Overhead issue: too much crash!

JG96

JG96

Active member
Hi guys, my band is about to start recording again. I want to be able to use more of the overhead sound but the crash dominates it a bit too much. I mic the drums in the recorderman method so the crashes are off axis to begin with. If I move the crash cymbals lower down will that help keep them lower in the mix? I could also have my drummer use one crash instead of two but I'm certain he would be opposed.
 
Your drummers technique might be whacked. Tell him to go easier on the tins or hit the drums harder. Other than that, try a different OH setup, or like you said, move some stuff around on the kit. If your drummer is interested in getting a good recording, he'll comply with whatever experiments you want to do.
 
He doesn't hit the cymbals too hard on recordings, part of the problem may be the fact that he's using sabian B8's. Recorderman has been the best so far for us. Part of the problem is too much leakage in the snare mic. I guess I can play around with mic choice and placement on the snare. He is leaving for a 4,000 mile bike trip in like 12 days so hopefully we can resolve it by then!
 
JG96 said:
He doesn't hit the cymbals too hard on recordings, part of the problem may be the fact that he's using sabian B8's. Recorderman has been the best so far for us. Part of the problem is too much leakage in the snare mic. I guess I can play around with mic choice and placement on the snare. He is leaving for a 4,000 mile bike trip in like 12 days so hopefully we can resolve it by then!
Click to expand...

I'm one of the few that doesn't think B8s are that bad. Lol. Still, they're not louder than anything else. They're not the problem. You might not like their tone, but that's not a volume thing.

How high are your OH mics? Getting them closer to the drums might help. When I used recorderman I kept mine like 2 stick lengths from the snare. I got a decent balance there. Just make sure no cymbals are even with the mic capsules. You get some weirdness when that happens.
 
Im doing the same thing with the 2 stick lengths. I think B8 rides and hats sound good but i feel the crashes have some nasty overtones. I could try to get them a bit closer, part of the problem is i can't get them super close because the drummer is 6 foot 5. Do you think making the cymbals lower would help. By even with the mic capsules do you mean directly under or parallel?
 
JG96 said:
By even with the mic capsules do you mean directly under or parallel?
Click to expand...

Parallel, i.e makes sure the OH's are either above or below the cymbals, not on the same vertical plane.

Lowering the cymbals may help but may also throw off the drummer. one thing that may be worth trying to see whether the problem is the drummer hitting the cymbals to hard is to have the OH's playing back into the drummers headphones and turn it up a bit (make sure it's straight from the interface to prevent latency) this way, the drummer isn't having to smack the cymbals to hear them over his headphones meaning he should play them at an appropriate volume. also, if he is smacking them regardless they should be so loud in his headphones that he lays off them a bit. i've had a similar problem with hi hats in the overheads a couple of times so have close mic'ed the hats and put just the hats into the drummers headphones. again, if the drummer can hear them he isn't having to lay into the hats so much to hear them over his headphones and if he's still smacking the crap outta them then turning the hats up in their headphones will get to the point where the drummer is so offended by what they hear that they start playing the hats quieter :D

I had a set of Zildjian ZBT's and i ended up replacing the ride and 16inch crash as they were very, very abrasive sounding. however, the hats sounded great and the 18inch crash has a certain "edge" to it, although it is loud as heck! i used a set of sabian B8's on a track a while back and they sounded fine, although the Sabian B20's are well worth it as an upgrade. not loads more expensive but much smoother sounding
 
I have finally found the sound I wanted. I spent about 2 hours tuning the drums and placing the cymbals where they didn't dominate the overheads or sound wooshy. I used a pair of SM81's as overheads in the glyn johns method. Plus a md421 on kick, a km84 on snare, an sm57 on rack tom and a AKG D12 on floor tom. Ill try to post a sound clip in a few days. I also learned the true significance of the placement of a drum set in a room. Clearly good tuning, good mics, and good placement can counteract a mediocre set.:D:D:D
 
Turn the high down in the eq a little bit. I also got good results with the recorderman setup but if you take it one step further and mic the snare and kick separately then you can use the oh's to capture the cymbals and toms. This not only gives you more ability to get the balanced sound you want but also to still use a minimalist's approach.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top