my drum sound - advice please!

[trevor]

well i'm certainly not an expert but heres a few things that have helped me out with drums,

try the jm47 outside the kick drum, i use a woofer from an NS-10 and blended with a mic inside the drum can open alot of options and make things sound alittle more real

also, my drums improved (imho) immensly when i started using a room mic, just play around with different options, try compressing the hell out of it (or anything)

good luck

[Drumsound]

I'm not sure if you mic, preamp, room, or mic position is the problem, but the crash cymbals (especially the one on the right) sounds funky to me. If you ceiling is short you might want to treat it over the drums. If one of the Oh mics is right over it you might want to move it a bit off axis, or raise its height (watch phase). If the mic or preamp can't handle the complexities of cymbals, its time to switch it out. Cymbals have a huge dynamic range, they go from a scream to a whisper in a couple of milliseconds. You might not 'see' any distortion on your meters, because they are not fast enough, but it very well may be there.

I'm a big room mic fan too. For metal you might want to try a 'less crispy mic' and see if it adds depth but not high-end splash. If however the guitars and bass are really bright, more like classic metal, a brighter mic might work. I like the room mics to add splash often, but sometimes darker room mics add a nice depth, which is a good flavor too.

[martyfireball]

Originally Posted by Drumsound

I'm not sure if you mic, preamp, room, or mic position is the problem, but the crash cymbals (especially the one on the right) sounds funky to me.

AYe, off course it had a bloody big crack in it, which didn't help.

Originally Posted by Drumsound

If you ceiling is short you might want to treat it over the drums.

Just done that (after this session). Some 100mm rockwool into the rafters.

Originally Posted by Drumsound

If the mic or preamp can't handle the complexities of cymbals, its time to switch it out. Cymbals have a huge dynamic range, they go from a scream to a whisper in a couple of milliseconds. You might not 'see' any distortion on your meters, because they are not fast enough, but it very well may be there.

Well the pre's are in the Folio SX so I doubt they are much cop, and the mics were real cheap. I have a new souncard with better convertors planned and a mic upgrade too..maybe some rode NT5 would suit my budget but help my recordings.

Originally Posted by Drumsound

I'm a big room mic fan too. For metal you might want to try a 'less crispy mic' and see if it adds depth but not high-end splash. If however the guitars and bass are really bright, more like classic metal, a brighter mic might work. I like the room mics to add splash often, but sometimes darker room mics add a nice depth, which is a good flavor too.

Not enough inputs yet, but the new soundcard should sort that out.
Much appreciated,
Cheers.