Quote:
Originally Posted by WD40  (PS - James - Your tips for tracking drums are like the "21 commandments" to me at this point. -You're a friggin superstar  ) |
Just don't try to do 'em all at once!
Keep in mind that there are two things probably more important than mic/placement as far as sound goes (barring the player):
1.) The room
2.) Drum tuning
A few other things to keep in mind:
-Keep in mind that nasty/cheap cymbals can be nightmares--pointless to record with that.
-Get the kit sounding great in the room, and THEN start miking!
-If you have a less-than-stellar room don't put the recorded source (or any mics) in the middle of the room where the modes are strongest.
-I find that rooms sound best in 1/3rds... so divide the room's length/width by 3 and put stuff there. Put the room mic on the far third, and so on. If this doesn't make sense PM me and I'll explain it better.
-Improvised sound proofing/absorption/diffusion beats not taking care of any issues. Try to get the room to work FOR you, not against you (or at least minimize it).
Hope some of this helps. An average drum kit in an average room with average mics should still sound pretty good if you everything right. Maybe you need to concentrate on the source harder, rather than placement/mic and so on.