Why are drums miked?

[VWbug]

Not meaning to offend anyone or sound stupid.

I am getting tired of playing with folks that just HAVE to play loud. I realize different venues and different types of music matter in this but I'm mostly talking about playing in Coffehouse to medium sized gigs with different groups of people.

It seems that the drums unamplified are the loudest Instrument so that sets the "base" level of decibels stage wise. To my thinking then everyone else needs to be able to hear themselves just slightly above that and each other. Sound reinforcement is for the audience but then the player levels are enjoyable and you hear everyone and its a fun gig. I should add I have tinnitus now but also when friends and family members talk about weddings etc. the most common complaint is they finally get to see folks they haven't seen in ages and can't even talk or hear conversations. I realize a happy vibe needs some volume but it just feels crazy sometimes and there's some gigs that I can't even hear myself and just play and hope for the best and just want to get out of there as soon as I can but still keep a good attitude.

Man, it seems like the times folks play at moderate levels and point their amps at themselves for monitors and the overall level allows for hearing everybody are just fun! I'm getting real tired of the volume wars and the blank stares when you even mention the mud and needless volume. It's like folks are indulging childhood fantasies of stadium play instead of bringing an enjoyable musical experience to folks that like music in smaller venues.

I have plugs but find it hard to hear and then you just turn up and become part of the madness. It's getting old. I much more enjoy the gigs with folks that keep it moderate.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[s0c9]

I have worked with (doing SR) and played with numerous drummers who think they need [can you say want?] every drum/cymbal mic'ed in a club gig like they're playing in a freakin' stadium!

I have used 3 mics on club/bar drums for years (even for some outdoor gigs) - kick, snare and overhead - and had it work just fine. But, I do change mic's based on music style. I can put a Shure Beta52, Audix D6 or AKG D112 on the kick; SM57, Beta58 or Audix i5 on snare/hat and generally run an AKG C1000S as the overhead. Most of what folks hear out front is kick/snare anyway.. Tom's? mostly not.. Cymbals generally cut thru everything in the average bar/club. So.. the overhead covers toms + cymbals, mixed tastefully with kick/snare.

The drummers I have a challenge (detest?) working with are those with umpteen+ mics on their kit going to a small stage-side mixer, and want to feed me a L/R [stereo] mix! Seriously??? How does a drummer - sitting BEHIND an acoustic kit, pounding it - tell what needs adjusting in FOH? A stereo feed to FOH is worthless, as it gives FOH NO CONTROL over drums - other than EQ.
Instant FAIL, IMHO!

In many venues, micing the kick and putting it in the PA, is all you need.

 

[VWbug]

Interesting.

I'm not meaning to be dumping on drummers. It's just as I reflect about it, I've never been anywhere where folks have said. "Wow, I couldn't really hear the drums" lol

 

[Joedog]

I've worked with a couple of very good soundmen who go through the motions of micing and sound checking drums in small clubs (to appease the drummer), then promptly slide the faders to zero once the show starts.

I recently bailed on a very promising startup because the drummer HAD to play EVERY SINGLE note/bar/song at MAXIMUM volume, FOH or not.

 

[modulusman]

In my main band we always mic the kick. We bring subwoofers to every gig. Sometimes we will also use two overheads and at bigger shows we mic the whole kit. Our drummer isn't obnoxiously loud and understands playing to the room. I have played with some drummers that have one volume LOUD. That does make for a lousy gig.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Yes.

 

[Mushroo]

It just doesn't sound as good if everything except the drums goes through the PA. For best results in the mix, the drums should go through the same sound system as the rest of the band and be mixed by the same engineer. If there are no mics on the drums, then the sound-man has no control over the drum sound, which means the drummer must self-mix from behind the kit. It helps a lot if the drummer knows how to play with a sensitive/light touch, because it gives the sound guy more dynamic range with which to work.

 

[seamonkey]

Put them behind clear shields and mic them so you can control the sound better out front.
They also hear themselves better, and get to pound and play at levels they want to play at.

 

[David Jayne]

Put them behind clear shields and mic them so you can control the sound better out front.
They also hear themselves better, and get to pound and play at levels they want to play at.

Yeah good luck with that. Never happen.

 

[modulusman]

Put them behind clear shields and mic them so you can control the sound better out front.
They also hear themselves better, and get to pound and play at levels they want to play at.

Actually it would be better if the shields were not clear. That way you don't have to watch the drummer slobber all over himself.

 

[seamonkey]

Yeah good luck with that. Never happen.

Drummers are likin' them. They don't keep getting told to play quieter.
Or as modulus man points out they flip their sweat and slobber around and not discolor the bass amp grill.

 

[seamonkey]

Edrums are also great. Volume knobs. And they sound great. Just like electronic "keyboards" and other electrified instruments.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

Putting a sneeze guard around them works great. At my church they took it a step further and put him in a fully enclosed Hamster ball.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Often the ideal situation is to mic every single item in the drum kit, place the whole kaboodle into a sealed room, then turn the mixer volume to zero.

P.S. Forgot to mention: Opposite of the drummer (dude), put a mirror on the wall.

 

[VWbug]

Putting a sneeze guard around them works great. At my church they took it a step further and put him in a fully enclosed Hamster ball.

Often the ideal situation is to mic every single item in the drum kit, place the whole kaboodle into a sealed room, then turn the mixer volume to zero.

Ha! What a smart sound Guy!

Ha!
I don't want to give the wrong impression. I play with some drummers that are just great guys and sensitive to playing to fit the music. There are the others though.... Lol

 

[Pako]

The best drummers I have placed with, mic'ed the whole kit, ran their own mixer, and fed a signal to the FOH like you would a DI for your bass. They were controlled hitters and played with a very nice touch. Their tone was awesome!

 

[Chili Bo Billy]

Our drummer has gone the electronic kit route, which means we can control the volume. He is not a heavy hitter, which is nice for me.
we let the PA do the work and keeps our stage volume to reasonable level.

 

[Humbled]

Even in our 24' x 28' rehearsal space, we mic the kick (Beyer M88), snare (Sennheiser 504), hat (Shure SM81), plus two overheads (Shure SM81s), and it works like a charm to bring out a more full, distinct, and lush sound with proper processing, including judicious eq, delay, and reverb. That the drummer knows what he's doing is 99% of the equation though.

Good drummers don't have to play loud.

 

[Chili Bo Billy]

I am blessed to play with drummers with a light touch and finesse.
It also helps that they sing lead and harmony, so they know the importance of being able to hear their vocals.

 

[VWbug]

Humbled. I second that. Often times younger players of all instruments think volume makes up for skill but I guess where I start getting confused, is where for instance, in your practice space of 24'x 28', what part of drums is not more than loud enough? I know I'm the minority to even care but I just don't get that.
Bringing everyone else up to his volume to hear everyone makes sense to me but... Isn't any other sound reinforcement just needed for FOH?

I get it for VERY VERY large venues but in instances like coffeehouse's, restruants, Elks clubs, small to medium venues... I just don't get it...