Drum Recording Mics

soundofbees · Post by **soundofbees** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 8:28 am

Hi! Does anyone have any recommendation for recording mics for drums? I'm looking for something in the ballpark of $100 - it will be used for various degrees of indie rock music; in the likes of Okkervil River, Spoon, the Beatles... I'm particularly open to creative uses of mics for a distinctive sound, not a mic that you'd use every day (although those suggestions are welcome also). This is for a friend of mine; I know very little (so far) about drum mics. Thanks!

A.David.MacKinnon · Post by **A.David.MacKinnon** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:08 am

I'm not too down with the idea of "drum mics". As far as I'm concerned there is no such thing. A mic is a mic is a mic. Any and all of them will sound good on some things and not so good on other things. An SM58 is marketed as a vocal microphone but you can use it on just about anything else with varying degrees of success. The same goes for every other mic. The trick is to know what your mics sound like and pick the right one for the job.
I would suggest getting a few mics that cover most of the bases. You can probably get away with 3 mics for everything (as long as you're not tracking a whole band at once). I'd suggest a Senheiser 421, a Shure SM57 and some kind of large diaphragm condenser.
The 421 will work well on kick drum but it will also work on bass amp , vocals, guitars and all kind of other things.
The SM57 will cover snare drum, but also electric guitars, vocals, and lots of other things.
The LDC will be a good drum overhead but also work as a good room mic, and work on just about everything else too (with varying degrees of success).

Those 3 mics should be a good start and cover most applications. If price is an issue look for used mics. If you can only afford one mic to start I'd suggest the large diaphragm condenser. Put it out in front of the drum kit at around chest level then move it around til it sounds good.

Also remember that any mic no matter how bad will sound good on something. The trick is just figuring out what that something is. Personally, I'll by just about any mic if it's cheap enough.

8th_note · Post by **8th_note** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:22 am

Here's a few inexpensive mics I've had good results with on drums. One criteria of a drum mic is that it should stand up to high spl's without distorting.

AT Pro39 - SDC that works good for toms, snare, and overheads. Captures the attack very well. Not as good on floor toms as MXL 2001 (see below).

AT ATM29HE - Dynamic mic that is discontinued but you can sometimes find them on ebay for cheap. This mic is made for lound sounds and also works well for guitar cabs. I like this mic a lot better than a 57 on snare. It captures transients better than a 57 and is a little cleaner.

MXL 2001 - LDC that works great for floor tom. Captures the high frequency transients and the low resonance very well. These are so cheap it doesn't matter if your drummer whacks them once in a while.

Audix D6 - My most expensive drum mic but I really like it on kick. For the kind of music I do (rock and metal mostly) it puts out a good sound without having to eq the heck out of the track.

AT MB2K - Very inexpensive dynamic (< $50) that works well for snare and kick batter head. I like the sound of this mic better than a 57 for most uses.

AT MB4K or MB 4000 (older model) - LDC that I usually use for overheads. Smooth natural sound that doesn't hype the cymbals.

kayagum · Post by **kayagum** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:43 am

Welcome to the board!

There are a ton of threads you can search that will tell you pretty much anything you want, especially when used in particular techniques.

For starters, search on "Glyn John" and "overheads". Maybe "shell mic" and "front of kit". Obviously "snare", "tom", "kick".

Depending on the placements you like, that will get you started on mic flavors and personalities.

phantom power · Post by **phantom power** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:34 pm

I highly suggest picking up a used EV 635a and trying it on anything and everything.

If you put one of those about 3" higher than the top of the kick drum and about 3" in toward the drummer (approximate position is sometimes called the heart of the drum set), it can be a pretty cool sound right off the bat. Especially with a little compression.

Yeah, 635a... that's the ticket!

-AE

phantom power · Post by **phantom power** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:35 pm

Oh... and welcome to the board!

A.David.MacKinnon · Post by **A.David.MacKinnon** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 5:12 pm

phantom power wrote:I highly suggest picking up a used EV 635a and trying it on anything and everything.

If you put one of those about 3" higher than the top of the kick drum and about 3" in toward the drummer (approximate position is sometimes called the heart of the drum set), it can be a pretty cool sound right off the bat. Especially with a little compression.

Yeah, 635a... that's the ticket!

-AE

+1 on that. I often use this set-up and run the mic into a Ross distotion pedal. It sounds great when you blend it in with the rest of the kit.

Bear's Gone Fission · Post by **Bear's Gone Fission** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 5:15 pm

The "heart position"--that's a good term for it though I hadn't seen the term before, and it's a good trick. If you can get a Beyer M-101, it's got more bass extension than the 635a but is also an omni dynamic so it's good at getting the whole kit from one place and handling the SPL.

Bear

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