drum recording challenge

[bflat]

Hi all,
I have been enlisted by some friends in a band to help them record.i have some experience with computer-based recording,but i have a technical problem .The band has a rehersal/recording space, a large drum set and Pro Tool LE with the 2-channel M-box.They want to record a multi-track demo (vs. live),but i'm limited to the 2 channels.So the challenge is the drums.(8 mics)
my idea is to do a basic mix on a hardware mixer,then pan low freq.s(kick.toms) left,CH 1and higher freqs (snare,cymbals,overhead )right CH 2
That way i can compress/limit/EQ the 2 frequency groups separately.While a compromise,it seems the best way to use compression ,etc on the drums.
Then combine the 2 tracks, i'm thinking?
Any ideas,except buying more channels(looks very expensive on PT) appreciated.
Do you think this would yield a better result than a stereo drum track thru a multiband compressor?
Any recommendations on multi-band compressors?
Any other ideas? i'd love to hear from others who have faced this task.
Thanks,all
bflat

[Musimedia]

I think what matters most is the sound you are after. What does the song or music type calls for.

If you have a usable room, a good sounding and well tuned drum kit and a descent drummer to start with, you have 80% of your challenge covered.
Next is to decide the sound you are going for. Here are a few setups I have and still use:

1 Mic in mono, if well placed in front of the kit can be magical!
Placement : in front, about 4-6 feet from the kit, 4-6 feet up pointing at the snare. (angled at about 45 deg towards the snare)

2 mics, panned +/- 70%
Placement: same as above, one pointing at the Ride, One pointing at the hi-hat.

2 mics, 1 overhead one kick
Placement: kick : experiment (inside, outside, front and back skins)
Overhead: behind drummer, 4-6 feet high, experiment with placement.


Multiple mics summed in mixer - Stereo Mix
Usual placements, 2 overheads, 1 kick, snare top (or bottom if overhead mics catch enough top), toms. Floor …
(Try 1 mic between two toms and keep one as a ROOM mic….)

Multiple mics summed in mixer - Mono mix.
Placement: Same as above but with the ROOM mic on a channel and all other mics on the other channel… allows for a more or less room ambiance mix later. (and a bit of a stereo effect if wanted!!)

As with all micking situation, watch out for the PHASE… since you will probably be summing all to 2 channel, phase correction will be imposible after fact if the inputs are summed to 2 tracks.

And my number one tip : the drum must sound great by itself in that room… it makes a great recording possible!

Have fun and let us know how it went !

Michel.

[bflat]

Wow,Thanks,Michel
Great tips! just the info i was looking for.i'll start tonite,i'll let you know how it comes out
b

[zildjohn01]

if you're after the "compressed" sound, you could send kick, snare, and maybe toms to ch1, and OH's and room to ch2. Compress each to taste.

[brandondrury]

my idea is to do a basic mix on a hardware mixer,then pan low freq.s(kick.toms) left,CH 1and higher freqs (snare,cymbals,overhead )right CH 2
That way i can compress/limit/EQ the 2 frequency groups separately.While a compromise,it seems the best way to use compression ,etc on the drums.

Good try, but I would't do it. The reason I say this is because you can always split a track after the fact by frequencies using a crossover or simple EQ filters. A multi-band compressor does this automatically (not that I recommend using those often).

Do you think this would yield a better result than a stereo drum track thru a multiband compressor?

No.

Any recommendations on multi-band compressors?

The best multi-band compressor is the one you don't use. It sounds like you are really wound up about these. They help reduce engineering mistakes, but that's about the extent of it. They won't do miracles. In the wrong hands they are violently destructive.

I've recorded drums with a single mic that no one knew the difference. It can be done. With the right mic, room, drummer, and desired sound you can pull it off fairly well.

If the drum sound required close micing, your best best is to get a mixer and submix on the way in. This is not the preferred way of working.

Too bad you've got Pro Tools. A $400 Firepod would solve the problem.

[bflat]

Thanks for the input ,Brandon
this was one of those situations where i couldn't change the room,drummer,kit.mics or anything.i've never recorded a real kit,just used samples and vsts for drums
i ended up with a board mix to a mono track,i'll post it
i agree about the protools-my first use of this hearlded platform.Didn't like it-very counter-intuitive,didn't sound that good to me-difficult to move around.
i use Sonar 7 and record at 96/64.i think that m-box is 44.1 only.
b

[brandondrury]

This is a very lo-fi drum sound. It's doesn't have any air on top to speak of and it doesn't have impact. I'd want all of these things.

i use Sonar 7 and record at 96/64.i think that m-box is 44.1 only

I think the benefits of 96k are moot at this point. You've got some big fish to fry before this kind of thing is important.

Brandon

[bflat]

i agree you cant hear it here-i've got some real challenges.i'm still struggling with these tracks- i have appreciated the difference on an acoustic project i did-with mogamis to keep the headroom high-besides i least want the option!
b

[brandondrury]

So is this how the drums came stock or did you manipulate them. Usually the synths sound a bit too pretty.

Brandon

[bflat]

the drum track above? its a basic mix -Synths?-you mean @96/24?