Two-micing a kick, snare, and hi-hat...

[The Marrvel]

I'm experimenting with micing only a kick, snare, and high-hat for a session on Friday. I only have a SM7 and a SM57. Which mic should I use for the kick and which one for the overhead (snare/hi-hat)?

[Remoteness]

Why don't you try the SM7 or the SM57 at the (righty) drummer's right knee position?
Or over the right shoulder and be done with it.

[The Marrvel]

Originally Posted by Remoteness

Why don't you try the SM7 or the SM57 at the (righty) drummer's right knee position?
Or over the right shoulder and be done with it.

Really, as opposed to using both? I was going to dedicate one of them to the kick.

[6dyslexicelephnt]

if I had to use two mics on a kit, those wouldn't be my first choices. I would put the 57 on kick, either outside or beater side, and put the SM7 3ft. above the snare, point at the snare. good luck

[Remoteness]

Originally Posted by The Marrvel

Really, as opposed to using both? I was going to dedicate one of them to the kick.

I'd say experiment and report back to us.

[GrendelSound]

Originally Posted by The Marrvel

I'm experimenting with micing only a kick, snare, and high-hat for a session on Friday. I only have a SM7 and a SM57. Which mic should I use for the kick and which one for the overhead (snare/hi-hat)?

Are you tracking with that? I don't know I usually like to, at the very least, have a stereo mix of the drums. If I were to only have 2 mics I probably wouldn't slap either of them right up on any of the drums. I'd go for more of a room sound.

Alex

[Jimbo]

Originally Posted by The Marrvel

I'm experimenting with micing only a kick, snare, and high-hat for a session on Friday. I only have a SM7 and a SM57. Which mic should I use for the kick and which one for the overhead (snare/hi-hat)?

Are you "experimenting", or are you "limited" to only those two mics? If the latter, is there any way to borrow one more mic from someone?

[russelldl]

As a drummer, here are my suggestions.
First, don't ever put a mic 3 feet above the snare. That's where my head goes.
Second, if you can get a good sound miking the bass drum with one of those, then do so, but I doubt you will be able to get anything good without a different mic.
If you can mic the bass drum with one, use the other as a room mic. Have the drummer play, put on some headphones, and walk around with the mic and see where the best placement is. Be creative, try outside the room, up close, anywhere.
If you can't mic the bass drum, use both as room mics. You can go stereo but I would consider using two distinctly different locations and mixing them to get the best effect.
Chances are you won't be able to get a good bass drum sound from this set up. Its just going to get you a clipped thunk sound. Although, some engineers think that's what a bass drum should sound like.
Hope that helps.

[BenJah]

Well I'd use the sm7 about 3-4 feet in front of the kick and tge 57 as an overhead. play the snare loud and go soft on the metal stuff..

[nickynicknick]

Originally Posted by russelldl

As a drummer, here are my suggestions.
First, don't ever put a mic 3 feet above the snare. That's where my head goes.
Second, if you can get a good sound miking the bass drum with one of those, then do so, but I doubt you will be able to get anything good without a different mic.
If you can mic the bass drum with one, use the other as a room mic. Have the drummer play, put on some headphones, and walk around with the mic and see where the best placement is. Be creative, try outside the room, up close, anywhere.
If you can't mic the bass drum, use both as room mics. You can go stereo but I would consider using two distinctly different locations and mixing them to get the best effect.
Chances are you won't be able to get a good bass drum sound from this set up. Its just going to get you a clipped thunk sound. Although, some engineers think that's what a bass drum should sound like.
Hope that helps.

As an engineer i know for a fact that you can get a "good" kik drum sound with a 57...there more important variables than the mic........i.e.the player, the drum, tuning, front head off/on, padding/no padding, eq...etc....I thnk a 57 would do best inside a kik (couple of inches away from the beater) drum with the front head off and enough padding so the drum isn't ringing too much and the batter head pretty loose...this should give you a punchy sounding kik esp. if you can eq out 250-300Hz 5 - 10dB on the way in.....snare?.....I would try over the kik pointing into the centre of the snare...you can do it with these two mics for sure...don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It's not my first choice of mics, but they'll do just fine. Good Luck.

Nick