berklee project/ drum mic scenario.

[Shane Michael Rose]

so i have my first engineering project tomorrow night. pretty excited.

these are the mics i have available.

Microphones:
AKG C 451E (2)
Audio Technica 3032 (2)
AKG D 12E
Electro-Voice 635A
Electro-Voice RE-16 (2)
Electro-Voice RE-20
Fostex M55-RP (2)
Sennheiser MD 421 (3)
Sennheiser MD 441 (2)
Shure SM-57 (4)
Shure SM-7B
Shure Beta 52
Shure KSM 27
Shure KSM 44 (2)
Sony ECM-23F

any drum micing suggestions? i have to mic three guitar amps during the same take....
its a country rock project ala ryan adams/ skynard.

[Shane Michael Rose]

i have some ideas obviously but im just curious what the tomb would do with this selection.


oh only have pres from a sony mxp 3000

the whole gear list is here:

http://classes.berklee.edu/mpe/studios/studio_e.html

[Professor]

Hopefully you are aware of the fact that it all depends on what kind of drums, cymbals and player arrive in the studio.

What microphones do you already know at all? Have you used any of these in other recordings?
How much time do you have for the setup & session?
How many tracks are available?
What do you want to learn from the session?

I know those are pesky questions, especially that last one, but they really will help you to focus. If the goal of the session is to service the client in the most efficient time possible, then you will use just what you need to get the job done and aim for known or proven quantities. If the goal is to learn about drum microphones, then you'll want to put every mic that isn't being used somewhere else up on the kit.
Personally I like to take these sorts of learning possibilities in little steps. For example, you have four of the most popular mics for bass drum available in that closet, the D-12, RE-20, Beta-52 and SM-7. (Well two are "bass drum" mics while two are broadcast vocal mics that also serve up a mean kick. I might do something like put all four lined up right next to each other out in front of (or inside) the kick drum.
Of course you can't do that for every drum on the kit, nor for every guitar amp unless you have gobs of time for setup and very patient musicians. I imagine you will have neither. So pick one 'something' that you want to really learn. Maybe it's snare drum and you'll want to somehow squeeze an SM-57, a C-451, an MD 421, and a KSM 27 on the drum (if you could make them all fit).
On the other hand, since I believe that drums should be mixed from the top down, I might instead choose to place the KSM 44, the C-451, the AT-3032s, and something else, maybe a pair of MD-421s as overheads. Sometimes it's just as valuable to place mics you don't expect to work on an instrument to hear whether they do or not. Why don't people use dynamics as overheads very often?

Do whatever is going to allow you to learn the most from the session and the listening that you can do afterward.

Oh, and don't spend the whole damn session micing the drums and then throw one SM-57 in front of the guitar amp and expect the guitarist to like you. Give all of the instruments some reasonable attention.


-Jeremy

[Shane Michael Rose]

thanks for the reply.


the purpose of the session is sort of multi-faceted. a. make it happen in hours. b. its an introduction for this band with me as their engineer.... for future projects. c. some experimentation w/ the mics.

I think i was more asking just to see if someone would reply with a.... well... i would be safe w/ [insert setup]. Its really not that big of a deal, in that I am more interested in getting a decent sound and a great performance for this project.

as far as what drums he will be using.... im not exactly sure. i went to a rehearsal today, but he was using a different kit.


oh. 8 track 1"

[Professor]

Well, 8-track 1" does throw a bit of a wrench into things because that either means that you are sub-mixing drums to a stereo pair or you are using maybe 3 or 4 tracks tops on the kit. If there are three guitar amps and vocals and presumably bass, then I imagine it's submixing.
In that case grab yourself a nice pair of overhead mics and position them so they capture the whole sound of the drumkit. I like going just over and maybe slightly in front of the drummer's head with a standard stereo configuration like an XY, ORTF or spaced omni. If the drums are among the only stereo source (which they likely will be) then I'll pick something that will sound wider like ORTF or omnis. You might choose the KSM 44 or the C-451 pair for the overhead task, and from that position the overheads would pick up a nice, proper balance of cymbals and drums except the kick. So then an extra kick mic will balance that into the mix, and if you really feel compelled to do so, perhaps you could add a snare mic for some extra presence. Just don't over do the snare if you're mixing on the fly because you can't turn it down later. Without hearing the kick, it's hard to say which of those 4 I mentioned earlier would be best, but why not try the D-12. Of the bunch, that's the one I don't own but really wish I did. For snare, whatever, use a 57, use an AT-3032 if you want it crisp/bright/pingy.
Mix all that to stereo and send it to two tracks of the tape leaving the rest for bass, three guitars and two vocal tracks. Maybe in mixdown you can play with a sum & difference matrix on the drums if you want to get fancy.

Really the medium and time will be your most limiting factor, and won't leave you much room for experimenting. Too bad.

-Jeremy