Snare bleed in overheads

[aaronaustin]

It's hard to remember now. I think the comments were just that something sounded strange about the imaging. That's why I tried moving mics around a bit, trying to keep the wonderful tone the GJ gave me and get a different image. The GJ was much easier to keep in phase. My drummer likes to use two floor toms sometimes as well, so that made placement a little more difficult for me, but it still worked.

Yup, a good song is a good song.

[NeglectedFred]

That off center snare is exactly why I've changed and changed every drum session until I finally tapped into something that works for me.

Mono overhead, that's pretty much key - I really like an Omni pattern just above and slightly in front of the drummers head.

For stereo imaging, I do a few different things depending on the sound I'm looking for, but the best way off hand is a MS config off in the corner of the room. I prefer the corner in front of the kit on the side closest to the snare.

I don't have a MS decoder, but there is a way to decode manually - PM me if you're interested.

[ColinMiller]

I just use tape or a mic cable and make sure the OHs are both the exact same distance from the snare. This often means that they don't look symmetrical.

I also always have a big problem with drums bleeding into the OHs. Never been able to figure it out...

[squaresteve]

If your tracks are already recorded and you can't go back and re-record using a different OH set-up, you could always put a limiter on the left overhead and trigger it using the close miced snare track as the key input. That way the OH that is pulling the snare off center would duck out of the way every time the snare was hit. I've had sessions to mix where I've had to do this sort of thing and it worked out pretty well. Definitely not right for every circumstance but worth mentioning I guess...

- Steve

[chris harris]

I also always have a big problem with drums bleeding into the OHs. Never been able to figure it out...

?????

wait... what are you trying to pick up with the overheads?

[RoyMatthews]

I also always have a big problem with drums bleeding into the OHs. Never been able to figure it out...

?????

wait... what are you trying to pick up with the overheads?

Sarcasm. He forgot the emoticons.

[suppositron]

Well, thanks for the suggestions. The setup sounded great. One problem I ran into: Sound in the right over head of the right crash cymbal was wavering as the cymbal tilted and moved about when hit and it caused the stereo image of that cymbal to waver from the right to the center. Kinda strange. I ended up raising the right overhead a few inches above the plane of that cymbal and it seemed to take care of it.

[MichaelAlan]

I also always have a big problem with drums bleeding into the OHs. Never been able to figure it out...

?????

wait... what are you trying to pick up with the overheads?

Sarcasm. He forgot the emoticons.

I was thinking the same thing. I have heard people refer to OH's as "cymbal" mics...

Not really my approach.

[farview]

I know this doesn't help, but I feel like saying it:

Bleed is ambience that you don't want.

Ambience is bleed that you do want.

Carry on.

End transmision.

[ColinMiller]

I also always have a big problem with drums bleeding into the OHs. Never been able to figure it out...

?????

wait... what are you trying to pick up with the overheads?

The penny whistle.

[dynomike]

I also always have a big problem with drums bleeding into the OHs. Never been able to figure it out...

?????

wait... what are you trying to pick up with the overheads?

women. i find that earthworks are a big hit with the ladies; who says intimidation is a bad thing?

[allbaldo]

That off center snare is exactly why I've changed and changed every drum session until I finally tapped into something that works for me.

Mono overhead, that's pretty much key - I really like an Omni pattern just above and slightly in front of the drummers head.

For stereo imaging, I do a few different things depending on the sound I'm looking for, but the best way off hand is a MS config off in the corner of the room. I prefer the corner in front of the kit on the side closest to the snare.

I don't have a MS decoder, but there is a way to decode manually - PM me if you're interested.

I do something similar. I often use a mono overhead, and close mics on the cymbals. I know this is not from what a lot of people like, but I like having the snare centered, and the close cymbal mics allow good decay from the crashes, and less phase anomalies. I'm usually using some other mics for ambience, so I'm not looking to the overheads for it.

[rwc]

A few concepts may be getting mushed together here.

Overhead drum mikes are something very different from cymbal mikes.

For overheads, you want something really smooth that won't overemphasize the cymbals. This might typically be a ribbon or a U-67, 87 or KM-84. This becomes the main drum pickup with the other mikes just filling in the details of the sound.

For cymbals, a bright mike like an SM-81 or a cheap condenser can be real nice. In this case the separate snare, kick and tom mikes make up the basic drum sound. It's two different styles.

I've always found that high ceilings aren't nearly of as much benefit as people assume. It's also a good idea to not have the area around a drummer's ears too dead because it can lead to them playing too hard to get a rich tone from their drums.

[blackdiscoball]

Cant you just break the drummers hand so he doesnt play as hard and so there is less bleed in the overhead mics? It works for me, it also makes getting a good take faster since I wont let them go to the hospital till we have a keeper (and it keeps them in the hospital while I mix so I dont hear "is that kick loud enough? Turn the kick up..").

[rwc]

less bleed of drums in the overhead mics?

what does that even mean?

overheads are there to record DRUMS!