Need some of your advice for micing my acoustic drums...

[Rickson Gracie]

Ok guys (and girls),

I am a former Roland td-6 midi drum user for recording and I went ahead and bought an inexpensive acoustic drum set because I figure even a cheap REAL drumset will sound better recorded than the TD-6. I must admit i made some pretty good recordings with the roland thus far my if i listened real close i could tell they were electronic.

My set up is as follows:

Digidesign Mbox int a P4 PC.
Blue Robbie Tube preamp. Single channel.
Yamaha MG103 small 10 channel mixer

Mics:
Pair of Marshal 603s's that i use for recording acoustic guitar
One senheiser e609 that i use to mic giutar amps
One Blue Dragonfly that i use mainly for vocals

I record mostly blues, modern rock, classic rock. i like a vintage yet rich sound.

Can you suggest the best setup to record my drums???

Can i get away with the stuff i have now or do i need to buy more mics...etc.??


THANKS

 

[EleKtriKaz]

Well, if you want to record with what you have right now, use the 603s as overheads, the e609 as your snare mic, and the dragonfly as either a room mic or a kick drum mic.

Eventually you'll want to get probably a 57 for snare, maybe a couple sennheiser 421s for toms, an AKG D112/EV RE20/ATM 25/Whatever for kick, and maybe a pair of LDCs for room mics.

 

[Rickson Gracie]

is there a fairly in expexpensive mic i can get that will make this setup sound much better? like will the sm57 work much better thabn the e609 on the snare?

wouldnt the dragonfly sound better as an overhead than both 603s's?

thanks

 

[Harvey Gerst]

What drums; how well are they tuned, and what kinda music?

 

[Rickson Gracie]

the drum set is a ludwig accent thats sounds very good. i have some nice cymbals too. i paid way more for the cymbals than the set itself lol

the style is classic rock, indie rock..etc

 

[Harvey Gerst]

the drum set is a ludwig accent thats sounds very good. i have some nice cymbals too. i paid way more for the cymbals than the set itself lol

the style is classic rock, indie rock..etc

Basically, what the others have said. Use the 603's to pick up the cymbals and the toms in stereo, use the 609 on the snare, and set the dragonfly down low (and out a little ways) to pick up the kick.

 

[Rickson Gracie]

will the toms be loud enough in the recordings? will it sound professional or should i get mics for the toms too??

 

[scrubs]

will the toms be loud enough in the recordings? will it sound professional or should i get mics for the toms too??

A "professional" drum sound is a fairly subjective thing, as drum sounds vary greatly between musical genres and even bands within genres.

You will get toms in the overhead mics and from the condenser placed in front of the kit. For ultimate control, you should mic everything and send it to a separate channel (not sure how many channels the Mbox has?).

However, you state that you do classic rock and stuff. Depending on your definition of "classic rock," I think the setups above should suit you well...unless you are trying to sound like Boston, or something. The best way to know is to try it and see if the sound suits your taste. Good luck.

 

[Rickson Gracie]

thanks guys...i will try top use what i have now and go from there

 

[OneArmedScissor]

will the toms be loud enough in the recordings? will it sound professional or should i get mics for the toms too??

Holy sh*t man, no offense, but can't you just try it yourself and see?!? People can't just tell you this kind of stuff half the time, anyways. They don't know your stuff. You have to do it.

 

[Rickson Gracie]

i just wanted to get pointed in right direction. thats all.


i tried tonight for the firts time. i think ill post the results up tomorrow so u guys can give me your opinion on what needs to be improved.

thanks

 

[DigitalSmigital]

I like the way this thread is developing...

go ahead and post that link here.

Drums are the toughest sound for me to capture, I think it's my room. Or my mics. Probably my skills, eh?

 

[OneArmedScissor]

i just wanted to get pointed in right direction. thats all.


i tried tonight for the firts time. i think ill post the results up tomorrow so u guys can give me your opinion on what needs to be improved.

thanks

I apologize if I came across as too much of an asshole. I must have seen one too many posts yesterday that screamed, "Just try it and see!"

Good luck!

 

[Innovations]

depending on the placement of the 603's as overheads they should pick up the toms OK.

The 603's as overheads are respected. I would concentrate on getting something specifically for the snare and the kick before spending money elsewhere.