A 1-mic drum recording has me rethinking so many things

[alexdingley]

Today’s experiment was mostly about setting up a knee mic on my buddy’s kit. But also, I recently snagged a UA 4-710 mic pre… so we passed the Miktek CV-4 (in Omni) through a channel of the 4-710 and tracked it with the “slow” compressor setting of that unit’s baked-in comp circuit.

After some fiddling with polar patterns and mic position… we got one of the nicest overall drum sounds I’ve EVER gotten. It’s the first time I got that “sounds like a record to me” sound at the recording stage.

My takeaways from today are:

• it’s the drummer
• it’s the drums (including the tuning / dampening)
• it’s the room
• I spent too many years STARTING with 8 mics and then figuring out if more were needed.
• There’s always more to learn

[drumsound]

Fun times!

I'll add that music/style has to be on your list. Sure you can fiddle around and get a "great sound" with one mic, but that isn't going to work on all styles. If you're building around it and making sure everything recorded to that sound works, that's awesome. But if you've got clients, and short budgets, and a desire for a different thing, all that coolness goes out the window, because it doesn't match the goal of production.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

• it’s the drummer
• it’s the drums (including the tuning / dampening)
• it’s the room

That order is correct. I'd add that the tuning/dampening/head choice is more important than the actual drums themselves. IME if the drummer and the drums are happening, the mics don't matter too much, any decent mics, placed intelligently, are going to work out fine.

On the one mic thing, I just finished mixing my besties second solo record, all the drums on that were just a kick mic and a mono overhead, recorded in an attic in Chicago that's not really treated at all, and damn they came out sounding great. He has a nice little Gretsch kit and got a great drummer in to record. No fancy mics, just an SM7 on kick and I think a ksm-something for OH. Really inspired me to do a similar thing on my next record.

But as Tony said, the one/two mic drum thing definitely doesn't work for everything.

[kslight]

My favorite drum sounds I’ve recorded have been 1-3 mics….if you’re lucky enough to have a client that doesn’t expect to sample replace and likes drums that actually sound like drums, I love it. And if you’re doing a live band in a room, every mic is a drum mic anyway so really don’t need to throw a bunch of mics on the kit, imho….

[trodden]

First non-metal band in a long time the other month, holy shit recording drums is so much more fun when you're not worried about stupid double kick parts, or snare blast beats, or people beating the fuck out of the cymbals. Yeah, I still used 12 mics on the kit though.
Kick in (Beta 91a)
Kick out (4050)
Snare top (Beyer 201)
Snare bottom (421)
T1 (MK-012)
T2 (MK-012)
OHL (WA-14)
OHR (WA-14)
Heart (Beyer 260)
Room L (Coles 4038, Blumlein)
Room R (Coles 4038, Blumlein)
Room Far (Beesneez BU67)

[alexdingley]

Kick out (4050)

...really? Super-interested, as I have two of these and have never thought about using them on kick. They've become fast-favorites of mine for vocals and rooms and choirs / strings... but I've never put them near the drums honestly. Will have to try that.

[trodden]

Kick out (4050)

...really? Super-interested, as I have two of these and have never thought about using them on kick. They've become fast-favorites of mine for vocals and rooms and choirs / strings... but I've never put them near the drums honestly. Will have to try that.

Yeah! Sounded like a kick drum! hahahha. Needed some body to go with the 91a. My AT 4047 was on the bass cab. It's a tossup to put the 4047 on kick or on bass when I"m tracking them both together.

[Colorblind]

Today’s experiment was mostly about setting up a knee mic on my buddy’s kit. But also, I recently snagged a UA 4-710 mic pre… so we passed the Miktek CV-4 (in Omni) through a channel of the 4-710 and tracked it with the “slow” compressor setting of that unit’s baked-in comp circuit.

After some fiddling with polar patterns and mic position… we got one of the nicest overall drum sounds I’ve EVER gotten. It’s the first time I got that “sounds like a record to me” sound at the recording stage.

My takeaways from today are:

• it’s the drummer
• it’s the drums (including the tuning / dampening)
• it’s the room
• I spent too many years STARTING with 8 mics and then figuring out if more were needed.
• There’s always more to learn

Man, that's gotta be a good feeling. Are we allowed to hear it?

[Colorblind]

Kick out (4050)

...really? Super-interested, as I have two of these and have never thought about using them on kick. They've become fast-favorites of mine for vocals and rooms and choirs / strings... but I've never put them near the drums honestly. Will have to try that.

Yeah! Sounded like a kick drum! hahahha. Needed some body to go with the 91a. My AT 4047 was on the bass cab. It's a tossup to put the 4047 on kick or on bass when I"m tracking them both together.

My 4050 lives on floor tom bottom (yeah, I mic the bottom). Not sure how it ended up there but it seems to work. Pad in, of course.

[alexdingley]

Man, that's gotta be a good feeling. Are we allowed to hear it?

Definitely yes! it's a great feeling. I've listened back a number of times now, and while I miiiiight gently walk-back the "it sounds like a record" sentiment... it ABSOLUTELY IS a usable drum sound that, with a tiny bit of eq, could be used on a record... style-depending.

AND — the drummer says it's all good if you wanna listen. Here's an mp3

[alexdingley]

My 4050 lives on floor tom bottom (yeah, I mic the bottom). Not sure how it ended up there but it seems to work. Pad in, of course.

Cool — Also worth trying some day.

[alexdingley]

Yeah! Sounded like a kick drum! hahahha. Needed some body to go with the 91a. My AT 4047 was on the bass cab. It's a tossup to put the 4047 on kick or on bass when I"m tracking them both together.

Heading over to your bandcamp page now — anything, in particular, I should listen to as a good example of you using the 4050 on kick?

[trodden]

Yeah! Sounded like a kick drum! hahahha. Needed some body to go with the 91a. My AT 4047 was on the bass cab. It's a tossup to put the 4047 on kick or on bass when I"m tracking them both together.

Heading over to your bandcamp page now — anything, in particular, I should listen to as a good example of you using the 4050 on kick?

Nah, this was a first time using one!

[drumsound]

Man, that's gotta be a good feeling. Are we allowed to hear it?

Definitely yes! it's a great feeling. I've listened back a number of times now, and while I miiiiight gently walk-back the "it sounds like a record" sentiment... it ABSOLUTELY IS a usable drum sound that, with a tiny bit of eq, could be used on a record... style-depending.

AND — the drummer says it's all good if you wanna listen. Here's an mp3

Sounds really great, Alex!

[alexdingley]

Nah, this was a first time using one!

All good — shoot back a link if/when you have something you'd wanna share. (or PM me, etc)