Fellow Slutz,
While I've participated in many recording and mixing projects in the last few years, all the projects either involved drum tracks that we're recorded in other studios or drum loops/programming. Basically, I haven't had the opportunity to record a drum kit in quite a while so I don't have a lot of equipment geared toward that task (especially mics and clips/stands).
I'm going to be working with some friends on a low key, low budget recording session. They're a guitar, bass and drum trio -- very original!
It works in my favor that the band is after a pretty straightforward sound (think early R.E.M., Gang of Four, Petty, etc.) and they want to keep it simple. I have a good space for recording them together using headphones. We plan to record the basic tracks live -- we'll probably record the bass direct, mic the guitar cabinet in another room and record scratch vocals on some tracks. The trick, then, is getting the drums right. I haven't seen the drummer's kit in a while, but I think it's fairly small (probably a 5 piece with hats and 2 or 3 cymbals). Thankfully he's a great drummer (which is 2/3 of the battle won!)
Aside from hiring out a room for the basic tracks (not in their budget), here are the ideas I can think of:
1) Buying one of those mic kits for drums (Sennheiser, Audix, CAD and maybe other make these) for $400-500, use a couple mics I have for overheads and make the best of it. Has anyone tried one of these kits?
2) Use a good stereo pair of condensors and try to capture a roomy sound without lots of direct mics. Maybe I can get away with overheads plus direct mics on the snare and bass drum. A good room and ample time spent working out the positioning of the drums and mics *might* be enough...
3) Just suck it up and just buy more good mics that I can re-use for future projects and/or sell (kind of the default slutty answer)
I should have enough pres and the track count for this project but I'm short on mics for all the drums. Here's what I have to use with ideas for each:
1 x SM57 (might use on the guitar cab or make available for snare)
1 x SM58 (will use for scratch vocals)
1 x AT4047 (might use on the guitar cab or as a room mic)
1 x Rode NT1K (might use as a room mic)
1 x Groove Tubes GT-33 (could use just about anywhere -- a versatile mic)
1 x Sennheiser e609 (will probably use on guitar cab with something else)
1 x MXL 603S (could use on hi-hats)
1 x MXL V67G (good for mellow vocals but not sure where it might fit in the live scenario, if at all)
My default position is not to say "I need more gear" to get results, but sometimes one has to have the basics to meet the needs of the project and I think I'm a few mics short for this project.
I'm open to suggestions and advice. If you need more info, ask!
Thanks in advance,
Synth80s