Recording Drums - Which mics?

  • Thread starter Thread starter TaylorEGO
  • Start date Start date
T

TaylorEGO

New member
I am wondering if anyone knows the best way to record an OCDP drum kit to get it to sound like those on the Blink182 / Simple Plan records.
Its the same kit, but when I track it and mix it it comes out way different.

I have 8 channels to record with, the kit only has 2 toms.
I have been using:
Shure beta52 - Kick
SM57 - snare top
SM57 - Snare Bottom
SM57 - Tom1
SM57 - Tom2
(2) SM57s - Overheads
Shure KSM27 - Kick (3 feet out in front)

and that takes up my 8 channels.

I have recently acquired some more mics I could swap out:
Shure PG52, (3) shure PG56 (snare/tom mics), (2) Shure PG81, and an SP C-1.

any ideas?
Anyone got a better suggestion for mic-ing? or is it all in the processing?
 
TaylorEGO said:
I am wondering if anyone knows the best way to record an OCDP drum kit to get it to sound like those on the Blink182 / Simple Plan records.
Its the same kit, but when I track it and mix it it comes out way different.

I have 8 channels to record with, the kit only has 2 toms.
I have been using:
Shure beta52 - Kick
SM57 - snare top
SM57 - Snare Bottom
SM57 - Tom1
SM57 - Tom2
(2) SM57s - Overheads
Shure KSM27 - Kick (3 feet out in front)

and that takes up my 8 channels.

I have recently acquired some more mics I could swap out:
Shure PG52, (3) shure PG56 (snare/tom mics), (2) Shure PG81, and an SP C-1.

any ideas?
Anyone got a better suggestion for mic-ing? or is it all in the processing?
Click to expand...


im a total drum recording noob , looking for help myself... but i think you'd want to use condensors for overheads.... maybe another c1 , or 603's or something.....

hopefully somebody else will chime in.
 
the Shure PG81s are supposed to be overhead condensers... I was gonna try those...
 
Keep in mind that I'm a home studio guy, not a pro, and that I love drum sounds that are like old jazz records, nice airy sound (seems to be exactly the opposite of what you are after).

I don't think that 57's are going to get the job done as overheads though, condensors should be much better. And I just listened to a bit of blink on Rhapsody and they seem to have (1) very, very compressed drums, and (2) very bright drums. Condensors as overheads could help you get this brightness. Many people use condensors (like SM81's) on the high hat as well - that would also be brighter than 57's, I would think.

And, I've noticed that people give better advice when there's more specifics. What exactly is your sound like? And how is it different than what you are after? You may also want to include more specifics about your whole recording chain.

smt
 
Try the PG81's as overheads and ditch the SM57's. Lose the KSM27 on the kick. Try the PG52 on the floor tom instead of the 57 (I assume you're using one rack and one floor tom). Try the C1 as a room mic, but not sure if that's the sound you're after. Or try it on snare as Dot said. Just mess around with everything you have, what sounds good to you is all that matters.
 
Hey, many people here might recommend lesser, but better. This means you'll be recording with good microphones, but only a few of them. With this, you would have to move the mics around a lot to find what kind of sound is the best. Probably two overheads and a kick, or two overheads, a snare and a kick. This way you still get the whole kit covered, but you still have nice ambience, and can hear the room better. Assuming that the room you're recording in is suitable for this method.
 
TaylorEGO said:
I am wondering if anyone knows the best way to record an OCDP drum kit to get it to sound like those on the Blink182 / Simple Plan records.
Its the same kit, but when I track it and mix it it comes out way different.

I have 8 channels to record with, the kit only has 2 toms.
I have been using:
Shure beta52 - Kick
SM57 - snare top
SM57 - Snare Bottom
SM57 - Tom1
SM57 - Tom2
(2) SM57s - Overheads
Shure KSM27 - Kick (3 feet out in front)

and that takes up my 8 channels.

I have recently acquired some more mics I could swap out:
Shure PG52, (3) shure PG56 (snare/tom mics), (2) Shure PG81, and an SP C-1.

any ideas?
Anyone got a better suggestion for mic-ing? or is it all in the processing?
Click to expand...

Do you have a sponsorship deal with Shure? :confused:

The logical thing would be to swap the SM57s doing overhead duty with the PG81s. That's all I can suggest.
 
TaylorEGO said:
I am wondering if anyone knows the best way to record an OCDP drum kit to get it to sound like those on the Blink182 / Simple Plan records.
Its the same kit, but when I track it and mix it it comes out way different.
Click to expand...

I realize this is going to be a smartass answer :D, so I apologize in advance.

But . . . the answer is: 1)Get Blink 182's drummer to play, 2) Have their engineer work the controls, and 3)Record it in the same studio where they tracked theirs.
 
no, i dont have a sponsorship deal with sure, most of the mics are borrowed, and the ones i have I bought before I knew anything about recording, but i heard people say shure made good microphones.


and I'm not out to duplicate blink 182 drumming style, or even the sound exactly, i was just using them as an example of drums that sound good to me.
My dilema is in getting the drum tracks to sound tight and up front like on all the major releases. getting the kick to cut through with punch and the snare to really pop.

thats all.
 
What he means is...

Buy a drum machine (or whatever the modern equivalent is).
 
right. i got it.
sampled kicks & snares.
condensers for overheads.
rediculously overcompressed kit.

that should do it.
 
TaylorEGO said:
right. i got it.
sampled kicks & snares.
condensers for overheads.
rediculously overcompressed kit.

that should do it.
Click to expand...
No... there is a lot more to it... good drummer, room, equipment, engineering, choice, placement... and how you place each drum (panning, EQ, effects, etc) within the kit itself and the mix... if you want something "up-front", you need to make darn sure it's not being masked out by another sound source... and etc, etc, etc. Also, I'd upgrade from those crappy Shure PG mics. ;)
 
Last edited:
i'm gonna be different and suggest whats worked and what ive recorded in nice big studio rooms in the past that sound good.
two crown pzm's over the kit.
remove the kik and use a trigger pedal to trigger kik sample, and put
a trigger on the snare to trigger a sample.
thus only 2 mic channels are taken up.
an old crusty engineer once drummed into me - on drums - fewer mics are better.
 
I worked with a drummer that had a yamaha stage custom kit he had modified to get an OCDP sound. worked well. The key to the sound you are looking for is room micing. You can use a room ambiance type of reverb but it has to be a damned good unit to do it properly. Set up the SP C-1 as overhead in the center of the kit, tweaking it to catch more or less of whatever you want in the kit, put one 57 on the snare, closer to the outside of the snare so you catch more vent "ring". Put 57s on the toms, and the beta on the kick. Use wooden or double-sided beaters utilizing the plastic side on the head. Finally, and for this sound MOST importantly, use the two pg condensers out in the room equidistant from eachother and the bass drum so that you form a triangle between the mics and the kick. Leave the front head on the bass drum for this situation. Move the mice closer or farther apart and away for more or less ambiance. The ambiance mics will catch the "boom" of the kick you are looking for.

DISCLAIMER: Don't even attempt this method if you dont have a pretty live sounding room to do it in. The kitchen works well. A garage does too (providing its concrete.

IM me for more info I can get you that sound. Start here first though.

P.S. COMPRESSION IS OUR BEST FRIEND!! :D

the kid
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top