| I did a quick demo session the other day for which I simply put up a U87 as a low overhead (just above and in front the drummer's forehead) and an EV RE15 inside the kick. The overhead mic went through a nice valve compressor to help balance the kit a bit. At first, the single crash cymbal was much too loud, but after directing the OH mic away from it slightly and moving the cymbal a bit higher up, things balanced out nicely. The track sounded pretty retro (think late 60s Beatles), mainly because of the compressor, but really nice!
In your case I'd go for the stereo room mic approach plus kick plus snare mics, though. I think, two large diaphragm condensors (or ribbons) would be necessary for a more organic sound (SDCs tend to sound somewhat clinical), set up around two to three metres in front of the kit, spaced out slightly wider than the kit and pointing at the snare. Add bass drum and snare mics (check phase). Done. With the same two room mics you could also try the Glyn Johns method.
Buying snare and bass drum mics wouldn't break the bank. While the SM57 isn't my go-to mic for snare (or anything for that matter....) it would be fine, and if you can find an old EV RE15 or RE16 for around 60 dollars you're laughing as far as bass drum is concerned. It's the room/OH pair of mics that won't come cheap, but it's a worthwhile expense for any recordist. You could try a mono recording of the drums and it wouldn't be a problem at all, but of course, you might want a stereo image of the drums.
As no one has mentioned it yet, let me stress that the quality of your preamps and recording medium is very important, too. It doesn't have to be Neve or API, but cheap mixing desk preamps will give a "cheap" sound.
I wouldn't recommend such a minimalist recording method for a heavy metal or modern rock band, but early REM was very simplistic and organic sounding indeed, so you should get pretty close using only very few mics.
Good luck,
Recky |