going for a mono "roomy" sound

[DirkB]

Hi All,

For a new project coming up I want to change my drum recording approach and go for a mono, room kinda sound. Think lots of sustain from heavy compression, more distant micing etc.

The mics I have available:
- R121
- Soundelux U195
- D112
- Subkick
- Josephson C42's
- MD441
- Audix D2's
- SM57's

I will do some experimenting the coming days on my own kit and was thinking of starting with the R121 as overhead, U195 2-3foor from the kick and add some close mics where necessary.
Other Idea is R121 in front of kit to capture the entire kit, U195 10feet from kit as mono room mic and then spot mics as needed.

Any other ideas to try?

Thanks,
Dirk

[biggator6]

How big is the room?

[Bob Olhsson]

Placing a cardioid mike near the drums and pointing it away from the kit gives you the sound of drum leakage into the vocal mike which is the "room effect" that I think most folks are seeking.

Having the vocalist sing into that mike with the drummer in an acoustic balance with nobody wearing headphones gives you the exact sound.

Of course the drummer and singer need to be really good...

[chrisso]

Yeah, the quality of the room is going to be crucial.
You have some nice mics and it's all a matter of experimentation and personal taste.
I would probably use the C42's as close overheads, and the 57's, 441, D112 and subkick as close mics, like a normal kit.
Then I would experiment with the R121 and U195 as ambience mics. Perhaps one closer in and lower down, one further away and higher up.
Having the close mics and the differently located room mics gives you a lot of options on mixdown.
Otherwise, you could just go with a Glyn Johns style 3 or 4 mic thing, with a couple of room mics way back.

Originally Posted by DirkB

The mics I have available:
- R121
- Soundelux U195
- D112
- Subkick
- Josephson C42's
- MD441
- Audix D2's
- SM57's

[DirkB]

Thanks for the tips so far. I will definitely try the mic facing away.

The room is pretty small, 3x5m2 meter only. However, with some judicious compression and delaying of the roommics I am able to pull a convincing room sound from it.

I am looking for a completely mono sound though. Normally I do use the C42's as close overheads and the R121 or U195 as a mono room which works fine, but this next project requires a U2 type of drum sound with perhaps a touch less definition.

Thanks,
Dirk

[chrisso]

Originally Posted by DirkB

I am looking for a completely mono sound though. Normally I do use the C42's as close overheads and the R121 or U195 as a mono room which works fine, but this next project requires a U2 type of drum sound with perhaps a touch less definition.

You can record the kit with 2 to 4 mics and get a completely mono picture, that's fine.
I was just suggesting you print a few other options just in case the mono thing doesn't work out, or you feel the snare/bass drum needs a bit of definition for example.
Of course you don't need to use any of those options in the final mix. But then again it's time consuming to set up extra options, so it's entirely up to you.
By the way, one of the reasons some of the U2 drum sounds seem mono and indistinct is because I believe they sometimes record the drums in a room with the guitar and bass and a PA system blaring. Some of their songs come out of live jams.
Let us know how you get on.

[geeek]

Years ago before I had gear or anything, I had an old c414 and an mbox..

I needed to do a quick recording of my drums... So I threw it up in the room around head hight in fig 8.

The room had high ceilings and was approx 3m x 4m with 3m high ceilings perhaps.. It was like an old victorian house.

The drums sounded great.. Really balanced.. Took compression and eq well..

You can have a listen to a myspace of the recording if you like?


I've also had a good experience doing something similar with a Crowley and Tripp Naked Eye..

I do quite like mono's (but fig 8 or omni) on drums.


I'd probably start with the Royer in front of the kit.. But anough distance away to get the room of course..

Experiment with compression.. 1176 I'd go for