• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Live Drum Micing

agreatheight

agreatheight

Dec 23, 2005
4,269
33
55
Portland Area, ME
#1
Simply put: what are you micing on a drum kit for small - medium rooms?

I will be moving on from my current cover band shortly which is all about sound reinforcement overkill (read: huge system, everything is miced, loud). We play smaller - medium rooms and I never understand why our soundman thinks we need everything we bring and why we push the volume so loud. We never get asked to turn up, lol, and get lots of requests to turn down. So I am starting a new cover band that be taking things a bit simpler / smaller. I'll be running sound from the stage. Smaller board, two mains, a single sub, two monitors, done. I am leaning toward just micing the kick and using a single mono overhead - I have a feeling that will be enough, but wanted to get some opinions. Anyone else happy running less mics on drums?

Thanks in advance!
Eric
 
#2
One kick mic and one overhead is perfectly fine - I've done that zillions of times in small club situations. You may not even need the overhead, considering how much bleeds into the vocal mics.

Here's another trick to consider if your console has busses: put one mic on the kick and another on the snare. On the SNARE mic, gate/compress it like you normally would, leave the channel fader at unity, and open up the aux send going to your reverb....but DON'T SEND THE SNARE ITSELF ANYWHERE. Just send the reverb to the main mix (turn up the verb return to taste, whether its on a channel or an aux return. A tiny bit is fine for most situations.)

Here's what this does: You don't get the loud piercing snare, but you get the verb coming through. Use a tiny bit, and the snare sounds bigger without being loud and annoying.
 
#5
I don't like overhead mics. Particularly condensers. On big stages we have 3 vocal mics, one on the guitard rig, one on my cab and 12 on the drum kit. Even when I close mic all the drums, I don't mic cymbals other than the 2 hi hats. All those open mics easily pick up the cymbals.

So for drums.

Large venue:

Both floors, three upper toms, both kicks, both snares, both hats, rotos

Small venues:

Both kicks, main hat, possibly a little on the main snare.
 
#7
AndyLES said:
One kick mic and one overhead is perfectly fine - I've done that zillions of times in small club situations. You may not even need the overhead, considering how much bleeds into the vocal mics.

Here's another trick to consider if your console has busses: put one mic on the kick and another on the snare. On the SNARE mic, gate/compress it like you normally would, leave the channel fader at unity, and open up the aux send going to your reverb....but DON'T SEND THE SNARE ITSELF ANYWHERE. Just send the reverb to the main mix (turn up the verb return to taste, whether its on a channel or an aux return. A tiny bit is fine for most situations.)

Here's what this does: You don't get the loud piercing snare, but you get the verb coming through. Use a tiny bit, and the snare sounds bigger without being loud and annoying.
Click to expand...

It's interesting you say that - my thought was originally to get the kit into the PA with the overhead mic primarily to get some reverb on it rather than to crank the signal. I find a little reverb on the whole kit (but especially the snare) makes it sound a little bigger and more polished.
 
#8
fokof said:
I often use only Mid/size miking technique for softer/jazz/not too loud situation , works magic.
I put the two mikes in the middle ,front , on top of the Kick.
If you need more kick , just lower the two mikes.

https://www.google.ca/search?client...&oe=UTF-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=lqBIUq2JHvL84AOLsYH4DQ
Click to expand...

I have played with mid/side in the studio and liked it, but how do you get the mono figure 8 track duplicated (so you can pan and phase reverse) for live? I have never thought to try it live.
 
#9
agreatheight said:
I have played with mid/side in the studio and liked it, but how do you get the mono figure 8 track duplicated (so you can pan and phase reverse) for live? I have never thought to try it live.
Click to expand...
Same way you do it in the studio , with a "Y" XLR cable.

Same snake line , add a Y (1 female/2 male) into 2 preamps ,one of them phase reverse , both at the same gain (important)
 
#11
that mid-side stuff sounds like a bit above the "pay grade" for rock bands in bars trying to use less PA. (besides, omni condenser mics + bar bands + PA in little rooms usually=feedback.)

in real-world "speakers on sticks plus a sub, jammed in the corner of the bar" situations, a kick mic will indeed often be all you need, as the drums go everywhere, especially into the vocal mics.
 
