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Topic: here is how you record drums.... |
David Mitchell
From:
Tyler, Texas
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Posted 31 Oct 2016 4:24 pm |
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| I bought a pair of 603's too and recorded one of the best sounds ever on acoustic guitar. Why does everything have to sound like a Neumann? Up until about 1995 I would say high dollar mics were much better but today that gap has closed considerably and in many cases not worth the extra money unless you are there to satisfy the biggest artist. |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 1 Nov 2016 7:27 pm
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Back to drum sounds:
I am a big fan of using a mid side recording set up to get the basic sound of the kit in a big enough room. I put it at about 5 feet high and about 8 feet from the kit(in front of it). The mics were an AKG 414 and Royer 121. I have my mixing guy start with that sound and enhance it a little with the other mics in there more standard positions. We could have gotten away with just the 2 mics doing mid side though.
On the last recording I did like that the drummer said it was the best he ever sounded.
BTW: Those Neumann K184's are amazing mics.
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Bob |
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Duane Reese
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Posted 11 Jul 2017 9:29 pm
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Q: How do you record drums?
A: Any way you want.
I've had good success with the following selection:
- Small diaphragm condensers X-Y overhead (I use SM81)
- Small diaphragm condenser on the hihat, pointing straight down on the outer edge (so as to avoid chuff air)
- SM57 on toms
- SM57 on the snare, facing directly away from the hat as much as possible
- Audix D6 on the kick, usually in a hole in the resonant head
It's simple but effective – works every time.
I haven't done anything with drums in a while, but if I did, I think I'd try doing it one drum at a time alongside midi programing...and yes, there will be naysayers (there always are) but I don't care because they also say that you can't do punch-ins and no drummer can follow a click...but I've done both and it worked well.
Here's my advice for monitoring: if your drummer doesn't have really good monitors that block out sound, I'll say that the best headphones I've ever used for this kind of thing are those race track headphones that double as hearing protection – like the old aircraft-style ones... I used to have a pair that were from Radio Shack and since it was a 3.5mm mono connection, you need and adapter, but it was still great. These look similar; I am not endorsing this particular product, but it's that kind anyway. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 12 Jul 2017 10:35 am
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I imagine that most members are familiar with the overhead mic in Bill's photo of Ringo - if not it's an STC 4038 ribbon (or PGS in BBC oldspeak). I have used them a lot in the past and although they have obvious limitations, they have some surprising benefits.
But more interesting to me is the mic on the lower part of the kit. I couldn't remember the number so I had to look it up. It's a 4033A which was obsolete by the time I arrived at the Beeb in '73, but I found one lying in a box and an older colleague enlightened me. It was the multi-pattern mic before twin-diaphragm condensers came along. It contains an omnidirectional dynamic unit and a ribbon, selected by a 3-position switch. If you choose both it becomes a cardioid. My guess is that that's how it's being used in the photo.
For a closer look see http://www.coutant.org/stc4033/
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Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Duane Reese
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Posted 16 Jul 2017 8:19 pm
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Speaking of ribbon mics and overheads, a friend of mine is considering this..
http://royerlabs.com/sf-24-3/
It will be interesting to see how that goes if he gets it. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 19 Jul 2017 4:06 am
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That should give really good imaging. A ribbon is intrinsically figure-of-8 whereas a double-diaphragm condenser is a bit of a fudge.
The reason you can't use 4038s in that configuration is that the magnets are so massive you can't get them within a foot of each other without them clanging together. Then they're coincident, sure, but not capable of fine adjustment... 
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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