Drum Mic'ing, hmmm... what to do

[pskjr]

Recording drums is probably my favorite thing to do as far as recording instruments goes. I love setting up tons of mics, figuring out the phase issues, etc etc. My current setup when I record drums is the following:

Pearl Reference Series kit (22x18, 12x9, 16x16)
Yamaha SD098 snare drum (14x8)
zildjian a custom crashes (17 and 18)
zildjian mastersound hats (14)
zildjian a sweet ride (21)

Mic setup goes as follows:

Kick- Beta 52
Snare- sm57
Toms- senn. e604's
Overs- shure pg81's
Room- at4040

I also have another AT LDC at my disposal, i believe it's in the 20 series, and an audix i5.

with this setup i get a pretty decent sound considering the room i'm in, and the equipment i have. obviously the weakest link in the chain is the overhead mics. i've been thinking about other ways to mic the set up, and have been thinking about experimenting with some alternatives. Wanted to see if anyone had input on what i should do with the equipment I have.

I was thinking something like;

kick- beta 52
snare top- 57
snare bottom- i5
toms- e604's
overs- at4050 and the other at mic
hats- pg81

i'm not sure if using different types of mics on the overs will be wise. but i guess i wont know until i try. why not?
any input, let me know. thanks.

[mscottweber]

I've wanted to try using two different LDC's as OH's for a while now, just haven't come across the opportunity.
I would imagine that the stereo image would not be very even, frequency wise, but this could be cool/useful, especially if you have something like harsh hihats that you want to tame. Hopefully someone else with some experience doing this can chime in.
When you do try this, let us know how it works!

Mike

[jgimbel]

I love using LDCs as OHs. I've tried every LDC I own in this role, though mine are all low budget, and I don't have that many. I love the sound this way, though I do this when I'm not doing a ton of close micing. I'll set up two LDCs in Glyn Johns, recorderman, XY, or even use one for a mono OH, and use it for the majority of the drum sound. If I'm close micing, I'll often use SDCs for OHs and rely on the proximity effect of close mics to reply the "oomph" or body, while the SDCs get the high/high mids. I love using my Oktava MK319 when I don't need really bright drums. Set things up and try it! No reason not to try using the ATs like you're mentioning. I have a 3035, and I LOVE it on kick but I don't really like it for OHs.

[biasvoltage]

I have a 3035, and I LOVE it on kick but I don't really like it for OHs.

+1!! These have been discontinued. Ebay madness to follow?

[dfuruta]

Why not try a simpler setup? AT4040 as mono OH, i5 on snare, your other AT on kick, done. Or, if you want to go really simple, just stick the AT4040 somewhere out front and call it a day.

[christiannokes]

It's all useless if the overall song sucks-
Sorry, I'm a failing musician songwriter.

I love recording drums too, so many possibilities and sound is fascinating- truly.

And it's not all useless if you are an aspiring engineer. You learn stuff while experimenting...
But if you are a songwriter it can be a useless distraction to focus on mics rather than on channeling excitement.

[pskjr]

Actually just looked at the other AT mic and its a 3035. thats interesting that it sounds great on kick, may have to try that out, throw the 52 on the floor tom, try some different stuff out. i have a bunch of free time tomorrow so i'm gonna get in the studio and do a lot of experimenting. and trust me nokes, i know all about that haha. i record mostly covers, makes it easier since i'm just starting out sort of and experimenting.
after i lay some stuff down tomorrow i'll try and get some clips up of everything i end up doing. thanks for all the suggestions!

[jgimbel]

52 on floor time might be great. My D112 sounds GREAT on floor tom, and my 3035 is probably going to become my go-to kick mic. The built-in curve of a lot of kick mics is often really flattering on floor tom.

[pskjr]

yeah when i was in school we tried that a few times with a 52 on the floor tom, sounded awesome. also had another question about mic'ing up the snare.

every time i record drums i tend to have a really awful sounding snare. the snare itself sounds great to my ear, but when i listen to it in the daw, no matter how i manipulate it, eq it, whatever, it just doesnt sound how i want it to. the only thing i can think is that my mic placement isnt right. the sound i get usually tends to be really flat and dead sounding, doesnt cut through the mix well at all. so i may just be getting the mic in too close to the drum and not allowing the sound to develop properly. any tips, tricks, or input on how i should go about mic'ing it and starters for placement? like i said i usually use a 57 on top and thats it. may try using an e604 i have, maybe the i5, different combination for top and bottom. any pointers would be greatly appreciated though so i know where to start.

[mscottweber]

I have found that any time I rely soley on the close mics for my snare sound I am dissapointed with it come mix time. I like to derive most of my snare sound from the overheads and room mics, and then use the close mics to fill in the sound. As you mentioned, backing the close mic up and letting the sound develop more in the room can help as well.
A good thing to keep in mind is that if the drum sounds great to you in the room, where, in relation to the drum, are you? If it sounds great from your seat behind the kit, try putting a mic where your head is. If it sounds good 10 feet away down the hall, stick a mic there.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

as far as snare sound, try moving the mic off the drum a bit. a 57 right up on the head is just gonna sound like a dull timbale. try it a couple inches up over the top head and aim it across the head, not pointing down.

you can also try micing the shell as well/instead.

[decocco]

as far as snare sound, try moving the mic off the drum a bit. a 57 right up on the head is just gonna sound like a dull timbale. try it a couple inches up over the top head and aim it across the head, not pointing down.

Word up.

I would use the 4050 as a mono overhead. I used PG81's as overheads once. They did not please me. I would prefer mono 4050 to stereo PG81 overheads any day.

[rty5150]

I have a 3035, and I LOVE it on kick but I don't really like it for OHs.

+1!! These have been discontinued. Ebay madness to follow?

yup, tried this, too and like it a lot, catches a lot of the kit, though. sounds great, but not necessarily for metal. i could really see it shining through for indie rock and acoustic stuff.

i like ribbons for rooms and OH, too. not necessarily for metal, but most every other style.

[suppositron]

as far as snare sound, try moving the mic off the drum a bit. a 57 right up on the head is just gonna sound like a dull timbale. try it a couple inches up over the top head and aim it across the head, not pointing down.

you can also try micing the shell as well/instead.

+1. I think mics right up on the snare head sound like ass. Give that thing some room and let the sound develop a little.

[stompforfuzz]

as far as snare sound, try moving the mic off the drum a bit. a 57 right up on the head is just gonna sound like a dull timbale. try it a couple inches up over the top head and aim it across the head, not pointing down.

you can also try micing the shell as well/instead.

+1. I think mics right up on the snare head sound like ass. Give that thing some room and let the sound develop a little.

recording some drums this weekend, I'll try this.