00:00In this episode we're going to focus on micing the drums with a 4 mic setup.
00:15Before you start micing the drums, make sure the kit is tuned and free of buzzes and rattles.
00:21You can tame unwanted ringing sounds with dampening products such as gaffer tape and
00:25gel strips.
00:27As we mentioned in a previous episode, the dynamic close drum mics we're going to be
00:31using aren't going to pick up too much unwanted noise from the other instruments.
00:36This is also known as mic spill or bleed.
00:39This is because they'll be close to the loud sound sources of the kick drum and the
00:43snare.
00:44We'll be using condenser mics positioned overhead to capture the sound of the overall
00:49kit, but inevitably they may be sensitive enough to pick up some of the guitar sounds
00:54too.
00:56There are numerous different setups for recording drums, but we're using 4 microphones for
01:00this recording to show how to achieve a clean drum sound.
01:03We're going to address the 2 overhead mics positioning first.
01:08As mentioned before, these are the mics that capture more of the ambient, natural sound
01:12of your drum kit being played in the room, and help produce a clearer cymbal sound.
01:18Positioning our 2 overhead mics 6 feet above ground level and aimed down at the kit will
01:22help create a balanced sound for our drums.
01:26It's important that these 2 mics are equal distances from the kit to ensure the sound
01:30from the drums hits them at the same time and avoids unwanted phasing.
01:36As a rule of thumb to help with this, think 3 to 1.
01:40If the mics are positioned 2 feet above the cymbals, make sure they are 6 feet apart.
01:46You can monitor for mic phasing by having one signal in the monitor headphone mix and
01:50then fading the second in.
01:52The sound should remain full with plenty of bottom end as you do so.
01:56If there's phasing between the 2 mics and the sounds are cancelling each other out,
02:00adjust the positioning of the mics as necessary.
02:04The batter head is the side of the kick drum which is hit, and as a general rule, the closer
02:09your dynamic mic is positioned to the batter head, the more kick drum attack you'll get
02:13from the sound.
02:15Moving it further away from the batter head will give you a rounder sound.
02:19We're using a pillow inside the kick drum as a muffler too, and this helps reduce unwanted
02:24overtones.
02:25There are specialist drum products available to do this too.
02:30It's an optional method some players prefer to give a punchier, less boomy sound.
02:36From the top of the snare, position the second drum dynamic mic a couple of inches above
02:41and an inch from the edge of the snare.
02:44Positioning here helps to retain the sound of the drumstick impacting the snare.
02:49The further you move the mic away from this starting point, the more room, air ambience
02:53and reverb you'll inevitably pick up.
02:56The closer you go, the more bottom end you'll add.
03:01Experiment to find the sound you feel is best for the recording, and make sure you feed
03:05back info and guidance to the drummer as you do so.
03:10For this session we're using an AKG mic kit, but a Shure SM57 is also a reliable, affordable
03:16dynamic mic for snare, because it can handle the high sound pressure levels and mid-range
03:21frequencies well.
03:24Microphone spill from the hi-hat to the snare mic is a common problem with recording drums.
03:29You can help address this by making sure any other cardioid dynamic mic for the snare is
03:34directly facing away from the hi-hat.
03:37More importantly, it might also be a matter of your drummer being more sensitive with
03:41their hi-hat work to ensure it's not overly dominant.
03:45Or even trying to move the hi-hat further away from the snare drum.
03:49Remember to experiment to fine-tune angles, and make sure someone monitors the sound as
03:53you go along.
03:55Check the effects of each mic placement, and feed back info to your drummer on how they
04:00might need to change their performance approach.
04:02Finally, it's important for the drummer, and indeed the band as a whole, to remember to
04:07allow for the vocals in the dynamics of their performances.
04:11Bands often respond to the vocal in their performances live, so play with those vocals
04:15in mind, dropping down on certain sections to reflect the vocal lines.
04:20We're going to be overdubbing the vocals in a separate session later.
