So how do you guys record drums?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Whoopysnorp
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Whoopysnorp

Whoopysnorp

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What do you all use to mic your drums? Just curious. I myself use two Marshall 603s as overheads (it sure is tough putting them where they get both the cymbals and the hi-hat well), an Sm57 on the snare, another Sm57 between the 12" and 13" tom, and a Sennheiser e602 on the kick. I have to get it down to four tracks to get it into my Delta 66, but that works pretty well (I just stick the tom mic in both the overhead channels).

So how about you all? And do you have any tips on the way I do things?
 
the 603's and the sm57's are excellent choices and exactly what i would do if i had a kit:mad:

on kick id use a sm57 and a AT ATM25, but i havent heard the e602 on kick b4, but im sure it sounds great......
 
I never mic the toms separately. I use a pair of AKG C-1000's in an x/y configuration exactly above the center of the drum kit. I close mic the snare with a SM57, and put another one underneath the snare too, to get some snare crisp (when mixing I usually turn it down quite low but still it's nice to have it there). Then I have an AKG D112 (how very original) for the kick drum. I usually end up placing this just outside the hole in the front head, aimed at where the beater hits. This usually gives the best balance between the beater click and the low end from the front head.

So this gives me five channels of drums: OH left and right, snare above, snare underneath and kick. If I only had four channels available, I'd skip the mic underneath the snare.

One thing I will try now when I just bought a Rode NTK is the trick that some engineers promote: To close mic the beater on the kick drum, for instance with an SM57, and then build a tunnel out of mattresses or blankets and place a condenser (in my case the NTK) at the end of that tunnel. Maximum hit from the 57, maximum low end from the NTK.

And just as Blue Bear points out in his post, moving a mic just an inch can make a huge difference in the sound you get.

/Henrik
 
A D-112 inside the kick about 10" from the beater and a AT4033 in front of the kit about 3' away and 18" off the floor, an SM-57 on the snare about 2" in from the rim and an inch or so off the head on about a 30 degree angle. For toms I use AKG C-1000's about 8" off the drums aimed just inside the rim. Floor tom is an AKG C-3000 with the pad engaged about 4" off the drum again looking just inside the rim. Overheads are a pair of Octava MC-012's with omni capsules and the 10dB pads about 2' over the cymbals but the same distance each from the center of the snare (I do a rough measurment with a mic cable). The drums sound huge. I'm getting NO complaints.
 
i use a crappy audio technica inside the bass drum, a 57 at 45 degrees and 3 inches from the snare... then two 58's as left and right overheads. i can get a pretty good sound out of it!
 
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