Go-to drum mic setups

airloom · Post by **airloom** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:42 am

We're creatures of habit.
What's your default drum mic setup?

Mine:
OH: Beyer M500s
Snare: EV Pl-6
T1: ATM 25
T2: Transformerless SM 57
T3: Transformerless SM 57
Kick: MD 421/Audix d6/AKG D112 (varies on the style of playing, I guess.)
Room: Again, totally Depends on what sound we're going for. If it were a clean sound, I'd use the KSM 44 on omni through a clean sytek channel as far back as I could go.
If we were going for a killer rock sound, I'd do an AKG D200 5 feet away through a gates 5530

Preamps: Everything trrough my neotek series 1, except the snare through my UA M610.

oldguitars · Post by **oldguitars** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 9:04 am

Main:
Kik D112 api
Sntop 57 api
SnBot 441 aphex107
Rack KSM 32 api
Floor KSM 32 api
OH's KM184 Calrec 1061
HH SM7 aphex 107
RM's Rode NTK UA2610

Alt1:
Kik D112
Sntop 57
SnBot 441
Rack 421
Floor 421
OH's NTK's
HH SM7
RM's 4050 omni

Alt2:
Kik D112
Sntop 441
Top NTK
Side NTK
RM's 4050 omni

nordberg · Post by **nordberg** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 9:16 am

my go tos are usually:

overheads: fatheads in blumlein about four feet from the snare off behind drummer's left shoulder.
snare: shure beta 57 about six inches off kinda under the hi-hat.
kick: rode ntk about two feet out angled down to where the beater head meets the floor.
room: beyer m160 about four feet infront of the kit about snare height off to the ride side facing the snare between the kick and floor tom.

sometimes i'll ssitch the fatheads and m160 for mono overhead/blumlein room.

that's usually it, but if it's something heavy or fast i'll put a beta52 in the kick and maybe some 57s on the toms, but i don't particularly like the sound of miced toms.

my room has a buildup around 350hz that i haven't fixed so i'll usually cut about 2dB there out of the overs and room.

-mike

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 10:57 am

I use microphones to record drums. Every decision beyond that is influenced by a variety of factors and differs every time.

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:40 am

I change things around a lot, and cater to the session, but I do have a "standard rock drums" starting point. Its changed and evolved over the years, but it's current incarnation is thus:

OH Octave MC012 ORTF pair
Snare Audio Technica ATM23he
Toms Sennheiser 421
BD Sennheiser e602II
Room 4050 (2) in omni
heart/trashy/weirdness EV 408

I have a ton of alternate things that will come up for whatever reason, including "I just feel like it."

Ryan Silva · Post by **Ryan Silva** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:20 pm

heart/trashy/weirdness

So this is where you put a mic right over the Kick Drum pointing in-between the kick and bottom of the snare?

Thanks

A.David.MacKinnon · Post by **A.David.MacKinnon** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:33 pm

My set-up changes with every project but the usual suspects are -

Kick in - M88 or 421 or RFT2414
Kick out - MXL 2001 or Apex 205
Snare top - AKG D19 or D224E or Re15
Snare bottom - 421
Toms (if I mic them) - M88, 421
OH - Apex 210 for mono set-ups
or Apex 210 & Re15 for M/S (this is more front of kit than overhead)
or AEA R88 (if I'm in a studio that has one)

Sometimes I'll use a Sony C76 shotgun mic as a snare overhead if it's one of those snares that only sounds good when the mic is 2 feet away.

Room U87 in omni through a limiter (Altec 1612B or ADL).

Heart Mic - EV 635a -> Ross distortion pedal -> tape/computer (no pre)

Other than the room mic and the heart mic I rarely process drums on the way in.

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:33 pm

i usually put the drums in the foyer and just use a pair of m160s up on the stairs.

A.David.MacKinnon · Post by **A.David.MacKinnon** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:39 pm

Ryan Silva wrote:
heart/trashy/weirdness
So this is where you put a mic right over the Kick Drum pointing in-between the kick and bottom of the snare?

Thanks

I put it over the beater side edge of the top of the kick right in the middle of the kit. AKA the crotch mic.

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:47 pm

Ryan Silva wrote:
heart/trashy/weirdness
So this is where you put a mic right over the Kick Drum pointing in-between the kick and bottom of the snare?

Thanks

Yeppers

oldguitars · Post by **oldguitars** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:59 pm

I thought i was the only one who knew about the "crotch" mic. I picked it up for some old pics of Philly joe jones in the studio...

Snarl 12/8 · Post by **Snarl 12/8** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 1:11 pm

Let's here samples from you mofos of these gotos.

I tend to spend a bunch of time dialing in a setup and then leaving it on my drums for a while. Right now I'm at:

Kick D112 just peeking in the hole
Home made subkick right next to it
Snare Top and Bottom AKG D321
OH XY AT Pro37r's

I can't remember what I flipped phase on. But right now I'm flipping OH's and Snare top. I think it sounds punchiest, every hit makes the speakers jump forward, is what I'm thinkin'. I even have the under snare mic angled so that it's pointing away from the kick, so that the vacuum of the kick hits will suck that diaphragm in.

This is what that sounds like recording a live jam with Bass, Git and sax blasting into the same room.

http://snarlnet.com/mp3/AoT/040309/06_TrickyDicky.mp3

(edit: sorry about that, fixed the link.)

Ryan Silva · Post by **Ryan Silva** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 1:42 pm

Thanks Tony I will try that today.

*plans to take full credit for sucsess, and pass off blame if it fails.

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 2:23 pm

If the the style of music requires close mics then pretty its much guaranteed I'll use Oktava 012s on the toms.

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 2:28 pm

InvalidInk wrote:If the the style of music requires close mics then pretty its much guaranteed I'll use Oktava 012s on the toms.

That's really my only "go to" choice as well.

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Go-to drum mic setups

Go-to drum mic setups

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