Micing Drums with 2 Mics

J

jazzbass12

New member
I ma recording my Jazz band at home. I only have 2 inputs with 2 SM58. I also have a condensor mic.
Any suggestions as to mike placement.

Thanks,
 
I would suggest to take the condenser and put it 1,5 stick above drummer´s head. Then check your recordings and see what sounds weak. Maybe you would like to place a sm58 in or outside the kick, on the snare or whatever.
Another suggestion would be to put it on the ride to get a little bit broader stereo image. The ride is mostly used thoroughly in jazz, so it would be a nice place.
Just experiment.
 
yea, but thats really only for the drums, not the rest of the band. When we record in my jazz band class, we just put one condensor up on the ceiling, which was about 20 feet high, and aimed it at all the instruments. We got decent quality considering thats all we used, but id use the other mic maybe above the ride or something as F_cksia said. Just a thought..ta ta
 
I have to agree with Mr. F_cksia on this. I'd take the condensor and put it one and a half drum sticks length measured from the center of the snare to the capsule with the mic itself centered over the kit with the mic aimed at the snare. I'd put one of the 58s either in the kick or if the front head has no hole in it for a mic, out in front of the kick aimed at the front head positioned to taste (if you do jazz, probably close as you probably won't be standing on it). Record a little bit and listen back and move mics to raste. As in all recording, just use your ears, they won't let you down.
 
i like putting a condenser out front about 6 feet from the kit, 6 feet up- if you have a nice sounding room. it gives a more "audience point of view" image of the kit. with fewer mics you need a better room...

then i would spot mic with the 58 whatever needs it... maybe the snare or whatnot.

with jazz you might want to spot mic the ride... if he is that kinda drummer.
 
I think that eeldip is right, you can place the condenser in front of the kit, and 58 on the snare, I´m almost sure that you wont get enough jazz vibe that way, but you could try rising up the snare mic or placing it behind the drummer pointing to the snare. I think it all depends on how your room sounds and if you have the right drumheads and correct tunning.

You could listen here what I´ve got using two mics (condenser and a 57) check the drums from La Noche. It was recorded at home with minimum isolation, I think I placed the condenser behind my back, because it was too much kick in front. I also place a futton very close to the kick.

http://www.nowhereradio.com/tamasabianexperience/singles

Hope this could help

Tama
 
don't be afraid to stick that condenser in a few different places before making a final decision. Saturday night I stuck an sm81 under a crash/above the far right rack tom for the hell of it. I had 5 other mics on the kit - staples tried and true - and the 81 made one hell of a difference. I'm not saying try it there... just try it everywhere and see what floats yer boat.
 
just curious... what kind of condensor do you have....

These are all fantastic suggestions, but are really dependant on having that one mic shine spectacularly.

If you're interested in minimalistic jazz recording, check out anything on the Chesky label... they record everything with just one or two room mics, and have put out great recordings by Phill Woods, Tom Harrell and a load of other great cats.

If you're holy grail mic is just that, I kind of agree with scrubucket, you can get decent sounds like this in jazz...

I also liket the 6 up 6 out suggestion... a jazz set is very different than rock or pop, and the way a great drummer uses the set is in a word, dynamic. The 1.5 sticks above the center of the snare is a little unnerving to me, by my measurements, that's not going to give you a whole lot of space between the magic condensor and the equally magic cymbals, and the overall tone of the set might get lost.

One other suggestion you can try, depending on the guy's setup and one mic, is eye level, or just below the ride, 3 - 4 feet out directed towards the snare through the crack between the tom hardware and the hi-hat. (wish I could draw a picture)

The only potential benefit is if you're micing everyone else seperately, this will give you slightly less bleed, as it's closer to the set than the 6 up 6 out, although you may have to compensate for a little boominess in the kick and toms.

btw, how are you micing everyone else... are these three mics and 2 inputs for the whole band, or is this what you had left for the drums?

Good luck

Rich
Radium Reactor
 
I worked out the geometry of the RecorderMan mic placement technique, and constructed a physical tool to demonstrate it.

The intent is placing two mics, both are equidistant from the kick and snare impact points. The mic-to-snare and mic-to-kick distances vary, but each mic is the same distance to the impact point.

This can be demonstrated by constructing a "rotating tee" out of cheap PVC pipe. The mic positions are the ends of the "tee" top.

Place the end of the tee at the kick impact point. No matter how you turn or rotate the tee, both mics are exactly equidistant from the kick point.

Second is placing the snare. Attach a length of string at each end of the tee. The midpoint of the string is where the snare impact point is located. You can make the string longer or shorter as required.

Arrange the tee at the kick point, and the string at the snare, and you have perfect phasing. Both the kick and snare are at the exact center of the stereo image.

Once you see how this aid works, with practice you can set the mics quickly using a tape, drum sticks, etc.

[ edit ]

The tool will also let you position the mics in front of the kit, to get less cymbal and more of the overall kit.
 
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