Mixer? I hardly know her.

[Froinlavin]

Drum recording help/suggestions

Just bought a drumset and I want to record them. Back when I didn't know much about recording (and before I knew I would be getting and recording a drumset) I got a Boss BR-864. Originally, I had intented to only record guitar and vocals so the 864 was fine for me. Now I have the drums and I don't have enough inputs on the 864 to record them.

After reading other posts, I think I've figured that the best option for me would be to buy a mixer to hook-up the drum mics to and then run the mixer to the 864.

Starting out, I'll have a kick mic (Shure Beta 52 or AKG 112--not sure which yet), an SM57 for the snare and two overheads (still researching those.) So that's 4 mics total.

At first I looked into the Yamaha MG 10/2 as it has four XLR inputs, but then I got to thinking that i may want to spend the extra 100 to get the MG 12/4 so that if I decide to add a couple more mics to the set, I could.

First off, I would like to know if my thinking is correct. Do I hook the mics up to the mixer, then run the mixer to the 864? Is there a cheaper and/or more efficient way to do this? Can I do it better with a couple hundred dollars more?

Excluding mics and cables, I'd like to keep the budget under 200 to get this to work, though 300 is also doable.

I'm not going to be playing the drums exceptionally loud. Somewhere between jazz and rock. Whatever I get doesn't necessarily need to be able to handle high volumes. Don't know if that makes any difference or not. Throwing it in just in case.

Any help is appreciated.

Bonus Question: When I get some studio monitors, do I hook these up to the mixer or to the 864 or do I need something else entirely to make that part work?

 

[ssscientist]

At first I looked into the Yamaha MG 10/2 as it has four XLR inputs

I actually prefer recording drums with four mics - kick, snare and two overheads. The 10/2 would make a fine first board and you wouldn't be tempted to add more microphones somewhere down the road just onaccounata because you had the spare inputs. With the luxury of having a more or less permanent setup and more or less unlimited time to get a kit balance that you like, just use the play a bit, listen back, play a bit, listen back strategy until you find the optimum mic levels and positions. Don't be afraid to move the mics around - boom stands are a must for getting the overheads in position. If you haven't come across it already, this is the HR recommended online merchant.

As far as your bonus question goes, the easiest way to go would be powered monitors. There are many choices in every price range - from $50 2.1 sat/sub computer speakers to $25,000 5.1 'pro' setups for those who consider themselves to be in "the business" (ick). And yes, you would plug them into the main outputs of the recorder. If you're going to take the plunge and go with the $25,000 ones you might need to budget for a few adapters too...

 

[NYMorningstar]

I'm thinking you might want to save up and buy a soundcard with more ins/outs. You've already experienced buying equipment you've grown out of and is now basically useless(Boss BR-864), so why do that again with a 4 track? Save up and get yourself a delta 10/10 or something similar so you can track more channels simultaneously and maintain separation for your drum tracks while mixing. Using a mixer for multiple pres isn't a bad idea and will save you money at the expense of quality. Look to the future so you don't end up a hardware packrat with useless equipment like many have around here.

 

[ssscientist]

You've already experienced buying equipment you've grown out of and is now basically useless(Boss BR-864)

Hmmmm...I must have missed that part of the post.

I thought he was asking for an economical way to add to his existing equipment to get his new drums recorded.

 

[Froinlavin]

Yeah. What ssscientist said.

I thought about getting the 10/2. Is it basically the same as the 12/4 only with fewer inputs/outputs?

As far as monitors go, I am going to go with some powered ones. Looking at either M-Audio BX8's or Yorkville YSM1p's.

 

[tubesrawsom]

the d6 i hear is awsome for the kick

 

[noisedude]

I have an MG10/2 and they are really very good for the money. I would recommend getting the MG12/4 though because the extra busses and inputs WILL get used eventually. Always buy slightly more than you need now, because you will end up using it ... I started out with only two or three channels being used on a mixer, now I am using 8 most days, and a new interface will see me using twelve plus four stereo line channels. After having a mixer with four pres, it seemed pointless stopping off at eight, because twelve is where I'm heading in the longer term.

 

[NYMorningstar]

Hmmmm...I must have missed that part of the post.

I thought he was asking for an economical way to add to his existing equipment to get his new drums recorded.

Sorry, I thought he was saying that he now doesn't have enough inputs for his drums. I was just suggesting that he rethink this and not buy more equipment he probably won't need in the future.

 

[Froinlavin]

I'm leaning a little more towards the 12/4 now. A year from now, the extra 100 I would save by buying the 10/2 now wouldn't really matter all that much. But if I bought the 10/2 now, and a year from now need the couple extra outputs, I won't be very happy.

I can afford the 12/4 so I figure why not get it.

Thanks for the help so far. Mixer? I know her a little better now.

 

[noisedude]

LOL! It's the same as trying to buy a computer - you can't future-proof per se, but you can certainly plan ahead to try and save yourself some cash in the long run. Plus it's got faders instead of knobs - a surprisingly big deal!

 

[Froinlavin]

Yeah, that's been the biggest thing with all this stuff I've been buying. Don't want to spend a fortune--can't spend a fortune--but I don't want to buy something I outgrow in six months. Finding the middle ground isn't easy. Either that or I'm making this much harder than it really is.

 

[noisedude]

No, it's genuinely tough. And no-one will understand why you're spending ostensibly silly amounts of money on switches and faders. I've always thought "buy cheap, buy twice" is a bit misleading, but "buy wrong, buy twice" seems indisputable to me. Take your time to make the best decision you possibly can now ... and when it turns out to be wrong in six months' time, don't beat yourself up about it!!! There have been a few items of junk to pass through chez Noisedude, let me tell you ... and I tend to plan hard.