recording drums

  • Thread starter Thread starter darreng
  • Start date Start date
D

darreng

New member
hi i want to start recording. please can someone tell me exactly what equipment you would need to record drums. thanks
 
im not entirely clued up but ive bene rreading this forum for a while now so presuming youve got something to record into (computer/multitrack) it depends on how many recording inputs you have:

2 inputs: your going to have to use the same mics as in the ones below but you will have to mix them very carefully (you wont be able to edit them much after)

4 inputs: 2 overhead condensor mics, 1 snare mic, 1 bass drum mic (if you lucky the overheads will pick up the toms

6 inputs: 2 overhead condensors, 1 snare mic, 1 bass drum mic, 2 mics for toms

8 inputs: 2 overhead condensors, 1 snare mic, 1 bass drum mic, a mic for each tom, a mic for floor tom

im not very clued up on what mics to use but many companies do sets of drum mics (it will depend on your budget)
 
In my limitied newbie experience with drums, the most important part when recording drums is:

1. A good and well tuned drum set. Make sure you know how to tune the drums. Hint: if there is tape or other stuff on the drums to dampen them, then whoever set them up probably doesn't know how to tune them.

2. A good room. Your average basement doesn't hold up. Unless you sucees in separately close micing every part of the drumset (meaning typically 8 or more mics) without getting phase problems and having everythingnslund fine, well, good for you. But otherwise you need a dampened room. Great drumrooms supposedly have some ambience to them,I've read, but for newbies I'd simply recommend the most dampened room you can get.

With a well tunes drumset that sounds fine acoustically in a resonably dampened room, you basically need only two condensers, with careful placement to get the balance right. See previous post on how to use more mics.
 
Hint: if there is tape or other stuff on the drums to dampen them, then whoever set them up probably doesn't know how to tune them.

+5,000,000
 
Do you have a computer? Do you have a Soundcard? A mixer? anything?

For dynamic mics you could always go with the classic shure sm-57 for the close mic aproach. If you don't have enough inputs for this option two condenser overheads and a bass drum mic (maybe a snare one too) would be good. MXL makes pretty good overhead condenser mics. Tell us what you have already.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top