00:00 In this episode we're going to focus on micing the drums with a 4 mic setup.
00:14 Before you start micing the drums, make sure the kit is tuned and free of buzzes and rattles.
00:20 You can tame unwanted ringing sounds with dampening products such as gaffer tape and
00:25 gel strips.
00:27 As we mentioned in a previous episode, the dynamic close drum mics we're going to be
00:30 using aren't going to pick up too much unwanted noise from the other instruments.
00:36 This is also known as mic spill or bleed.
00:39 This is because they'll be close to the loud sound sources of the kick drum and the
00:43 snare.
00:44 We'll be using condenser mics positioned overhead to capture the sound of the overall
00:49 kit, but inevitably they may be sensitive enough to pick up some of the guitar sounds
00:54 too.
00:55 There are numerous different setups for recording drums, but we're using 4 microphones for
01:00 this recording to show how to achieve a clean drum sound.
01:03 We're going to address the 2 overhead mics positioning first.
01:08 As mentioned before, these are the mics that capture more of the ambient, natural sound
01:12 of your drum kit being played in the room, and help produce a clearer cymbal sound.
01:18 Positioning our 2 overhead mics 6 feet above ground level and aimed down at the kit will
01:22 help create a balanced sound for our drums.
01:25 It's important that these 2 mics are equal distances from the kit to ensure the sound
01:30 from the drums hits them at the same time and avoids unwanted phasing.
01:35 As a rule of thumb to help with this, think 3 to 1.
01:40 If the mics are positioned 2 feet above the cymbals, make sure they are 6 feet apart.
01:46 You can monitor for mic phasing by having one signal in the monitor headphone mix and
01:50 then fading the second in.
01:52 The sound should remain full with plenty of bottom end as you do so.
01:56 If there's phasing between the 2 mics and the sounds are cancelling each other out, adjust
02:00 the positioning of the mics as necessary.
02:04 The batter head is the side of the kick drum which is hit, and as a general rule, the closer
02:09 your dynamic mic is positioned to the batter head, the more kick drum attack you'll get
02:13 from the sound.
02:15 Moving it further away from the batter head will give you a rounder sound.
02:19 We're using a pillow inside the kick drum as a muffler too, and this helps reduce unwanted
02:24 overtones.
02:25 There are specialist drum products available to do this too.
02:29 It's an optional method some players prefer to give a punchier, less boomy sound.
02:36 From the top of the snare, position the second drum dynamic mic a couple of inches above
02:41 and an inch from the edge of the snare.
02:44 Positioning here helps to retain the sound of the drumstick impacting the snare.
02:48 The further you move the mic away from this starting point, the more room, air ambience
02:52 and reverb you'll inevitably pick up.
02:56 The closer you go, the more bottom end you'll add.
03:00 Experiment to find the sound you feel is best for the recording, and make sure you feed
03:05 back info and guidance to the drummer as you do so.
03:09 For this session we're using an AKG mic kit, but a Shure SM57 is also a reliable, affordable
03:16 dynamic mic for snare, because it can handle the high sound pressure levels and mid-range
03:21 frequencies well.
03:24 Microphone spill from the hi-hat to the snare mic is a common problem with recording drums.
03:29 You can help address this by making sure any other cardioid dynamic mic for the snare is
03:34 directly facing away from the hi-hat.
03:37 More importantly, it might also be a matter of your drummer being more sensitive with
03:40 their hi-hat work to ensure it's not overly dominant.
03:44 Or even trying to move the hi-hat further away from the snare drum.
03:49 Remember to experiment to fine tune angles and make sure someone monitors the sound as
03:53 you go along.
03:55 Check the effects of each mic placement and feed back info to your drummer on how they
03:59 might need to change their performance approach.
04:02 Finally, it's important for the drummer, and indeed the band as a whole, to remember to
04:06 allow for the vocals in the dynamics of their performances.
04:11 Bands often respond to the vocal in their performances live, so play with those vocals
04:15 in mind, dropping down on certain sections to reflect the vocal lines.
04:19 We're going to be overdubbing the vocals in a separate session later.
04:23 (upbeat music)
04:26 [MUSIC PLAYING]
Comments