Recording Drums - Which Mics & Pres to use?

maku · 13th November 2009

Am going to be recording a drummer soon, and wanted to get some feedback on which Mic Pres are best with which Mics would be best on each part of the kit. I have:

Mic Pres:
2 x Great River MP-500NV
2 x API 512c
4 x Apogee Ensemble
8 x Focusrite Saffire Pro40

Mics
1 x Shure SM7B
1 x AKG D112
1 x Sennheiser MD421 II
4 x Shure SM57
2 x Shure SM58
2 x Sennheiser E904
2 x Rode NT-5
1 x Shure Beta 87A

Obviously, it will all depend on how things "sound" once all set up, but I think it's good to go in with a general sense of direction/plan, then adjust from there.

So the plan I have so far is:

1. Kick - AKG D112 into GR MP-500NV
2. Kick - Sennheiser MD421 into API 512c
3. Snare (above) - Shure SM57 into API 512c
4. Snare (below) - Shure SM7B into GR MP-500NV
5. Rack Tom - Sennheiser E904 into Ensemble
6. Floor Tom - Sennheiser E904 into Ensemble
7. Overhead - Rode NT-5 into Ensemble
8. Overhead - Rode NT-5 into Ensemble

Then a mix of SM57/58/87A as Room Mics spread around going into the Saffire.

Also am not sure which of the 2 kick mics should be inside or outside?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts

PepsiFX357 · 14th November 2009

In my opinion, I would go for:

Kick - D112 - Apogee at the hole
Snare top - SM57 - Apogee
Snare Bot - SM57 - Focusrite
Tom 1 - Rode NT5 - API
Tom 2 - MD421 - API
OH 1 - RodeNT5 - Great River
OH 2 - RodeNT5 - Great River

YMMV

DannyL · 19th November 2009

You may prefer the 421 over the D112 in the kick...it depends how much click you want. I use an SM58 quite often. I have also used a Beta 87 as a Kick mic from the beater side for a Jazz ensemble...be careful of spurious pedal noise from the kick and hat mechanisms. I often use a combination of
an SM-7 and a Countryman Isomax on the kick.

You can't go too far wrong using SM57's on the toms.

Remember: less is more. The more mics you use the more phase issues you will need to resolve. I have had great results using just 4 or 6 mics on a kit:
My main sound comes from the Overheads, panned hard L/R, (my perspective) with the other mics panned accordingly, and used just as presence. If you can get it right using just OH-L/OH-R and a little kick and snare you'll find the drums will mix themselves.

This is of course just my opinion.

Danny

13th November 2009	#1
maku Gear Head Joined: Jul 2009 Location: Southend, UK Posts: 69 Thread Starter	Recording Drums - Which Mics & Pres to use? Am going to be recording a drummer soon, and wanted to get some feedback on which Mic Pres are best with which Mics would be best on each part of the kit. I have: Mic Pres: 2 x Great River MP-500NV 2 x API 512c 4 x Apogee Ensemble 8 x Focusrite Saffire Pro40 Mics 1 x Shure SM7B 1 x AKG D112 1 x Sennheiser MD421 II 4 x Shure SM57 2 x Shure SM58 2 x Sennheiser E904 2 x Rode NT-5 1 x Shure Beta 87A Obviously, it will all depend on how things "sound" once all set up, but I think it's good to go in with a general sense of direction/plan, then adjust from there. So the plan I have so far is: 1. Kick - AKG D112 into GR MP-500NV 2. Kick - Sennheiser MD421 into API 512c 3. Snare (above) - Shure SM57 into API 512c 4. Snare (below) - Shure SM7B into GR MP-500NV 5. Rack Tom - Sennheiser E904 into Ensemble 6. Floor Tom - Sennheiser E904 into Ensemble 7. Overhead - Rode NT-5 into Ensemble 8. Overhead - Rode NT-5 into Ensemble Then a mix of SM57/58/87A as Room Mics spread around going into the Saffire. Also am not sure which of the 2 kick mics should be inside or outside? Thanks in advance for any thoughts

14th November 2009	#2
PepsiFX357 Gear addict Joined: Oct 2007 Location: Near Atlanta Posts: 352	In my opinion, I would go for: Kick - D112 - Apogee at the hole Snare top - SM57 - Apogee Snare Bot - SM57 - Focusrite Tom 1 - Rode NT5 - API Tom 2 - MD421 - API OH 1 - RodeNT5 - Great River OH 2 - RodeNT5 - Great River YMMV __________________ "That kick sounded like a turd hitting a trash can." "Ahh the power of the Guitar Center salesman over the adolescent teen wanting to be a rock star. Poor SAP." www.bencookemusic.com

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19th November 2009	#3
DannyL Gear maniac Joined: Aug 2009 Location: Sao Paulo Posts: 283	You may prefer the 421 over the D112 in the kick...it depends how much click you want. I use an SM58 quite often. I have also used a Beta 87 as a Kick mic from the beater side for a Jazz ensemble...be careful of spurious pedal noise from the kick and hat mechanisms. I often use a combination of an SM-7 and a Countryman Isomax on the kick. You can't go too far wrong using SM57's on the toms. Remember: less is more. The more mics you use the more phase issues you will need to resolve. I have had great results using just 4 or 6 mics on a kit: My main sound comes from the Overheads, panned hard L/R, (my perspective) with the other mics panned accordingly, and used just as presence. If you can get it right using just OH-L/OH-R and a little kick and snare you'll find the drums will mix themselves. This is of course just my opinion. Danny