miccing drums - ***???

[buldog5151bass]

Wasn't sure whether to put this here or live sound, but wanted some feedback. We all talk about bassists wanting "their" sound, but I hear in more with drums - where the sounds are so different. Some examples:

- Copeland's snare on Police records - sounds like a piccolo snare tuned up to where the skin is about to snap, it's so high.
- lots of 80s bass drums leave out all the low frequencies - listen to Pride in the name of love to get an example - sounds more like a click

Where does one go to learn best practices for miccing and EQing drums?

 

[tfer]

The 80s snare drum was the explosion of the 'gated reverb'. That's where the low end disappeared.

The best way to learn, is to get an acoustic drum kit and a handful of mics. Then start experimenting.

I've observed that with good placement, a kit can be miked well with 4 microphones - 2 overheads, snare and kick.

 

[RustyAxe]

I have no idea. I only post because just yesterday my duo partner and I started recording (just two guitars, two vocals, and a bass track). He got it into his head that he want drums on one of the songs we'll be putting on the CD. I told him he'd have to take that to a pro studio, I'm not interested in tracking and mixing a drum kit, and I have no experience doing it. I'm a musician not a recording engineer, we don't have space in our studio for a drum kit, I don't think the room is "right". If he locates a drummer with a good electronic kit, I'd reconsider, though.

Good luck on your project.

 

[seamonkey]

Sennheiser created Drum Mica
Sennheiser - Kopfhörer & Headsets - Mikrofone - Integrated Systems

Use google translate.

It's a sample lib of drums where you can select different mics they used to collect the samples. i.e. top of head snare, bottom of head snare, overheads, ...

Showcases their Mics and where to place them.

The real answer is triggered drums to play back these and other sample libs.

 

[EastCoastThump]

There's no entirely satisfying shortcut to hearing the range of typical drum sounds and understanding how to track and mix them. That said, listening to sample libraries will speed up the learning curve. For example, compared to listening to fully mixed and mastered commercial recordings, just careful listening to well recorded soloed drum tracks (even in Garageband, if that's all you have to start) will help make it easier to hear tone, frequency slotting, attack, and decay of the drum elements and how they leave room for one another to make up the kit's composite voice. (<--not sure if that's clear, but it assumes a mixing philosophy that treats the drum kit as one instrumental voice in your larger mix.)

As for recording, +1 to tfer's advice to start w/ a minamalist approach. I'd suggest even starting w/ a 2-mic approach (kick + OH), then moving to 3-mic (kick + OH-L+R), then a Invalid Link Removed. After you're getting good results w/ those more organic approaches, then I'd start playing with OHs + close mics on all the individual pieces.

When starting, in addition to paying attention to mic choice and placement, you'll want to spend time w/ drum head choices and tuning. Picking the right kinds of heads for the tones you're after—and then tuning appropriately—saves all kinds of frustration. (BTW, I've only just started snare tuning this way and really like it. I might be the last one to this party, but as the SNL Weekend Update anchor used to say, "That's news to me.")

 

[s0c9]

you'll want to spend time w/ drum head choices and tuning. Picking the right kinds of heads for the tones you're after—and then tuning appropriately—saves all kinds of frustration.

To the OP
^^^^ THIS ^^^^
It's the old garbage in, garbage out problem!
Your recording approach/methodology may be PERFECT, but that won't help one iota if the drums are not well tuned, have ringing heads, overtones, etc.
You CAN fix those in the post/mix, BUT.. you'll save a LOT of frustration if you get it right up front~!

 

[buldog5151bass]

Thanks all.

 

[skwee]

I have no idea. I only post because just yesterday my duo partner and I started recording (just two guitars, two vocals, and a bass track). He got it into his head that he want drums on one of the songs we'll be putting on the CD. I told him he'd have to take that to a pro studio, I'm not interested in tracking and mixing a drum kit, and I have no experience doing it. I'm a musician not a recording engineer, we don't have space in our studio for a drum kit, I don't think the room is "right". If he locates a drummer with a good electronic kit, I'd reconsider, though.

Good luck on your project.

You may consider using a software kit, even Garageband has some good drum samples, and lay them in with a keyboard.

 

[Joebarnes]

In addition to looking up.the Glyn Johns method... also look up the "Recorderman" method. It can work better in a less than ideal room than the Glyn Johns method

 

[Son of Wobble]

Thanks all.

If your ultimate intent is to record your own band, don't discount the low fi approach.
You can get a banging "live" drum track with five mics: crossed pair of studio mics overhead; a mic on the kick drum; a mic on the snare;
and a wider perspective for gravy.

You can also get a great sound with 3 mics: one overhead, one kick, one snare. Just harder to alter in post this way. But a good garage
sound doesn't necessarily need tweaking in post.