Drums
Drums can be a challenge to mic because of its large size and the variety of sounds the drum set can make. It is often helpful to break the drum set up into sections: overheads (cymbals), toms, snare drum, and kick drum.
Overheads are
almost always a pair of small diaphragm condenser mics. These type of mics are excellent for cymbals and can also be used as the base for the rest of the kit since they will also pick up the toms and snare drum.
The overheads can be placed close together in an XY configuration (
shown above). This configuration can be placed out in front of the drum set with the mics pointed at the drumset, or it can be place directly above the set with the mics pointing downward (but still in the XY position).
Another option for drum overheads is to space the mics out by putting one mic over towards the ride cymbal on the right side of the set and putting the other mic by the hi-hat on the other side of the set. I prefer this method and I try to get point the mics right at the ride and hihat and away from the crash cymbals. The crash cymbals are by far the loudest cymbals so they will be picked up clearly, but with good mic placement you can pick up a lot more of the ride and hihat without the crash cymbals over powering them. I like to do a lot of "fancy" stuff on the ride and hi-hat, so I always want these cymbals to be very clearly heard.
Toms are usually miked with dynamic mics but can also be miked with large diaphram condensers. The mics are usually placed just inches away from the drum head and out of the way so the drummer doesn't smack them while playing.... (I've done that on more than one occasion.
) Depending on how big the drum kit is and the gear you have available, you may be able to put a mic on each tom or you may have to use one mic in between two toms. I generally use the latter, I have 4 toms on my drumset and I like to place one mic in between the two high toms and one inbetween the two low toms.
Snare drum is pretty much always miked with a dynamic. As with the toms the mic is just inches away from the drum head and usually angled sideways just pointing down slightly.
Another thing I like to do on snare drum is to put a second mic on the bottom of the snare drum to mic the snares. Position the mic directly over the snares about an inch away and pointing straight up at the snares. Another option to do with the second mic is to point it at the side of the drum (pointing at the middle of the drum shell) for a warmer sound... I personally like doing the snare bottom, but this is another option to try.
Experimenting with placement and angle can make a big difference in sound though, so spend some time with it. The snare drum is a very important sound to get right (as well as the kick drum) and it is worth taking the time to get it right.
kick drum is usually miked up close with a dynamic mic. If there is a hole in the front drum head, then this mic can be used with a boom stand to position the mic inside the drum pointed at the spot (or just slightly off center) where the beater hits the drum head. Or you can stick the mic right at the hole in the drum head. If the front drum head is removed, then you can put the mic inside the drum right by the beater (as described above). If you can't put the mic inside the drum and there is no hole in the drum head, then you can put the mic on the outside drum head OR put the mic on the other side where the kick pedal is and mic the beater from the ouside instead of from inside the drum.
Another option is to add a large diaprham condenser and put if a few feet back in front of the bass drum (in addition to the dynamic mic up close to the drum). This will also pick up more of the drum set, but it can sound very good. You can even construct a "tunnel" out of couch cusions or even other drums that aren't being used exctend to extend the bass drum and block out the rest of the drumset. Since these mics will be different distances from the kick drum you may get some phasing problems. If so, then you will need to line them up in your recoding program.
I am a big fan of putting lots of mics on the drum set (I generally use 7 or 8 mics) because it offers a lot more options during mixing (this will however require a soundcard with 8 inputs). Also, just because you record it doesn’t mean you have to use it in the mix. If you later decide that you don’t need a couple of the mics (such as the tom mics) then you can mute them and not use them in the final mix. But it is always better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.