#13
We often use an Audix D6 on the kick and a single Rode NT-5 MDC as overhead. Using good mics really helps... Small room or restaurant gigs we go with no mics on the kit. Slightly larger we have the kick mic'ed, a bit larger yet we have the Ohd. Outside, even small spaces we use the kick and overhead. Festival stages we mic every drum and use the Rode as ohd.

We also use vocal mic's that have very close pickup patterns and hi rejection characteristics. Audix OM 5's and/or OM 7's
 
#16
Floyd Eye said:
I don't like overhead mics. Particularly condensers. On big stages we have 3 vocal mics, one on the guitard rig, one on my cab and 12 on the drum kit. Even when I close mic all the drums, I don't mic cymbals other than the 2 hi hats. All those open mics easily pick up the cymbals.

So for drums.

Large venue:

Both floors, three upper toms, both kicks, both snares, both hats, rotos

Small venues:

Both kicks, main hat, possibly a little on the main snare.
Click to expand...


Holy carp......on our biggest stuff I might have 12 mics running and 4 of them are vocals. :D


OP, I'm in a similair situation as you, smaller gigs, mixing from stage, etc. You can sound fine using a kick mic and single overhead. Sometimes it offers a little more control/balance if I use a tom mic or a 57 on a stand placed about a foot back in the hat side of the kit. That'll catch hat/snare and a bit of tom/crash over there, then use another one, or an overhead condenser to catch the other side of the kit. Add a 3rd if needed for middle toms.

Just try a few different methods and you'll find one that is a good balance of sound and ease of setup/mix for your drummer.

How much, or little control you can get away with depends a lot on the drummer and their kit. My guys is pretty balanced. Some guys with loud snares, dead toms, or cymbals that don't project need more control. With a good drummer and a well tuned, well balanced kit, I've yet to run into a situation where close micing every individual drum was needed. Of course we don't play arenas or use deafening volume either.

Generally smaller places where the acoustic level of the kit isn't quite enough but it doesn't need a ton of reinforcement either. It gets the kit a little louder than normal, especially the kick, but mostly "bigger and fuller sounding".

Lighter side of classic rock here with some funky/dancey stuff and/or a bit of drunken country sing-alongs thrown in. More Tom Petty, CCR, etc., no Sabbath or Judas Priest (though that would be fun).

YMMV.
 
#17
mellowinman said:
I don't understand.

I always mic the kick, and the toms. How can you not? You won't get any low end through if you don't. In small rooms, I don't mic snares and cymbals.
Click to expand...

If your drummer has a vocal mic, leaving that hot can pickup enough snare/hat...and automatically put some reverb on it. You can make the kit sound fuller/bigger without being necessarily much if any louder. Use your other mics on toms. Maybe ride depending in how loud that cymbal naturally is.
 
#18
will33 said:
If your drummer has a vocal mic, leaving that hot can pickup enough snare/hat...and automatically put some reverb on it. You can make the kit sound fuller/bigger without being necessarily much if any louder. Use your other mics on toms. Maybe ride depending in how loud that cymbal naturally is.
Click to expand...

Exactly -
for the ones who don't sing - - I set up an OH

Run with it - its not rocket surgery!
 
#19
mellowinman said:
I don't understand.

I always mic the kick, and the toms. How can you not? You won't get any low end through if you don't. In small rooms, I don't mic snares and cymbals.
Click to expand...
Don't need it nearly as much on toms. In a small room, they can often get by without micing because of bleed. With bass drum, people like that low end thump you don't get out of an un-mic'ed bass drum. Toms...eh, that's more of a judgment call.

Anyway, the bass drum should be mic'ed, and anything else is optional and on a case-by-case basis in a small room. If your snare is so loud even though its mic isn't even on and the clubowner tells you to turn down, you can pull it. But it's really a case by case basis, so listen, and if you think a certain part of the drum set isn't representing, move a mic toward it. But be careful of using too many mics in a small room. It's not necessary and will be a prime cause of feedback if you overdo it.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back