Drum recording with one mic

[Almogbianchi]

Hey guys, I just got into the world of drum recording and I am overwhelmed with the huge array of microphones available at my price point..
My question to you is: what do you think is the best single microphone for recording drums at the 200 - 300 use price range?
Thanks all!

[Hugh Robjohns]

To record a drum kit with a single mic you're going to need a remarkably good-sounding room with scope to change the acoustics to suit the tracks you're working on!

Perhaps that's not what you mean, or your intention, though...

There are lots of different styles of music, with a similar number of styles of drum sound, and associated mic techniques to record those drums. In broad terms, I would adopt a completely different mic setup to record drums in a jazz performance compared to rock, or pop, or whatever... Different expectations, requirements, and perceptions...

In general, unless the recording space sounds really good, the practical necessity is often to exclude as much room sound as possible, and that means close-miking the individual drums, combined with low-ish overheads to capture the metalwork. In a better-sounding space, or for simpler music styles, you might get away with two or three mics (a kick and one or two overheads). The Glyn Johns four-mic technique is a popular classic... but it relies on a good room and a great drummer!

So.. perhaps you should tell us about your room, your kit, your aims, and your budget, so the good folk here can offer the appropriate advice.

H

[Almogbianchi]

My room has been well treated and I intend to use three mics - a snare, bass and overhead

[Hugh Robjohns]

Thanks... but I'm not sure that's really moved us very far forward -- the options are still legion. Does well-treated mean dead but neutral? Or over-damped and unbalanced? Or does it mean bright and smoothly reverberant in the traditional drum room style?

Depending on style and requirements, you could go with something like an Audix D6, AKG D112, Electrovoice RE20, or even a Neumann U47Fet on the kick drum... or any of a dozen other workable alternatives.

Snare could be the ubiquitous Shure SM57, the vintage AKG C451, or countless other compact dynamic or capacitor mics.

Likewise the overhead could be pretty much any large diaphragm capacitor mic, small diaphragm capacitor mic, or ribbon...

Budget, musical style, type of kit, and sonic expectations are all going to influence the choices, but you're not giving anyone much to work with here.

H

[Richard Graham]

My room has been well treated and I intend to use three mics - a snare, bass and overhead

Hello mate. I'm not as savvy as Hugh but I am a drummer and I have recorded my drums using just a few mics in a fairly poor room, with what I consider to be decent results (for my own purposes).

In my opinion, close miking is not the way to go, even in an untreated room - except for the kick drum, which needs its own mike.

Also in my opinion, you don't need a snare mic. Opt for a pair of overheads instead. I recorded my kit last night using 4 mics (kick, snare and 2 overheads), and ended up discarding the snare track, not because it sounded bad (it didn't), but because the snare was loud enough in the overheads.

You might get away with a single overhead but that's going to depend on the size of the kit, the polar patten of the mic (how "tight" it is), and the distance of the mic to the kit (further away will pick up the kit more evenly, at the expense of more room sound leaking in, closer up will bring up the level of whatever you've pointed the mic at) - I used to use a 57 as an overhead and point it more or less at the snare - you can adjust it's "focus" - i.e. how much it favours the snare by changing the height of the mic.

My suggestion would be to get the overhead(s) (in cardioid mode) in as close to the kit as you can, left and right, without a) risking the drummer hitting them or b) causing the balance to shift too much to any one drum (you can use this to your advantage though if you want to emphasise 1 part of the kit).

When mixing, you can EQ the overheads to bring out the right balance of cymbals/toms/snare.

Budget-wise I would get a cheap kick drum mic and as good a pair of overheads as possible, preferably ones with an adjustable polar pattern to max out your options. If you can get by with one overhead, even better - chuck twice the money at it and get the best one you can!

As Hugh says, a lot of what you do will depend on what style of music you are recording, how the drummer plays, and on the kit and cymbals. I play various styles of classic rock (ZZ Top/Black Sabbath/60s Garage/Indie/Glam) - and what I've described works for me.

