The drum recording can make the mix a joy or a gigantic hassle. The drum kit is one of those key elements of a mix that really make great music shine, but it all starts with the recording. What mics, where are they placed, how does one get the amazing drum sound they’re after?
First of all, it doesn’t matter if it’s a live recording with audience, a PA, and far too loud floor wedges, or if it’s a studio recording in any of the best drum rooms in the world, the most important component of a great drum sound is the drummer. Get a good drummer! He’s got to feel the pocket and hit the drums the way only a true drummer can. Additionally, a good drummer knows his instrument; he knows how to tune the drums, how to play the right cymbals, how to hit the drums, and how to make the kit itself sound right. Without a good drummer, any of the following advice may help, but won’t get that sound your mind craves.
Let’s start at the bottom. The kick drum is crucial. Ask any two engineers what the right way to mic a kick drum is and you’re sure to get at least two different answers. I’ve miked a couple kits with Yosh and he is not one of those engineers with “one right way.” I’ve seen him use an RE-20, and MD-421, a Beta 52, an Audix A6… It really depends on the drum and on the style. It takes a good engineer to know the microphones, know how they’re going to respond, and know how the sound they pick up will translate in a mix. The Beta 52 is a really consistently good microphone inside a kick drum, however, and Yosh likes to use it, especially in coordination with the Yamaha Subkick. It gives nice support for the bottom.
Next in line: the snare. Usually double miked, one from the bottom and one from the top, the snare is another really crucial part of a recording. As such, usually the snare, along with the kick go through the choice pre’s the studio offers. Yosh sometimes even brings his own favorites, Neve 33114’s. These pre’s are from an old Neve broadcast console and really help punch out those elements of the kit. Typically the top snare mic is a SM57 or sometimes a good pencil condenser like a KM 84 that has a 10 dB pad and high SPL handling. Typically this would be angled in from under the hi-hat, keeping it as off axis to the hats as possible. The same mics make excellent choices for the bottom, angled in at the snares to get that sizzle.
Speaking of the hi-hat, Yosh often mics it with a small-diaphragm condenser, but not too close. He keeps it a good 3 inches, or so above the hat.
Toms are usually MD-421’s, a classic. Again, don’t put them too close, the tone of the drum needs a little space to develop, but we’ll typically put one of these on each rack tom, and then on the floor tom we put one above and one underneath the drum. This technique really allows the power of the floor tom’s lower end to come through and fully impact the sound of the kit. Make sure that the bottom mic on the snr and the floor tom are electrically out of phase by inserting the phase switch on the pre.
It’s important to remember when dealing with a drum kit that the kit itself is an instrument as a whole. Each drum is not treated as an instrument but as part of the one instrument. This is one of the reasons why the overhead mics are really an important part, and often a good place to start listening. Though overheads are used primarily for cymbals, it makes such a difference when the engineer is careful to make sure the whole kit sounds good through them. The overheads can help a tom drum sound full and big and can add the perfect ambience for the snare track.
The method Yosh uses for his overheads vary, once again, on the style, situation, and room. In a studio situation, he typically uses two large diaphragm condensers, one on either side of the kit, above the crash cymbals. Quite often he’ll keep these rather low and close to the cymbals. Of course, with this technique, take great care to make sure the microphone can handle the high SPL of being so close when the drummer feels inspired. Another problem that can arise if the engineer is not listening attentively is the whooshing noise of the air as the cymbal moves after being hit. Really good microphones such as U-87s make great selections. Another technique we sometimes use is the XY pattern over the drummer’s head. This is a bit more spacious and doesn’t always achieve the same stereo width, but is sometimes the right method for the situation. However, in a live situation, Yosh uses three condensers: left, right, and center. This allows him to bring them in rather close to the kit to achieve as much isolation from the live elements of the PA as possible without losing the center in the mix. This is done because sometimes vocals are fixed in the studio and by keeping the original vocal out of the overheads it it is easier to repair the vocal without the bleed.
Where to put the room mics completely depends on the room. We try to find a place in the room to put two microphones that will capture the sound of the room and add reality and great space to the kit. Often, Yosh will select a pair of good ribbon mics that respond smoothly and evenly.
Beyond that, it’s up to the creativity of the engineers to get the sound they’re looking for. Sometimes what’s needed is the sound of a 57 pointed at the glass and then run through the worst sounding guitar amp the studio can manage to find. Most importantly, use your ears. If it doesn’t sound good, don’t do it because you read it in a textbook or on a blog. Each day in each room with each kit is going to be so different that there is no one right way, the only right way is the way that sounds great.
This will be an ongoing discussion with some more interesting techniques to follow.
I needed this!!!!!!! thanks!
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