Recording Drums in a small room

[sketterman]

What tips, if any, are there for recording live drums in a small room (~10x12 with ~9 ft ceiling)?

The room is 100% untreated, and it seems no matter what I do, I cant get a good mix withough a lot of wash/mud especially in the overheads.

Also, is there a way to reverse the phase of a mic after recording? I dont have the option to do so while I'm tracking, but I know you can do it in Sonar Producer...just not sure if it can be done after tracking. I do know where the option is to do so by using the channel tools, but the one time I did try to do it after tracking it didnt seem to make any difference.

 

[Jeff_D]

What tips, if any...


The room is 100% untreated...

Fix that... You'll be amazed at how much easier all of your recording endeavors become. You can do something portable or temporary if you dont plan to be in that space forever.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

What tips, if any, are there for recording live drums in a small room (~10x12 with ~9 ft ceiling)?

First advice: Don't.

But if you absolutely have to in order to save your mother's eyes or something like that...

If you have windows in that room, open them as wide as you can (when your neighbors are on vacation) to help couple the room with the outdoors and suck some of the standing bass out.

As many bass traps in as any surface corners as you can fit without kicking yourself and your drum kit out to make room for them.

Deaden or diffuse the ceiling with some pro broadband absorbers or diffusers (no egg crates or mattress foam), especially where the overheads will be.

Try a front-address X/Y instead of overheads.

Also, is there a way to reverse the phase of a mic after recording? I dont have the option to do so while I'm tracking, but I know you can do it in Sonar Producer...just not sure if it can be done after tracking. I do know where the option is to do so by using the channel tools, but the one time I did try to do it after tracking it didnt seem to make any difference.

Every editor has some way or another to do this. Some have a polarity switch (sometimes labeled "Ø") right on the master control section of the channel track, to the left of the timeline. Others you have to go to the menu bar somewhere and pick the "Invert" tool/option.

As to it not seeming to make a difference, that's entirely normal, depending on what you were trying to use it for or trying to fix. If you're trying to use it to fix all those reflections and standing waves and other garbage that you're getting in that room, you can probably forget it making more than a small difference. Your phase roatations are going to be all over the map and the chances of a 180° flip of the waveform fixing much of those phase issues is about 1 in 360.

G.

 

[sketterman]

Fix that... You'll be amazed at how much easier all of your recording endeavors become. You can do something portable or temporary if you dont plan to be in that space forever.

Awesome. The band wont be in there 'forever' but for now, its the only place we have to record/practice. I'm glad you said to treat the room because I've read here and there that you treat the room that you mix in, I never understood if you should treat your practice room as opposed to sound proofing it.

 

[Jeff_D]

If it was me, I'd put OC703 or rockwool traps in the corners, a cloud of the same over the kit and you'll probably already have a rug for the drums to sit on. Maybe a couple 2' by 4' panels on the walls too.
You can make 1X4 frames stuffed with rigid fiberglass or rockwool and wrapped in fabric for cheap.

 

[jamesb49]

treating the room sounds like the real deal, I'm going to do this shortly and will post my results.

 

[Todzilla]

kremit has the right idea - industrial insulation (Owens Corning 703 sheets), especially in the corners.

If you're real broke you could even try hanging moving blankets a few inches off the walls.