drum question

ferdi

ok, my main band has been asked to put together a demo EP for some big shot rock radio station in the US, we'll be getting in done properly but for now we just gonna us an 8-track.

question is, whats the best way to mic up drums????

we've got the vocals, guitars and bass fine but the drums are such a bitch to do.

any suggestions???

PS. yes, i know this has probably been asked on here a million times before

jebusmusic

It'd mainly depend on what mics uve got, i.e. what type, make, quality etc, and also how many mics you have and how many tracks you can use.
The ideal set up would be firstly 5 mics, one each for bass drum, snare and hi-hats, 2 overheads for the cymbals, and you also then have 2 or 3 (or maybe more!) mics for the rack and floor toms, one mic for each.

Examples of mics to use for the bass drum would be the AKG D-112 or the Sennheiser 421.
Snare, maybe a Shure SM-57.
Hi-hats mic can vary, depends on the sound you want.
For the overhead mics a Shure SM81 is good but generally just a good condenser mic will do the job.
For the rack toms, clip on mics are the best (if you have them) as you tend to get a sweeter sound than if your using a regular mic.

If you're using an 8 track then you should be able to use a good number of mics and tracks, especially if you're gonna record the drums on their own! (Recommended!)

Anyway, thats my 2 cents, check out http://homerecording.about.com/library/htdrumkit.htm for some real handy tips and stuff.

Post up links to the tracks if you get em done, it'd be nice to hear em!

Doctor J

Depends on how many tracks your 8-track can record simoultaneously...

If it's a Boss BR8, then you can only do 2 at a time, so you're probably better off using another mixer (like a PA mixer) to record as many of the drums as possible and mix the drums on the PA, then use the stereo line-outs into the 8 track. The bass drum will need a mic of it's own, but you can do the rest by sharing mics (eg - hi-hat & snare). Have a look at live footage of bands from the late 60's early 70's to see about mic placement using only 3 mics. When you do it this way, make sure you don't have the cymbols too loud because they'll cut yer head off when everything else is mixed (you won't be able to change their volume afterwards, other than by EQ-ing). The bass and guitars will share frequencies with the bass drum and toms, but the cymbols have their own space, so don't overdo it. You may need to record the drums a few times to find levels that'll work. Good luck.