00:00 [Music]
00:09 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 gel strips.
00:27 As we mentioned in a previous episode, the dynamic close drum mics we're going to be using
00:32 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 snare.
00:45 We'll be using condenser mics positioned overhead to capture the sound of the overall kit,
00:50 but inevitably they may be sensitive enough to pick up some of the guitar sounds too.
00:56 There are numerous different setups for recording drums,
00:59 but we're using 4 microphones for this recording to show how to achieve a clean drum sound.
01:04 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 of your drum kit being played in the room
01:15 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
01:23 will help create a balanced sound for our drums.
01:26 It's important that these 2 mics are equal distances from the kit
01:30 to ensure the sound from the drums hits them at the same time and avoids unwanted phasing.
01:36 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 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 the positioning of the mics as necessary.
02:04 The batter head is the side of the kick drum which is hit,
02:07 and as a general rule, the closer your dynamic mic is positioned to the batter head,
02:12 the more kick drum attack you'll get 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 overtones.
02:26 There are specialist drum products available to do this too.
02:30 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 and an inch from the edge of the snare.
02:43 Positioning here helps to retain the sound of the drumstick impacting the snare.
02:49 The further you move the mic away from this starting point, the more room, air ambience 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,
03:04 and make sure you feed back info and guidance to the drummer as you do so.
03:09 For this session we're using an AKG mic kit,
03:13 but a Shure SM57 is also a reliable, affordable dynamic mic for snare,
03:18 because it can handle the high sound pressure levels and mid-range frequencies well.
03:23 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 directly facing away from the hi-hat.
03:37 More importantly, it might also be a matter of your drummer being more sensitive with their hi-hat work to ensure it's not overly dominant,
03:45 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 you go along.
03:55 Check the effects of each mic placement and feed back info to your drummer on how they might need to change their performance approach.
04:03 Finally, it's important for the drummer, and indeed the band as a whole, to remember to allow for the vocals in the dynamics of their performances.
04:10 Musicians often respond to the vocal in their performances live, so play with those vocals in mind,
04:16 dropping down on certain sections to reflect the vocal lines.
04:20 We're going to be overdubbing the vocals in a separate session later.
04:25 (upbeat music)
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