Topic: Drum mic kits

[cybergaloot]

That's a lovely video. Nice work on the recording.

I thought the drum overheads looked a little high up to me, but I don't think that that it something that is audible on this recording.

Thanks on the compliment!

I too think the overheads are kind of high up. I've already added a section of gooseneck to lower them some. I bought a couple of boom arms at radio shack a year or so ago because they had them price stupid low. If I were to mount one to the ceiling pointing back and the other off the end of it pointing back forward then attach the gooseneck rig, that would make a height adjustable overhead setup. I also just bought two rolling overhead studio stands used (for a stupid low price as well!) and if been wondering how if I can do away with the bases and fit them into sockets on stage but out of the way. I dunno, I'll think about it some more. Adding another short section of gooseneck is probably the easiest solution and not permanent if it doesn't work out.

I have had a drummer reach up and smack one of the overhead mics hard with his stick. I felt like going up on stage, taking the stick away from him and driving it through his snare head while yelling "two of us can abuse gear!"

[kirk97132]

rule of thumb on OH is two drumstick lengths over the cymbals

[cybergaloot]

rule of thumb on OH is two drumstick lengths over the cymbals

So, somewhere between 30 to 34 inches.

[yousef]

I hope this doesn't descend into a 'my drumstick is longer than yours' argument.

Mine are 16". With a nylon tip 

[cybergaloot]

I hope this doesn't descend into a 'my drumstick is longer than yours' argument.

Mine are 16". With a nylon tip 

Ha! That makes you just average. I Googled it.

[yousef]

You be careful just what you're Googling for...

[cybergaloot]

You be careful just what you're Googling for...

I learned a long time ago to never search the Internet for "hand ball."

[Patrick]

Re hi-hat mics - would it be possible to use a dedicated hi-hat mic and channel to actually reduce the amount of hh heard in the mix, via altering the phase or some clever subtraction technique? Or am I just being stupidly optimistic? I mean, of course,  when mixing a recording, rather than in the room on the night.

I've played with this idea several times and it's never worked for me.  Never effective, always sounded worse than the original signal.  I wouldn't try it.

[kcmule]

I've never mic'd a hi-hat btw - the damned things seem louder than the rest of the kit put together...

Virtually every show I've ever multitracked, or recorded in general, has a mic on the hat.  Opening acts often get Kick, Snare, Overhead due to available channels on the console.  Some small rooms don't need it, but it's still nice to have for post production purposes.

[cybergaloot]

I've never mic'd a hi-hat btw - the damned things seem louder than the rest of the kit put together...

Virtually every show I've ever multitracked, or recorded in general, has a mic on the hat.  Opening acts often get Kick, Snare, Overhead due to available channels on the console.  Some small rooms don't need it, but it's still nice to have for post production purposes.

Some guys bash on a high hat like it was a crash cymbal but others can work it with a finesse that just begs for a mic. Now if we could just get rid of those damn Chinese cymbals that sound like the friggin' lid of a stew pot. I hate those things with a passion and most of the drummers I run into who have them use them way too much. Trashy sounding crap. Fortunately they seem to be fading in popularity.

[allan]

my live kit consists of:
kick - audix D6
snare - shure SM57
toms - sennheiser MD504 - aka e604 - these are fantastic - small with nice easy to use rim clips - great for guitar and bass as well
OH - nakamichi CM300

Studio kit:
kick - AKG D112
Snare top - Beyer M201 or Shure SM7
Snare bottom - shure SM57
rack toms - Sennheiser md421 or Beyer Soundstar X1
floor tom - Shure beta 52
OH - AKG C414
hat - Neumann KM184
room - Cascade Fat head

[yousef]

I've played with this idea several times and it's never worked for me.  Never effective, always sounded worse than the original signal.  I wouldn't try it.

It did sound too good to be true...

Interesting to hear other approaches to mic'ing a kit, especially the HH stuff. I often look at those crazy 10-cymbal, 6-tom, double bass drum and assorted percussion type kits and wonder where on earth you would start with all that...

[cybergaloot]

I've played with this idea several times and it's never worked for me.  Never effective, always sounded worse than the original signal.  I wouldn't try it.

It did sound too good to be true...

Interesting to hear other approaches to mic'ing a kit, especially the HH stuff. I often look at those crazy 10-cymbal, 6-tom, double bass drum and assorted percussion type kits and wonder where on earth you would start with all that...

Fortunately I'm a blues fan and most blues acts don't use kits like that. In fact when I see a drummer set up with more than four cymbals I wonder if they wandered into the wrong club.

[Patrick]

my live kit consists of:
kick - audix D6
snare - shure SM57
toms - sennheiser MD504 - aka e604 - these are fantastic - small with nice easy to use rim clips - great for guitar and bass as well
OH - nakamichi CM300

Studio kit:
kick - AKG D112
Snare top - Beyer M201 or Shure SM7
Snare bottom - shure SM57
rack toms - Sennheiser md421 or Beyer Soundstar X1
floor tom - Shure beta 52
OH - AKG C414
hat - Neumann KM184
room - Cascade Fat head

Solid choices all around.  Love the CM300's on overheads!  They've been my primary "taping" microphones for almost 10 years, but I rarely bring them out on rock stages finding them way too harsh for anything involving cymbals or drums.  I have used them in the studio on really muddy, thick metal guitar amps and it worked extremely well.