Drum mics?

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by thesilentdrummer

My setup:

Sm57 on snare
Audix D6 on Kick
Shure PG57 on toms (x3)
No OH's at this time/this recording


The name of the game is tuning. Then comes mic placement, the mic choice. Tune up your drums good. Listen to the recorded sound, and move the mics accordingly.

If you have to "fix it in the mix", you are failing as a drummer. The drums need to sound good where ever you record them or you're screwed. Raw drum tracks, with exception of maybe the kick, should sound pretty usable in a final mix. However, things like compression, limiting, and EQ should be used to make the drums sound better if necessary/possible.

I'm sooooooo bad at tuning drums!!! I saw these pressure sensor tuners at MF for like $70 I was thinking about getting...has anyone used them before? Is it worth the purchase?
I like the sound you are getting, that kick is impressive and big. Did you record inside the bass drum?

[Newsboy]

Also, I notice nobody is talking about the kits being used...does that not have as much tonal significance as, say, the type of amp and speaker cab used in a guitar setup?
I suppose a crappy set sounds better tuned than a detuned top-end kit but is there any real quality issues with the kit being used for recording?

And by the way my kit is a Yamaha Stage Custom with Zildjian ZBT pro 16" crash and 20" ride, Paste PST-5 10" splash and Zildjian Scimitar 14" hats.

[thesilentdrummer]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

I'm sooooooo bad at tuning drums!!!

http://www.menet.umn.edu/~kgeisler/Tuning.pdf <=Best
Drum Tuning Bible <=Another Good One

Read through those. Hopefully it helps. The biggest thing to understand is that if it sounds good, it is good. Tweak the tuning to get it to sound right, but try to keep equal tension.

I saw these pressure sensor tuners at MF for like $70 I was thinking about getting...has anyone used them before? Is it worth the purchase?

Um, I am not sure its worth $70. There are other things on my list ahead of a pressure sensor. I think it is good to make sure the tension is even, and since it gives a numerical reading, it can give you a real number that you can aim towards to re-tune. I dunno though.

I like the sound you are getting, that kick is impressive and big. Did you record inside the bass drum?

Yes, inside drum about 8 inches from from the head, off-center.

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Also, I notice nobody is talking about the kits being used...does that not have as much tonal significance as, say, the type of amp and speaker cab used in a guitar setup?
I suppose a crappy set sounds better tuned than a detuned top-end kit but is there any real quality issues with the kit being used for recording?

In my experience, the type of set hasn't made nearly as big a difference as things like tuning and replacing old drum heads.

And by the way my kit is a Yamaha Stage Custom with Zildjian ZBT pro 16" crash and 20" ride, Paste PST-5 10" splash and Zildjian Scimitar 14" hats.

I have almost the exact same setup.

[engineroom]

Kick- AKG D112
Toms- Sennheiser 421 MD IIs
Snare- Shure 57 or Shure 57 beta
Overheads- Rode NT5s

I have used an Audix kick mic which I borrowed from a friend in the past as well as Sure 57s on the higher toms... I here the Shure Drum mic package is decent if thats what your looking for.

A while ago an engineer I respect told me to borrow mics from people as long as possible... try out as many configurations and types of microphones you can and then start to buy your own. Great advice I think!

I also must concur with whoever mentioned tuning. This is HUGE... I even have a friend who is a drum tuning genius come out to tune my bands' drums before tracking.

[Ryan D]

Oh man, engineroom. I'm jealous! The 412s are incredible microphones. Expensive, but worth the extra money.

I'm going to look into tuning more, my toms, which desperately need new heads, could make great use out of some high-quality tuning jobs.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by engineroom

Kick- AKG D112
Toms- Sennheiser 421 MD IIs
Snare- Shure 57 or Shure 57 beta
Overheads- Rode NT5s

I have used an Audix kick mic which I borrowed from a friend in the past as well as Sure 57s on the higher toms... I here the Shure Drum mic package is decent if thats what your looking for.

A while ago an engineer I respect told me to borrow mics from people as long as possible... try out as many configurations and types of microphones you can and then start to buy your own. Great advice I think!

I also must concur with whoever mentioned tuning. This is HUGE... I even have a friend who is a drum tuning genius come out to tune my bands' drums before tracking.

I am trying to look up those Seinnheiser tom mics of yours...MF doesn't seem to have them. Are they older model mics?

[Ryan D]

I think he said the name a little out of order. It gets confusing when there are like 5 subtitles for one product, but here you go.

Buy Sennheiser MD421 MKII U4 Mic online at Musician's Friend

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by Ryan D

I think he said the name a little out of order. It gets confusing when there are like 5 subtitles for one product, but here you go.

Buy Sennheiser MD421 MKII U4 Mic online at Musician's Friend

I was looking under "percussion" microphones...wow, three of those would set me back a pretty penny!

[Ryan D]

Yeah, their price is quite staggering. They're basically SM57's on steroids or something, I think 57's would do the same job for a quarter of the price. It all depends, I guess.

(Hell, I got a pack of 3 cardioids for $20 and they do a decent job)

[ferguson66]

Ya, I don't think I could ever pay that much for a tom mic. Maybe if I just couldn't get my toms to sound decent but I have some relatively cheap mics on my toms and they sound fine.