overhead drum micing

[bugoy]

Share naman po kayo mga sir techniques micing a drumset overhead ? ano ba dapat ?

1. uni directional microphones ? why use that ?
2. Large diapraghm ? and why ?
3. how about bass drum ? pde ba large diapraghm condenser mic ? diba masisira ?

[abyssinianson]

i use large dia. condensers for my overheads to capture the decay of my cymbals better. this choice really depends on the sound that you want because I have worked with small condensers before and they work fine but i preferred the open and airy sound of large diaphragms for overheads.

for bass/ kick drums, i use either a small condenser or a large diaphragm depending on where I find the sweet spot of the drum to be located, the type of wood the kick drum is made of, and what sound I am looking for. I also use, on average, 2 mics on the kick; one closer to the kick port hole, and one located further away to give me a "boomier" sound to mix in with the close mic.

[markthevirtuoso]

i use large dia. condensers for my overheads to capture the decay of my cymbals better. this choice really depends on the sound that you want because I have worked with small condensers before and they work fine but i preferred the open and airy sound of large diaphragms for overheads.

Parehas tayo sir Abyss, i favor LDC's more as i want the drumkit to sound more open and natural.

[markthevirtuoso]

Share naman po kayo mga sir techniques micing a drumset overhead ? ano ba dapat ?

1. uni directional microphones ? why use that ?
2. Large diapraghm ? and why ?
3. how about bass drum ? pde ba large diapraghm condenser mic ? diba masisira ?

1. Because, uni directional mics aim truly and directly to your sound source. Using these mics reduces capturing the acoustics of your room (especially useful when the room has poor acoustics).

2. LDC's give you a more open sounding kit. It depends on the sound you're looking for. On the other hand, SDC's sound more tighter since their diaphragms react faster thus giving you a "faster attack".

3. You can't go wrong with just one decent kick mic (eg. AKGD112, Shure Beta 52). But you may also want to experiment. To me, the best sounding Drumkick i ever recorded was done by using 3 mics for the kick. One dynamic inside the drum for the proximity effect and attack, one dynamic infront of the head to give me the punch and thud, and another one about less than a meter away out of the kick for capturing the "body".

Experiment, it's worth giving it a try.

[in_the_tent]

Pwede na na isang PG81 sa overhead? O pangit itutunog?

3pc setup lang kasi nasa isip ko in the future for our drumkit eh.

Shure Beta52-kick
Shure SM57-snare
Shure PG81-overhead

Ok na po ba to?

[abyssinianson]

you could use one mic as an overhead, there are no hard and fast rules, but if you want to properly represent the dimension of the cymbals and the characteristics of the drumset, the more accurate mics you have the better. usually, i have a pair of overheads and then another as a room mic siuated directly in front of the drum set.

[KitC]

Pwede na na isang PG81 sa overhead? O pangit itutunog?

3pc setup lang kasi nasa isip ko in the future for our drumkit eh.

Shure Beta52-kick
Shure SM57-snare
Shure PG81-overhead

Ok na po ba to?

IMO, try it. If it sounds good, then use it. You will experience a lack of a stereo field with a single OH but that didn't stop artists like the Beatles and George Martin.

Try going to Earthworks.com and order their DrumKit demo cd (it's free!). Their drum setup used 2 omni overheads and a single kick mic. It sounded surprisingly good and more natural, although tastes may vary.

[bugoy]

suppose gumamit ako ng 2 large diapraghm as overhead mics.. anong suggested taas niya from the ground or from the drums itself ?

[Blueberri]

Hi,

i too also use LDCs sa overheads...placement varies...depends on what you have to work with. in my case..dati gamit ko OH lang at kick mic..so i place the OH where it gets enough of the snare and tom, but now..may snare mic na ako...i moved it outwards so more of the hihat and crash ang nakukuha...i think its a round 1.5-2' from the crash (yung height).

sa kick, right now im using a cheap dynamic mic inside, and a DIY subkick sa labas...pretty decent sound and value considering the dynamic mic im using, and the cost of the subkick still costs less than the cheapest kick mic around...hehehe

[markthevirtuoso]

suppose gumamit ako ng 2 large diapraghm as overhead mics.. anong suggested taas niya from the ground or from the drums itself ?

The nearer the OHs to your source, the tighter the kit sounds. The farther, the more you'll get an open sound and thus the more it will capture room acoustics.

[TheHunter]

Try going to Earthworks.com and order their DrumKit demo cd (it's free!). Their drum setup used 2 omni overheads and a single kick mic. It sounded surprisingly good and more natural, although tastes may vary

.

Sounds interesting, btw where is the DrumKit demo cd. It seems the website is about martial arts.

[Lil' drummer]

pwede ba gumamit ng magkaibang overhead mic like?

PG81 and Samson C15; SDC and LDC combination anu ba magiging effect?

thanks!

[KitC]

Try going to Earthworks.com and order their DrumKit demo cd (it's free!). Their drum setup used 2 omni overheads and a single kick mic. It sounded surprisingly good and more natural, although tastes may vary

.

Sounds interesting, btw where is the DrumKit demo cd. It seems the website is about martial arts.

Didn't notice this post before. It's at Earthworksaudio.

[starfugger]

i also use two large diaphragm condensers.  these days i center the snare between the two mics, one being at the front right of the drums (near the ride), the other being at the rear left, above the drummers shoulder more or less.

one thing i do to visually check the phasing of the signals coming from both mics is by zooming in on the waveforms of the Left and Right signals

[BAMF]

The way I do it in my dry runs is to attach two small diaphragm condensers to a single stand in a Y  pointing to the far left and right of the drum kit. It gets a good stereo image, kinda simulating a person standing in front of the drum kit.

[Lil' drummer]

does jeff porcaro of toto used an OH for miking the toms

[mikep]

OH mics are normally SOP in getting the total drum sound aside from aiding in getting the sound of the crash and ride cymbals.  Toto would have used, I think, OH mics in their recordings.

FWIW

[Lil' drummer]

thanks sir mikep for elaborating the use of OH mic.. thanks again