Recording brazilian percussion piece by piece, hoping to use just one mic, advice??

[kittyboy]

I've got an excellent brazilian percussionist coming over tomorrow and we'll be building a full percussion section piece by piece (up to 8 pieces I'd guess) for a couple different songs.

Drums will range from a small surdo (which is a bass drum, sort of large floor tom size, deep frequencies) up through medium hand drums all the way to triangle. Is there a mic I can setup and use for everything and still get great results? I'd rather not swap mics and pres all day if I don't have to. Here's what's in the locker:


Avenson ST0-2 Omni (pair)
AKG 414
Lawson 47
Peluso cemc6 pair
AT 4033
Beta 57
Peulso P12

Pre flavors are Pacifica, Hamptone Tube Pre, and the onboard pres in my Metric Halo 2882.

The room is treated with bass traps and sounds pretty good, but not great I'd say. I also have an SE reflexion filter.

So....
What would you suggest?

All advice much appreciated...

[tmcconnell]

I'd use the 414. I have, or have had all these mics except the Avenson.

I would try the 414 in fig 8 if the room is ok. That will give you lots of options. fig 8 can "reach" inside the drum - and the off axis (room sounds) will sound like the room rather than a colored version of the room, as you might get with a cheaper cardioid.

The Lawson would be my second choice and would be my first except that you will be stacking up a lot of tracks and the tube noise will add up. I love my 414 for Toms or overheads. I never liked my Pelusos much - esp the P12 sounded really hissy on drums. I sold them all. You might consider doing all the tracks with the Beta 57 close or on/in the head and the 414 a little further back - and that might give you some options at mix time for more oomph - be careful with phase.

The hamptone would be the most interesting pre for drums imo. The tubes will clip in a friendly way and small percussion is famous for fast transients. I've heard cheap condensers go bonkers with a triangle.

Use the tube pre with the akg to mellow it a bit, and the pacifica with the beta 58.

[kittyboy]

Great answer, thanks. I'd thought the 414 might be a good choice, but hadn't thought seriously about the hamptone--but I think you're right about taming the transients. The 414 is an XLS, btw.


The session has been moved back a couple days, so continued replies would be appreciated.


Also, I've been thinking about adding an SM7B to the locker--would that be a good choice for this application?

[Zep Dude]

I'd strongly recommend putting up a room mic, maybe the Lawson, in addition to your close mic. If you're trying to create an ensemble effect, having just close mic will not get the sound you're looking for. Close mic'd hand drums, especially going direct to digital can get very small sounding very easily. The room sound helps to define the full sound of the drum. 5 or 6 feet away even in a small room will make a big difference.

You always end up adding high end to hand drums when it comes to mixing so given the choices the 414 might be good. Although, I've had a great success with C12, C24's and if your Peluso is a faithful replica, it might be a good choice. A tube mic will give you more mid range punch and your 414 and 4033 will have the high end but not as much beef. That's why I like the C12 -it has high end and also beef.

Mic positioning is important with ethnic instruments -take a bit of time to listen to each drum and have someone move the mic around while you listen. You can do this fairly quickly while the player is practicing his part. A few inches can make a huge difference. Also, ask the player where the sweet spot is for each instrument. If he's done recording, he'll already know the general area.

Humidity is the enemy of animal skins. If you are suspecting a humid day, have a dehumidifier running before the session and during breaks.

Have fun!

[Recording David]

Have a look at this excellent article on the subject...

Recording Latin Percussion