Recording Drums

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deaconblue
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Deaconblue

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I am trying to record drums but I cannot get them to sound good. I use a Shure SM57 for the snare, and Samson dynamic mics for the hi-hat and two overhead mics. I am recording with a Zoom MRS-1608 multitrack. I wanted to know how to get the drums to sound good with these mics.
 
Can you be more specific about what you don't like about the sound you're getting now? Based on your post, I would say you probably want a kick drum mic
 
It's a tall order using just those mics. Your should really be using condensers for the overheads. Don't even worry about the hihats at this point, but they like condensers, too. If you had a dynamic kick mic and couple of condensers on the overheads you should be able to get a good sound.
 
It starts with the heads man....
If your drum heads and/or tuning are crap, then it really won't matter how good your mics are. In fact, better mics on poorly tuned drums will only serve to enhance the crappiness of your drums.
 
There's a lot that goes into recording drums...mics, placement, the room, the drums, the heads, the drummer, the comp or gate or other outboard gear, the pres, the mic cables, the bit rate...there's a lot in that list! Your recording will only be as strong as your weakest element (read your chain is only as strong as your weakest link). If you need to improve your recording, start looking at all the elements of the recording and try to maximize the quality you can get in them - the best mics you can get, learn to place them in the right place, turn your drums, good cymbals, make your room sound good, learn to use a compressors, learn to mix right...all sorts of things will make your recordings better! Check this site out for some good tips... http://www.saecollege.de/reference_material/

Jacob
 
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