I mix for a local live TV show. I am a mic minimalist. and the studio is small with crappy acoustics. Depending on the drummer, the style of music and the size of the kit it can be two overhead mics and kick. If I know brushes will be used on snare. I'll add a 4th mic.
Weapons of choice are a pair of KM-184s or a pair of Beta 57's for overhead, RE-20 for kick and if I need a snare mic, usually an SM-57, perhaps another 184 or a KSM-141.
I appreciate a good pro drummer who understands dynamics! That guy/gal could sound great with 1 mic.
I fell in love in Sennheiser MD441 on snare drum recently, AKG D19 on kick drum is my first choice (not always best, but first definitely), Beyerdynamic on floor tom is awesome too. I have few mic pairs (C451EB, C414B-ULS, Oktavamodded Rode NT2, AT4050, Josephson C42, Coles 4038, Beyerdynamic M160) that I can use on OH and it depends on instrument, but lately it's usually Rode on OHs and C414s in MS as FOK. Everything can change depending on what's needed, but this is pretty standard situation.
usually doing 1 kick, snare top & btm, and 2 mono overheads
Kick Inside: Heil PR48
Kick Outside: cheap ribbon (PPA R-1 or Cascade Vin-Jet) about 4 inches back, angled 45 degrees down to where drum meets the floor -- doing this less and less these days
Snare top: Heil PR35 (or m201 if I had one) or EV 468 for a more dry sound
Snare bottom: SM57 or Heil PR22
OH1: Heil PR40 ... nice and crunchy
OH2: Cascade Victor (lundahl) or Cascade Vin-Jet (stock) -- both at drummer's forehead level, aimed at snare (helps with small crappy rooms)
Hi-hat: Beyerdynamic Opus 83 (SDC) very natural sounding
I mainly do mono. For stereo, I put a Cascade X-15 in place of the OH ribbon.
Beyer M88TG on kick
Beyer M201TG on snare drum
Heil PR30B pair setup Glyn Johns style as overheads
AT4033 FOK to add some clarity/upfront punch and room ambience
But then I never record full kits. What I usually do is record two toms, and then record a tambourine/rhythm egg/any other percussion I want with the same mic.
This is low end, isn't it?
I would however appreciate your input on this if anyone of you have any. Here's the deal:
The room isn't treated, and never will be, as my recording-area is a corner in my rather small living room. I have a LDC that I could use as an overhead, but that's about it.
The only things I'd replace are my overheads and the Beta 52. The overheads always sound nasty to me, I'm not a fan of the Rodes. The Beta 52 is okay, but it doesn't give a tight kick drum sound that I'm looking for, it's thumpy and I'm looking for more click.
The only things I'd replace are my overheads and the Beta 52. The overheads always sound nasty to me, I'm not a fan of the Rodes. The Beta 52 is okay, but it doesn't give a tight kick drum sound that I'm looking for, it's thumpy and I'm looking for more click.
The Audix D6 close to the beater will give you that. Also, look into the Beyer M201TG's as overheads, I went from a pair of NT1A's to those and couldn't be happier.
Here's an update what we ended up using for the album:
Kick Audix D6 a few inches from the beater + UKKO B-Band
Snare Audix i5 top SM7B bottom
Toms UKKO B-band
OH Beyerdynamic M201TG
Room t.bone RB500
On the last two studio gigs I used an EV RE-10 as mono overhead and 414-buls as a close room. A beta-52 and sm57 for kik and snare for safety. Granted these two songs were going for a vintage vibe, but I'm pretty sold on less is more with drums on certain productions. It's easier to mix as well.
Kick: D12
Floor tom: D12 from underneath
Rack toms: Senn 441 from underneath
Snare: sm57 or altec lipstick
hat/ride: chameleon ts-1's or a pair of altec lipsticks, in close
It's kind of the opposite from the prevailing trend of less mics and more distance but I'm going for a 70's sound yet more up to date and clean. Plus my drum room doesn't sound so great acoustically for loud drums, sounds good for quiet when the low mids aren't excited so much, so I try to minimize that room aspect and I've been spending a lot of time on tuning, that seems to help more than mic choice.
Was recording on Wednesday with a lungcore band. Had a pair of fancy mics up on overheads and something was wrong. Swapped out the mics with Rode NT5s and BAM, everything is beautiful. This link will take you to right before the drums come in at 2:50: Jerseyband: Rise of the Meat Curtain - Jazz at the Atlas, DC - 2013 - YouTube
Or check out the entire video here:
No snare mic or tom mics by the way.
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I-95, I-64, I-85
The last few times I've stripped down my set up. Recently I've done
Overheads- studio projects B1 pair (either xy about 2.5' over the snare, or "glyn john" style).
Kick- D112
Snare- Audix i5
I've also added a blumlein pair of Cascade Fatheads as room mics with that set up.
What I like about it is that in my room (wood floors!) the toms sound far better in the overheads than they do close mic'ed. I've just never gotten a convincing tom sound with close mics.
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