Newb to recording. Help?

[whaty]

So, I've been playing drums for about 8 years now. I have a nice set up, nice cymbals, and my drums sound really great.

I have about $1800 and I want to invest into recording my drums. I'd like to record on my computer, but I have no idea what I need. I'm pretty clueless to all of this recording stuff. So my question would be, what equipment and mics would I need to get a good almost studio quality sound with my kit. And if it helps, the genre I'm looking to record is metal.

Additional info. I have a room dedicated to my drum set. the room is about 15x15 with a 12 foot ceiling. The shape of the room is square. My computer has 4 gigs of ram and intel i5 processor. I'm looking for a lot of low ends when I start recording.

 

[grimtraveller]

Welcome ! And get a beer for Dogbreath !!
I don't know if you've already done this, but I would initially recommend looking through various threads, the newbie section, recording techniques, drums and percussion and the rack. There really is a mine of information there that will help you to get more of a grasp on what you'll be doing and the possible hows.

 

[squibble94]

These are my recommendations for mics.

Overheads - Shure KSM 32's
Snare (and toms) - Shure SM57
Kick - Shure PG 32

You can get other mics for hi hat and cymbals if you choose to mic EVERY drum. Take some other recommendations too. These mics are good though


Check this out

http://ronansrecordingshow.com/

 

[D_Vincent]

Things you need to record drums.

Computer
Recording Software
Interface
Mics
Drumkit

Later on you may want to add some room treatment to get a better recording.

I would use Reaper as my recording software.
http://www.cockos.com/reaper/index.php

Interface... need an interface that has at least 4 -8 inputs...I would get an 8 input interface seeing as you have the budget for it.

M audio is a good place toi start looking for interfaces however I would do a google search "Best 8 input interface" and see what people are saying.

Click on each photo to see options.

http://www.m-audio.ca/index.php?do=products.family&ID=recording

Ive also heard good things about the zoom R16...its a recorder and interface.
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item...2G00SRCHCAPN&gclid=COPJq7_B66ECFRmfnAodiigaJg

However dont be in to much of a hurry to buy fast...research the products you may want to buy...even do a google seacrh of product with the word "review" after it to see what people are saying.

drum mics

The most popular mics for snare drum is the shure sm57...cost around 100 bucks...these mics can aslo be used for tom drums as well so you may want to buy a few of them.

You need a kick drum mic

Best two kick drum mics for the price are the AKG D112 and the Shure beta 52.
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--AKGD112

http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--SHUBETA52A

Then you need to buy two overhead (condensor) mics.
there are many options to choose from...to many to mention...perhaps do a google search "Good overhead drum mics"

 

[TelePaul]

As Dinty Moore said, there's a great Sticky on this subject. As Greg L says, the most important thing to do is tune your drums well - if you've been playing 8 years, you'll probably be fine in this regard. I'd suggest a Firewire interface over a USB interface as you'll be able to process each track individually, and most are upgradeable to 26 inputs via lightpipe pre-amps (if you want gay Metallica-style drums ).

I was going to write more here but there's so much info out there. Good news is that you already have a kit and a decent computer, so you can spend the cash on a decent pre-amp/interface and some good sturdy mics. I'd spend the next week trolling this and other bulletin boards for advice before reaching for your wallet.

 

[whaty]

Welcome ! And get a beer for Dogbreath !!
I don't know if you've already done this, but I would initially recommend looking through various threads, the newbie section, recording techniques, drums and percussion and the rack. There really is a mine of information there that will help you to get more of a grasp on what you'll be doing and the possible hows.

I guess it would be the "mine" of information that is kind of throwing me off. It's a bit overwhelming. Just wanted to know what equipment I would be needing for my specific situation. I plan on doing a lot of experimenting once I get the stuff to get my desired sound, but as i mentioned before, I wanted to get some insight on what I would specifically need.

Things you need to record drums.

Computer
Recording Software
Interface
Mics
Drumkit

I guess that this answered my main question. I recently talked to a sales rep at a local music store, and he blew my mind with all the stuff he was shoving down my throat and trying to get me to purchase. On top of that, he was trying to sell me a mixer and studio monitors and a bunch of other stuff I can't really recall.

Also, on the recording software, is Cubase, Pro-Tools, and Ableton just hype, or are they worth the price tag? How do they compare to the software you mentioned?

And i have heard of sharing mics for drums. Could I share a large diaphragm mic between my floor toms and still get a good sound? I've been looking at the Audix D6 specifically for the floor toms.

As Dinty Moore said, there's a great Sticky on this subject. As Greg L says, the most important thing to do is tune your drums well - if you've been playing 8 years, you'll probably be fine in this regard.

Yeah, I think I get a monster sound from my kit. Just want to find the right equipment to capture it