Recording drums using 4 channels on a PC recording enviroment....

  • Thread starter Thread starter mastahnke
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mastahnke

mastahnke

Linux Man...
SM57 - snare
Beta 52 - Bass Drum, (great for bass drum)
Sennheiser MD421 --(Great all around mic, espeically on bass drum)

Overhead -- some large condensor...
I would probably get an AT4033, just cause I love em.

MIKE
 
I play various instruments including the drums and the guitar, to this date I've always made small sound files using my trusty SoundBlaster PCI-64 card and some cheap mics. The quality was fine, enough to somewhat represent the sound of the instrument but it was no where near good.
Since I wanted to take my recordings to a higher level so I bought the "Aardvark Direct Pro 24/96" package since I didn't want to spend money on a soundcard and a mixer. Besides I didn't need anything like ADAT cable links or any other of those gizmos. And the Aardvark was the most logical package I could get.

Now that I have some more cash (around $800) I want to get some mics for my drums. I have a 4-piece partially birch kit. Since the Aardvark has 4mic amplifiers I'll most likely get 3 or 4 mics (kick, snare, 2 or 1 overheads). I know that SM57 is a great mic for snare drums, so I'll probably use that on my snare. On the kick I'm thinking about another SM57 or perhaps an AKG D112 or Beta52, my overhead choice will decide that. I'm not looking for any huge Bonham sound, I just want a tight dry sound from my drums. The room they are in is already quite dead, carpeted and curtains on the walls. And I'm a bit lost about what type/model of overhead to use. I've heard good things about AKG C1000 being a good budget overhead, and also the Shure SM81 which although isn't as cheap. But any info you could provide me on overheads as well as kick and snare mics to achieve the sound I'm looking for would please me greatly. Because recording isn't really my neck of woods and I'm only starting to scratch the surface.
Also if this will be any help my setup is:
PII 400 with 128mb ram, 15gb hdd and I use CoolEdit Pro to make my files (I also have a bunch of effect patches which came with the Aardvark).

Regards... memo
 
My setup is:
Snare-Sennhieser MD 421
Kick-AKG D112
2 Overheads-AKG C1000

I realize that the 421 is a little pricey for some people, so a Sure SM57 would be a good mic instead.
 
I agree that the SM57 is definitely the best way to go for the snare drum. I also agree that the Beta 52 is great on the bass drum, and not tooooo pricy for a bass drum mic. For overheads, you might look into the Audio Technica AT3525. You can find them at Zzounds for $199, but just a little while ago I bought one there for $139 (an absolutely amazing deal). You might be able to mention that they sold them for that price not too long ago and swindle them into selling it to you for that price also. It is an amazing mic for the price (not as good as the 4033, but much cheaper). Personally, I am using two ElectroVoice ND468's as my overheads--they have an extended high end response and work wonders on cymbals. You might want to check them out. Make sure you do your research and good luck!
 
Thanks for the inputs guys, I'm pretty confident about mics for the bass and the snare. But still a bit lost about overheads, some of you suggested large condensor mics for overheads. What would give me the controlled image of my kit I'm looking for? Not the room sound? What is the difference between the Shure SM81 and AKG C1000s, the frequency range? Sorry about all these questions but I really need to be guided through. I don't want to get something and hate it afterwards.

Thanks
 
use your SM57 for the snare...an Audio Technica PRO 25 for the bass drum, and 2 Behringer ECM8000's for the overheads...
Thats what one of my friends use, and what I plan on using very soon...
 
drum mics

Memo,
The AKG c1000 is really a mid sized diaphram mic. I believe the Shure is a small diaphram. The basic (overly simplified) guide line I would give you is the more exact you want to reproduce an instrument stay with a smaller diaphram mic / the more big-hyped kind of sound you want go with a large diapram. A large dia mic you can do double duty on vocals.
I would second the vote on a pair of oktava mc012s, they can be had for as little as $199 a pair. I have a pair of C1000s I use all the time for drums with wonderful results although some people elsewhere on this BBS have complained their C1000s sound harsh.
tmix
 
If you use the search function you will find many threads concerning 3 and 4 mic set-ups for drums. As for overheads I use 2 603s.
 
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