Problem room and drum tracking!

[Spazhands]

Hi. I have started recording for my band and am really struggling with the room sound amongst other things. I have managed a half decent sound with eq and compression but am looking to get a better raw sound to begin with. Here is the room:





As you can see I have a very low ceiling, I am going to try to get something up there to stop any nasty reflections. I recorded here years ago, but this was before the whole room was covered in plasterboard, so it had exposed beams and soft brick so wasn't quite as reflective as it is now.
The kit sounds great from where I am sitting and from in front of the kit, but this really doesn't come through in the recordings. I have placed a link to an eq'd/compressed track below, and underneath a raw one If you guys have any advice on how to improve this situation I would be very grateful. I am down there later so may try the recorderman overhead technique with close mics for a bit of definition.

MP3 Player SoundClick


MP3 Player SoundClick

 

[Greg_L]

Sounds like the overheads are out of phase. Since your space is so bad, you need to pay very close attention to how you mic things. You have no room for error. Get rid of that room mic. Why would you want to capture a bad room? Just use the spot mics and overheads.

 

[Spazhands]

Cheers. Yea I had spare channels so stuck it up there for the sake of it really! I know what you mean about the overheads, I tested them properly today and it seems one sounds different to the other, even though they are a "stereo pair"... same channel, place and leads. I will post up today's efforts and see what my changes have achieved.

 

[Ethan Winer]

As you can see I have a very low ceiling, I am going to try to get something up there to stop any nasty reflections.

You answered your own question.

--Ethan

 

[Beat Poet]

First up you could pull down the OH mics, so you're eliminating alot of the nastiness reflecting down from the ceiling. Secondly, change the tom heads, they look knackered. Lastly, don't hit the cymbals so hard, especially the crash, as it sounds tinny and distracting.

 

[Dogbreath]

And clean that room mister

 

[mixsit]

S... Why would you want to capture a bad room? Just use the spot mics and overheads.

Grins

Yeah, small rooms. PITA
Here's where I put my 'overheads' (the Earthworks


The kit pair from down there is closer and beefier- (more 'skins less brass/air.
Then the MK012's are really just blended in and/or eq'd as needed to dial in the top view and sparkle (or what ever.

(that snare mic shield was a nice experiment but almost never gets used BTW

One add might as well..
I treat the kit pair time aligned to the snare. And the kit' gets a nice thickening as these things sum fantastic all the way down to mono. (Generally run them 60-70% in.
The top mic's phase (position) in the blend is basically adjusted for the flavor of it. Generally they're similar distances out' but as it's a minor blend it's not critical!
The main down side I see is sometimes the ride is too close'/too big, but yeah, gim'me a nice big room and we'll talk.

 

[warartistrecord]

I am down there later so may try the recorderman overhead technique with close mics for a bit of definition.

did you try this yet? I'm curious because I have a somewhat similar room, and was wondering what your results are. Like others in this thread, I have got the best sound out of drums in my room with lower overheads. You just gotta make sure whoever drums doesn't hit your microphones, haha.

 

[ashcat_lt]

First up you could pull down the OH mics, so you're eliminating alot of the nastiness reflecting down from the ceiling.

Or get 'em right up to the ceiling. Point the suckers at the ceiling as close as you possibly can. Pretty much turns them into PZMs.

Don't take my advice, I never record acoustic drums...

 

[CMB Studios]

I reinforce gregs input... that room mic is useless at this point...

Perhaps try using the XY overhead technique... that will get them closer to the kit giving you less room and keep you in phase.

 

[mixsit]

Or get 'em right up to the ceiling. Point the suckers at the ceiling as close as you possibly can. Pretty much turns them into PZMs.

Don't take my advice, I never record acoustic drums...

I would assume (and have done it with small cap condensers) that placing them directly on/at the wall does 'zero out the time delay/reflections effect for the most part. -Perhaps not truly 'pzm but close to it.
Beyond that and I'm guessing again, rather than trying to hit or maintian that gap', go for mic 'along the wall, cap facing best direction. (I use Earthworks omnisthough- very little directional diff.