Help me set up my Drum recording chain etc..

[Lerxst]

Preamble: I have been primarily using drum samples in my recordings and am looking to make the next big step to recording a full acoustic set. I currently have a home studio located where else, the basement, and have quickly figured out that a dead room isn’t always ideal, especially when it comes to drums. To the dismay of my wife, I have found that the first story family room has a fabulous sound with 20’ ceilings. So, the idea is to set the kit up there and run a snake to the basement.

What I need help/advise with is with some of the equipment, set up (i.e. using what mic’s and preamps where etc..), and some guidance before I go spend money on what I think I want.

Here is outboard gear I currently have to work with: (I have a total of 16 individual channels on my converters)

The Kit:(Mapex Pro-M)
Floor Toms (2): 16x16 – 18x16
Rack Toms(2): 10x9 – 13x10
Snare: Pork Pie little squealer
Kick: 24x18
Cymbals: Sabian AAX – 12”, 16”, 20”, and a 12” china
Hi Hats: Sabian AAX - 14”


Mic’s:
Beyer M300 (1) (no ideas)
Shure SM57 (3) (top/bottom snare?)
Shure SM58 (2) (Rack toms?)
Sennheiser MD421 (1) (Floor tom?)
AKG 414B XL 2 (1) (In front of kick?)
Rode K2 (1) (room mic?)
Superlux CM-H8A (1) (no ideas)
Audix D6 (1) (inside kick)

Preamps:
Onboard pres in my MOTU 896’s that I want to bypass, but there are sixteen if I wanted to use them – but I don’t.
UA LA-610 (pre/comp) (1) (no ideas)
Great River MP2NV (1) (overheads?)

Comp’s:
UA 1176LN (1) (room mic?)



Here is what I think I want to buy:

Mic’s:
Sennheiser MD421 (1) (other floor tom?)
Shure SM81LC (2) (overheads)

Preamps:
API 500VPR 10 slot (1)
API 512c (10) (everything but overheads?)

Other:
12x4 100’ snake (1) I have an old rapco snake, but I’m not sure of its sonic quality, so recommendations here are also welcome.

ALSO: Should I run the preamps up by the mic'd kit or at the other end of the snake by the converters?

Thanks,
~Steve

[SRS]

Steve,

I think you have a pretty good model going. I love the fact that you are using the living space and those 20 foot high ceilings to get drum sounds. Should work out in your favor. Don't worry about the others living in the house, they can deal! Just try a few different kit positions in the room.

The Mapex kit should sound nice and with a Pork Pie snare, seems you have a good foundation.

The SM57 on snare. Definitely a start, can't go wrong there. But you might wanna try an Audix i5, less than $100, or even that K2 on the snare. Not sure if the K2 will handle the SPLs, but from memory, I think it goes up around 150, so would surely handle the SPLs at that level.

Staying with the Audix theme (I love the Audix line for drums) you may wanna try a D4 or two on the floors. Use the 421 for rack tom(s).

I use a GR MP-2NV and keep it exclusively on the kick and snare. The OHs would be the next place I would strap it though. I want to get another and use it on OHs. Nice pre. I have a GR EQ-2NV and the kick and snare pass through it at all times too. Nice combo. The kick and snare also pass through their own Distressor as well, then through the converters. I pass my OHs through a Fatso too, sometimes just passing through, sometimes with some warmth dialed in (maybe 3 on the dial).

SM-81 on OHs... I think you can do better for sure. Look at the Josephson C42 mics. Bout $800 for a pair and are sweet mics for that price. Beautiful for OHs. Use the SM-81 on the HH if you need one there, or another room mic maybe...

I see API pres on the list. You will do well with those for drums, no doubt.

And lastly, I would run the pres near the converters. Will be a pain in the A for setting/adjusting levels, but will be anyway with a snake run.

Good luck. Hope to read some more on this adventure on GS soon! Post some sounds!

[Lerxst]

Hey thanks for the reply! I thought my questions might drown on the bit bucket. ;0

I'm going to take a closer look at the Josephsons, I have never used them, but from the little I've read they seem like good mic's. I will try out your suggestions once I get everytnig set up...

Originally Posted by SRS

And lastly, I would run the pres near the converters. Will be a pain in the A for setting/adjusting levels, but will be anyway with a snake run.

Thanks for this - Since this will be the longest run of cables for recording i've done, I wasn't sure if it made any technical/sonic dfference of where I put the pre's



I'll post results, but it won't be unitl after the first of the year - gotta wait to open those slutty Christmas presents (that just sounds wrong for some reason)

~Steve

[bgrotto]

Originally Posted by Lerxst

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ALSO: Should I run the preamps up by the mic'd kit or at the other end of the snake by the converters?

Thanks,
~Steve

It is actually better to leave the preamps nearer to the drum kit. Mic level signals are much "smaller" than line level, and thus more prone to signal loss and other gremlins.

As far as setting levels, all the preamps you've mentioned have built-in metering. As long as you're A/D is correctly calibrated, you can trust the meters on your preamps.

BTW, in both the case of the Great River and the APIs, you'll probably wanna run them pretty hot to get some transformer-y goodness (harmonic distortion), so cal your A/D to allow for pretty big signals on the input.

Good luck!