Drum Recording - Room Mics

[mindundermatter]

I don't like room mics. I find myself not using them in mixes, so I pretty much don't record with them any more.

[brandondrury]

I don't like room mics.

Give us some context. What kind of music are you doing? What kind of rooms are you recording in?

Brandon

[rockerdude]

Here is a three part post. The first clip Is the drums with my room mic only, then the drums close miced without the room mic which sounds kinda dry to me then the last one is the drums with the room mic added into the mix.
The drum tracks are raw with no compression,console eq or any effects.
I think the room mic added in adds some nice big ambience to the drums.
The big room is 30'x50' with 20' vaulted celings.
The room mic was a Blue baby bottle through a Robbie mic pre.
I am not a drummer!LOL......[ATTACH]

[paul999]

So here are a few clips of a band I am currently working with. They are called Alice White. I recorded the drums in the "big room in my studio" 3500sq feet. As of today the mixing is just beginning.

I used a decca tree of 414's about 30 feet away for room mic's.

The clips include
1.decca tree only
2.drums without room mic's
3. mix of both 1&2 that I used in rough recording
4. rough unfinished song (It's pretty tubby and loud so careful with your monitors.)

I will include the final mix when I am finished.

There is no compression on the decca tree yet and no eq either.

[rockerdude]

Sounds pretty good.Dude should have tuned his kit better, kik sounds tuned a little high to me.snare sounds crappy,I guess thats what drumagog is for....LOL....Check out my Room mic drum test on here it's in the audio engineering section under "Room mic Drums"I just posted a new one today.I like the room mic sound blended in with the close miced kit.

[mindundermatter]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

Give us some context. What kind of music are you doing? What kind of rooms are you recording in?

Brandon

The two main studios I was working in (when I came to be of this opinion), one had a main tracking room with 20' ceiling and no parallel walls, a separate 'drum room' that with windows and doors to the main tracking room, and another smaller room for vocals/guitars. I tracked drums in both the drum room and the main tracking room there several times. The other studio was a 2500 sq ft room, also with 20' ceiling. It also had floating wood floors. I was recording mostly alternative rock, but also a few metal bands, some southern rock, and one countryish band. I'd post some clips, but I'm on vacation right now.

[rockerdude]

Here is a new one I did today.......These are raw with nothing on em.....Organic drums.[ATTACH]6452

[paul999]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by rockerdude

Sounds pretty good.Dude should have tuned his kit better, kik sounds tuned a little high to me.snare sounds crappy,I guess thats what drumagog is for....LOL....Check out my Room mic drum test on here it's in the audio engineering section under "Room mic Drums"I just posted a new one today.I like the room mic sound blended in with the close miced kit.

I agree the kick is odd sounding. I will need to investigate because it wasn't tuned high. The kick is a combo of a 57 for the beater and a sub kick mic on the resonant side. I personally love the snare in the mix but not so much for the roll part.( not enough bottom mic for a start ).

rockerdude


Here is a new one I did today.......These are raw with nothing on em.....Organic drums.

Your drums sound good the rototom's or high tom disappears. At times things sound a little oddly gated. I would love to hear them after you prepare them for a mix.

In general the problems I have had with room mic's is that when they sound crappy and mono with too much low-mid range are as follows.

1. Once you compress these the offending frequencies get worse. Buy the time you dig out these frequencies you end up with not much left over, cymbals if you are lucky.

2. Reverb is by nature one of the most stereo/ surround sounds created naturally and summing it too mono destroys the "source".

[rockerdude]

Those are small tibale drums that kinda sound rotoish and there were no mics on them, So after your close observation I will mic them in the future, so thanks for that Paul666.I tried two room mics but that sound wasen't very good.I guess the room is too big and the mics were 20' from the kit.I honestly think my raw drum tracks sound a smidge better, with more clarity than what you posted Paul999 and these were raw.My snare is crackin.....LOL

[paul999]

=rockerdude;124955]I tried two room mics but that sound wasen't very good

What mic's are you using for room mic's?

I guess the room is too big and the mics were 20' from the kit.

My Decca tree was at least 30 ft from the kit and the room was 3500sqft

I honestly think my raw drum tracks sound a smidge better, with more clarity than what you posted Paul999 and these were raw.My snare is crackin.....LOL

Well my dad can beat up your dad

Cheers