Recording Drum In A Small Room

[K8stribe]

I'm trying to record a five piece drum set in a small 10' X 12' room. I'm using a 57 on the snare, 3 X Senn e604's on the toms an AKG D880 and a MXL vocal mic for overheads 3 feet above the cymbols in a downward y pattern.. I'm using a cheap dynamic mic for the kick untill I can afford a Audix.

Problem is I'm getting way to much high end bleed especially from the 57, everything is real bright.. I'm also picking up a lot of high end bleeds from my kick and its inside the kick. The room is already walled with sound bord and is pretty flat.I'm using Cubase SX3 running a Behringer board into a Delta 1010 card. Any tips for mic placement?

[tinymontgomery]

I'd ditch the cheap dynamic on the kick and use the 57 instead. You'll get far better results. Maybe try covering the kick with a heavy blanket too to help the bleed. Then I'd pull an e604 off one of the rack toms for the snare and try just using 1 e604 for both rack toms. For the overheads I'd move to a recorderman type setup. It's always worked best for me in small rooms. Also anything you can put in the room to help break up the highs would help too, blankets, studio foam, ect.

[strewnshank]

the recorderman setup is the answer. use your best three or four mics and be done with it. style dependent, of course.

[joeq]

Originally Posted by K8stribe

The room is already walled with sound bord and is pretty flat.

obviously not flat enough. 10 x12 is a pretty small room. How about treating the ceiling as well? I did this in a small space I had and it made a big difference.

Also, as said around here so incredibly often, but could always stand to be said one more time: cymbal bleed is more often a function of the drummer's performance than any other single factor.

Every drummer needs to learn how to not be That Guy - The Guy Who Hits the Cymbals Too Hard.

I would allocate a better mic for the kick, even if you have to compromise somewhere else. Pull one of the 604s off the rack toms and share them as tinymontgomery said. Other than that, I think your choices are fine.

Some further experimenting with placements could also reduce the spill. Take note of where the mics' nulls are and use that to your advantage. Set the snare mic not only for good snare pickup, but good hi-hat rejection, etc.

[cajonezzz]

I gotta agree with Joeq.

Low ceilings, tight room... yer gonna need to kill it. I'd do broadband with 703 panels. It'll make a huge difference. (ceiling too)
don't go nuts and kill the room, just add say... 6-8 2x4's and you'll be amazed.

a couple on ceiling for early reflections will help... or... demo that ceiling and go for a ragtop.

cz