Purcussion mic

A

ApeDosMeow

New member
I use the Audix Fusion 7 mic drumkit set for most of the drum tracks I'll do. Now Iv'e recently encountered a band with a real percussionist.

He uses mainly bongos, no crashes.

What's the ideal mic for these type of situations? And I mean everything from should it be ribbon, dynamic, condenser, etc.. to what specific model.

And you know, this part really gets me here.. It being the first time i'll ever record percussion, how in the world are those panned? and how many mics typically would it take to record a 2 bongo/1 snare percussion set

Ohh these things get me alright. Thank god i have you guys.
 
Shure SM 57's tend to get the job done pretty well on bongos and congas. Sennheiser MD 421 might work well on bongos but much better on congas. SM 57 again for the snare. If you can, use one mic for each bongo and one for the snare.

Both my suggestions are dynamic cardioid mics.
 
carlosguardia said:
Shure SM 57's tend to get the job done pretty well on bongos and congas. Sennheiser MD 421 might work well on bongos but much better on congas. SM 57 again for the snare. If you can, use one mic for each bongo and one for the snare.

Both my suggestions are dynamic cardioid mics.
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That's fantastic! Makes sense, I use the Audix 7-drum mic set.

It comes with dynamics and condensers *my drum setup*


Also own a Sm58

Whata think of using that one for the snare and one dynamic each for a bongo?

I don't have any more money to spend on a new mic.

Thanks for your help dude, I really appreciate it. Think you got any advice up your sleeve for panning the bongos?
 
A few questions first: Is the percussionist the ONLY drummer in the band or not?

If he is, then how often are those bongos being played, as opposed to the snare?

If they're constantly playing a pattern with the snare involved, I'd put the snare dead center, and the bongos panned to like 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock, maybe 3 and 9 depending on how much separation you're getting and how Esquivel you want your stereo.

If there IS a drumkit involved, I'd put the bongos on the floor tom side of the kit mix, so as not to interfere with the higher pitched toms... Assuming you're mixing the kit in stereo, heh heh.

Good luck.
 
isfahani said:
A few questions first: Is the percussionist the ONLY drummer in the band or not?

If he is, then how often are those bongos being played, as opposed to the snare?

If they're constantly playing a pattern with the snare involved, I'd put the snare dead center, and the bongos panned to like 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock, maybe 3 and 9 depending on how much separation you're getting and how Esquivel you want your stereo.

If there IS a drumkit involved, I'd put the bongos on the floor tom side of the kit mix, so as not to interfere with the higher pitched toms... Assuming you're mixing the kit in stereo, heh heh.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Almost psychic, heres the scoop: No, a real Drummer is indeed involved, a two bongo w/ 1 drum snare percussion set

It is played heavily during specific pieces with the drumming of the drummer; they work rhythm together


It is played only in specific patterns and certain measures - the percussions.

As a live band they play

point of view - *your the audience, this pc monitor is the band*

guitarist/percussionist dead left (Rhythm. guitar, bongo player, position varies and are mixed and matched during songs)

bassist left ( I plan on recording the bass using the Bass Pod DI method)

drummer middle

Lead Guitarist to the dead right (last)




Okay, hope that answers the question, now my question to you; does what I just stated change the panning ideas of the bongos you were giving me for the recording?

Thanks so much.
 
percussion recording

Hi there

Personally I would only use 1 mic on the bongos, positioned directly above/behind and bang in the middle. If you imagine standing in front of someone playing bongos at a distance of a few metres, you are really not going to hear any separation. Keeping it mono keeps it simple, and the mix between the two drums is taken care of by the player. Congas, yes, I would mic up each one individually, especially as it is more complex to find the right spot to mic it, due to the larger skins, and the way many differrent hits are played all over the head.

I agree that a nice bright dynamic like a SM57 is perfect, and that is what I use live; studio wise you can take your pick really, depending on the vibe you want and the room you are in. I have got some nice recordings using just one ribbon, spaced about 18 inches away (you get lots of room) also I have used LD condensers (414's are pretty nice on bongos) and SD condensors too with good effect. I guess your choice will depend on whether you are doing it all live or as overdubs.

I was recording congas last night with just one Oktava 319 spaced about 18 inches up and in front, gives quite a nice gritty old school sound. I was also recording bongos with a busted up sm57 copy, which is a little brighter. Just what I wanted for the tune which was kinda breakbeat oriented.

I am not sure what you have in that drum mic set you have, but the overheads I imagine will be SDC's. these may work well,

As far as panning is concerned, think where the guy is on stage, and where his instruments are. As I said, I would keep the bongos in mono, pan them almost hard left, since this is where your guy is, and place the snare next to it, maybe a little more central. this will give some quite nice space.
With congas, I would say pan them fairly close together as a unit. Again at a distance, the sound will seem to come from the same place. Since they are a lot more complex harmoniclly I would keep them a bit closer to centre of the image.

A good idea might be to listen to some latin stuff, like mongo santamaria, ray baretto, irakere. these guys have loads of percussion all over the place and are not shy of a bit of hard panning! You will see that you can get away with placing percussion all over. It really opens the mix out!!

Anyway have fun. Hope your recording goes great, and I hope I have helped!!

long x
 
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