jazz drum micing suggestions please

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tom Hicks
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Tom Hicks

Tom Hicks

Well-known member
Hey guys
I have miced rock drums in my band ,usually stereo overheads plus kick and snare.Sometimes tom mics too.But I have a session later today with an experienced jazz drummer.My brother played him some of my stuff and he asked me to record a jam session and burn him a CD.I know a lot of classic jazz was done with just one or two mics on the drum kit.
Suggestions,please?I have SM57s,ECM8000s,also a V67 and an NT1.We will track through phones with piano and guitar DI to the board,then to DAT.Thanks in advance.
Tom
 
I'd stick an sm57 on the bass drum and put the ecm8000s up on the extreme Right and Left side of the kit.
 
I'd put the v67 4'-5' out in front of the kick, about 3' off of the floor - the two ecm mics overhead. If doing alot of brush work, perhaps the NT-1 pointed at the floor over the snare. Just my 2 cents.
 
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I don't know what sound exactly you are after, but if you listen to the old recordings from Rudy van Gelder or Tom Dowd you might notice that drums are mostly mono.
If possible, i would also try to record everything live (ie no di), not looking for too much separation but trying to get a room sound and natural reverb from the leakage of the different close mics.
just my two cents
Harald
PS i have tried omnis on bass drum and upright and it worked very well.
 
Well,we played jazz...
But it sure wasn't what I expected.My brother had told me this would be a studio-seasoned jazz guy who works at the community college where my bro teaches.Turns out he was Jack Bullett Harris,who played a few years with Steve Earle in Nashville.He had an old 4 piece maple Pearl kit with Sabian cymbals.I used 3 mics on it and we played jazz standards and drank beer.All of me to All Blues.I'll post some clips when I get things polished up a little bit.Thanks for all the suggestions,guys.This place is a wealth of info.
Tom
 
Hey Tom! Which mics did you use where? Also, if you don't mind giving the rest of your micing and signal chain when you post the clips. I assume you went into your C-port.
TIA,
-Kent
 
I would go with the ECMs for Overheads, 57 on snare, and which ever LD condensor has a pad for the kick. Try spacing the ECM8000s farther than you would for a rock band ( Maybe 5-6 feet from each cymbal and about 5 feet high) Listen to just the Oheads, and bring up kick and snare to taste. I hope your room is big enough to allow the sound to breath.
 
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