[Richard Graham]

I notice you are asking about a single microphone, but you say you'll be using three.

Which mics do you already have?

If you already have a bass drum mic, on your budget of $200-$300 I'd be looking at one or two of these, described around these parts as a "poor man's C414": i.e. multi-pattern condenser mic that makes a perfect overhead as well as being useful elsewhere.
https://www.amazon.com/CAD-M179-Variabl ... B0002D0N70

If you can get two M179s for your $300 by going secondhand, do it.

If you are looking for a decent-sounding kick mic for a budget price, these are good:
http://www.terralec.co.uk/microphones/j ... mkQAvD_BwE
I got mine off eBay for about £25

Finally, a recording I made last night. Two overheads (C414s in cardioid mode, as close to the kit as was safe) and one kick mic (the JTS TX2)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gwj1yiz1okisd ... 8.mp3?dl=0

[Richard Graham]

I like that Hugh has pointed out that for simpler styles of music, 2 overheads and a kick is sufficient. I count myself in that category. I've also found I don't get a lot of "room" in my overheads (which is a good thing), but that adding a bit of ambience using a short setting on a digital reverb can help the drums sound more natural and alive.

Think I'll try out the Glyn Johns technique next. Thanks for that suggestion Hugh.

[Sam Spoons]

I favour a live sound and don't usually get involved in more straight ahead rock styles (or anything heavier). My usual drum mic setup is a kick and single overhead and like Richard, I get results that are adequate for my needs. My room is small but reasonably well treated.

[ore_terra]

I got good (well, acceptable) results with a single Rode NT1000, but I dont think it goes to the mic as much as the placement and, as the chaps are saying, the room.

https://youtu.be/4yk3mXfAXy4

[DC-Choppah]

Try the 'crotch mic' technique.

[billr]

I’m currently recording a project with three mics on the drum kit. It’s a pretty straight ahead blues band recorded in an average sounding, largish room. For the overhead I tried a few SDCs including Neumann km 184 but they were all too bright, made the cymbals feature too prominently, and picked up too much room sound and spill. So I tried a Beyer 201 dynamic and it worked really well IMO, a nice focused meaty sound with good cymbal balance. On kick I have a Shure Beta 52a and on snare an SM57. I ended up hardly using the SM57 snare mic in the mix as the Beyer O/H made the snare sound really good without it. This combination is working well for me in this situation, but as has been pointed out, mic choice is very genre and situation dependent, and personal taste enters into it too.

[jimjazzdad]

Try the 'crotch mic' technique.

Yep. It's certainly possible to record an ordinary kit with one well-positioned mic. Also called the "drummer's knee technique". Basically the mic, usually an omni, is positioned over top of the kick drum by threading it it from the audience side. It is important to listen carefully as the position is adjusted to balance the kick, snare and the cymbals. If the drummer is a smasher, a cardioid mic or a 'micro gobo' (basically a small baffle next to the mic) may be required to tame the cymbals. You may also need to do a bit of EQ-ing at mix time to get the sound you want. This can work very well in 'live from the floor' recordings. I read about it, tried it, and was surprised by how good it can be.

Alternately, if you have 3 or 4 mics available, try the Glyn Johns method.

[John Willett]

Hey guys, I just got into the world of drum recording and I am overwhelmed with the huge array of microphones available at my price point..
My question to you is: what do you think is the best single microphone for recording drums at the 200 - 300 use price range?
Thanks all!

Very difficult at this price range - though I did hear once an excellent drum kit recording with a single mic.; but it was a Soundfield and, although it captured the kit well, did miss a lot of the kick drum as this radiates differently.

To record a drum kit with minimum mics I would use a stereo pair of SDC cardioids plus a mic. with good bass extension for the kick.

So, at your budget I would look at a pair of Line Audio CM-3 and a s/h AKG D12 for the bass.