RECORDERMAN Overheads.....What am I doing wrong.

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timboZ

timboZ

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When I set the mics up this way the mic that should be over the right sholder of the drummer ends up next to the drummers right ear, and I get a lot og headphone bleed.

What am I doing wrong.
 
cut off the drummer's head. it's useless anyway.

but seriously, place the right shoulder mic to your liking first, then use it's distances from the snare/kick to place the second mic.
 
In case you're doing this right, your drummer's snare might be setup too low. In that case just setup the snare's OH higher, and eventually you will set the other OH further away from the drummer's head.

Another possibility is to get a shorter drummer.
 
One suggestion i read was that if headphone bleed is a real problem then try wearing proper builders ear defenders with ipod style earbuds underneath.
 
maybe turn down the drummer's headphones? or get a pair that isolates better?

likewise, don't feel limited to the "recorderman technique". put the overhead where it sounds best--not where some online "how to" tells you to. i rarely use this technique "by the book". just do what sounds good....often this means a mono overhead instead of stereo.


cheers,
wade
 
mrface2112 said:
likewise, don't feel limited to the "recorderman technique". put the overhead where it sounds best--not where some online "how to" tells you to.

Right, but this guy may be wanting to get it to work as prescribed first so he understands it, then he can veer away and make changes to suit taste/situation.
 
MatthewRedStars said:
One suggestion i read was that if headphone bleed is a real problem then try wearing proper builders ear defenders with ipod style earbuds underneath.


This is what I do too and it works great.
 
Just move the mics a little further away. The important thing is that they're equally the same distance from the snare and kick and pointed directly at the center of the snare.
 
Greg_L said:
The important thing is that they're equally the same distance from the snare and kick and pointed directly at the center of the snare.

But when I did have them that way the mic was within 3 inches from the drummers right ear. I moved the snare a bit and went about 2 and 1/2 drum sticks frome the snare. I'm still playing with mic placement to get something I like.
 
I've had good results with a single overhead sort of near the ride/low tom, pointing across the toms at the snare.......just experiment man.....i never had any luck with the "over the shoulder" position anyway.
 
timboZ said:
But when I did have them that way the mic was within 3 inches from the drummers right ear. I moved the snare a bit and went about 2 and 1/2 drum sticks frome the snare. I'm still playing with mic placement to get something I like.
I do mine about 2 and 1/4 stick length away, and my right O/H is roughly 6-8 inches from my ear. I'm not having any headphone bleed problems though. Maybe yall just need some better cans? :confused:
 
Greg_L said:
Just move the mics a little further away. The important thing is that they're equally the same distance from the snare and kick and pointed directly at the center of the snare.

I have one OH pointing at the snare, and the other at the 14 and 16" toms. This way i get more of a stereo image of the whole kit, capturing the lower toms better since I don't have them mic'd. The sound waves still get from the bass drum and from the snare to the OH's at the same time since i have them at equal distances. (two drum sticks from snare, and i set my snare higher than the usual)

Another idea is to set the OH's a little higher than you're used to. I'll repeat what the others said about experimenting and getting the right sound to your ears.
 
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Berberman said:
I have one OH pointing at the snare, and the other at the 14 and 16" toms. This way i get more of a stereo image of the whole kit, capturing the lower toms better since I don't have them mic'd. The sound waved still get from the bass drum and from the snare to the OH's at the same time since i have them at equal distances. (two drum sticks from snare, and i set my snare higher than the usual)

Another idea is to set the OH's a little higher than you're used to. I'll repeat what the others said about experimenting and getting the right sound to your ears.
You don't have phasing issues with the snare? Are you using omni-directional mics or something?
 
Berberman said:
I have one OH pointing at the snare, and the other at the 14 and 16" toms.
Like Greg, I'm surprised this sounds good. But if it does...it does.
 
Greg_L said:
You don't have phasing issues with the snare? Are you using omni-directional mics or something?

I'm using two mxl 603s. I get great results. I'll post some when i can.
 
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