Recording Drummer Needs Help

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jmshaff

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Ok I am turning to all of you that I am sure have a better idea than I. I am in the middle of converting my studio to record live drums. As most everyone else I am on a budget. I have been recording all digital with sonar 2.0 XL. I have a Ego-Sys Wami Rack sound card.

I have been up to this point recording with a Yamaha DTX for my drums and sold it and recently purchased a Tama Rockstar. What my questions is.... I have 4 quarter inch in's on my card with Phantom Power so I could record 4 mics just with my card. I was looking at purchasing another card I am thinking I could do with 8 in's.

My other options was to purchase a mixer try and mix the kit as close as I can before I record....

Let me know what you guys think and thanks for you help in advance!!!!

Matt
 
I would start with a mixer. Then upgrade the card when you need it. Get a Mackie 1202 or an old 8 channel TASCAM.
 
Work with us here man...

Budget???

What does that mean? Air studio in London hasa budget too. (Around half a million dollars a month just in updating gear!)

Get a new sound card. Judging by your software choice (assuming that you paid for it and didn't just pinch it off Kazar) you are not just wanting to goof off with friends.

Anyone with a semi-pro software would be cheating himself unless has had a semi-pro sound card with AT LEAST 8-10 inputs. The Delta 1010 comes to mind. The MOTU 2408mkII, the Motu 24I/O is the wet dream for recording drums.

Now for pre-amps GET YOURSELF A MIXER. And make sure it NOT Behringer. Get a propper Mackie with good pre-amps.

And FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!! tune your drums properly. Get new drum heads when you go to the music store... you can maybe work out a package deal. Get new heads for each drum... and that means top and botom heads for each drum except the bass drum; that drum doesn't need a fresh front head.

When you are changing the drum heads make sure to NOT put any mutting crap inside the drum... and pack cotton into the lugs before you screw them back in. WD-40 the chains and driving mechanism of the bass pedal, as well and anywhere that metal touches metal, like where you mount the toms. Clean the cymbals with cymbal cleaner to get the heavy córosion off that deadens the crish high ends. All of this may seam like taking it too far... but these are the finer things that can make the difference between a shit recording a descent one. ESPECIALLY the bottom heads. Most shit drummers leave the same bottom heads on for years. EVERY three months for propper studio drums. And EVERY time you start a new project you should change the heads.

And one last thing to do...

Post drum questions in the DRUMS SECTION NEXT TIME!!!!
 
It's a recording question about mixers and soundcards..:rolleyes:

Seems like the perfect forum for it..
 
Couldn't resist..:p

The question is...Would you be happy with only 4 mics on the drums?

A mixer will bring you one step further. (More sources mixed down to 4 tracks.)

And something with 8 or so inputs would solve your problem completly.
 
Or just use the 3 mic setup 2 overhead 1 in the kick and learn to
get a good recording of your drum kit that way first.
Play with that for a while and see if that will meet your needs before spending all your money on a mixer.
 
Herm is 100% right. AMEN Brutha!

Make sure that you get your kit up to specs with the tuning and new heads, packed luggs, oiled metal etc... and then try to get a good sound with just two overheads, a kick drum mic, and maybe a snare mic.

Really get creative too. Try to put the kick drum mic right infront of or INSIDE the kick drum and then try things like, putting a blanket over the whole kick drum to help in getting kick drum isolation. Maybe take the head off the kick drum. (looks amature I know, but a LOT of really great famous drum sounds have been gotten this way.

Also, keep in mind that a lot of really great engineers swear by the dual overhead, less is more, approach to recording drums. Go for that first.

Get good at hearing percussion subtlties and THEN maybe expand your set up. Don't assume that better gear will yield better sounds. Sometimes it is the opposite.
 
A lot of folks do indeed like the minmal miking technique. It's OK for some styles but in my experience for aggressive rock/pop I always have to have mics on the toms. On an average kit I run 7 mics.
 
Why would he want to use a mixer? Wouldn't that just get the whole set down to two tracks in software?
 
Not if you're using direct channel outputs (or channel inserts) from the mixer to a recorder with multiple inputs.
 
Krypto said:
Why would he want to use a mixer? Wouldn't that just get the whole set down to two tracks in software?
Click to expand...

...have you actually done mix drums ? I mean in the mixing section not in the tracking section ? Tracking the whole drum sound in only two tracks is not suggested. You'll find difficulties alot in the mixing section. If I have no other choice, then my minimum limit of drum tracking is FOUR tracks. Two for L/R overhead, one for kick, and one for snare. Never less. Even cheap mixers can help you alot during tracking / routing your signal. But surely you'll wan't something like Mackie or Soundcraft better...
Card ? Delta 1010 will be in your mind.
;)
 
I read a great article in Tape-op about miking drums using 4 mics. two overheads, kick and snare. I used this technique (since I only have 8 track capabilities and it worked pretty good. I placed the overheads about right over the drummer next to each other to minimize phasing problems. Next time I will probably place them further apart. It also talked about seting the height of the overheads lower for more of the toms and higher for more of the cymbals, I didn't try this next time I'll be recording with all drums miked anyways. But for a quick budget setup. 4 mics worked for me.

Gatorhaus
 
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