums with less mics and learn the basics before getting crazy with a million mics. Others will have lots of better advice too.
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The MOTU HD192 is 12x12. However, it's only AD/DA and thus requires outboard preamps. But it does do 192khz audio if thats your cup of tea.
 
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