How To Mic Drums for Recording, Part 1 — Two Microphones

Date:2020/3/6 12:03:56 Hits:

In This How-To series we are going to get into how to record drums. It doesn’t matter if you are using just two microphones or using 10 or more, there are many easy techniques you can use to get a good drum sound. Just because you are on a budget does not mean you have to sacrifice quality. Even if you have the ability to record at a big professional facility like Sweetwater Studios, you should know some tricks of the trade and have some knowledge on how the whole process works.

Each part in this series will get more involved; for Part One we are going to start small, just two microphones. I also want to say that there are many ways to record drums and many opinions as well. I am writing in this article based on my years in the recording studio and a lot of trial and error. My opinion may not be the same as the next guy’s, but I hope it is helpful in your pursuit of recording great music.

The Drums and the Drummer
What are the two most important parts when recording drums? The answer to that question is the drums and the drummer playing the drums. It does not matter if you have two microphones with a small USB recording interface or if you are in the biggest and most expensive studio on the planet; if the drum set is falling apart, the heads are old or cracked, or the drummer can’t play, then you will not get a good drum recording. Make sure the drums are in tune and that there are no rattles or squeaks. You need to have great sound coming from the source and that goes for any instrument or voice you may be recording. A good drummer can make a poor drum kit sound good but a poor drummer cannot make a great drum kit sound great.

With the affordable prices and quality of today’s microphones and recording interfaces, it is indeed very possible to get great drum recordings in a home studio. You just need to know some basics and use what you have around you in the best way possible; for instance, if the only place you have to record drums is in a garage with a concrete floor and open rafters in the ceiling, then you should expect to have a bigger and more ambient drum sound then if you had a small bedroom to record in. Go in the room, listen to drums, and see how they react to the space they are in. Do your best to get the drums to sound great in that room first and foremost.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get into it!

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Two Microphones — Mono or Stereo?
In my opinion, if you only have two microphones to record drums with then you should go for mono. One mic above the drummer and one mic in front of the drum kit. Yes, you could use the mics as a stereo overhead pair, but there will be some sacrifice in the low end. You will not get enough kick drum in the mix. In this situation, I prefer to sacrifice the stereo drum sound and go for a more full-range mono sound.

A matching pair of large-diaphragm condenser microphones are ideal for a two-mic situation. There are many great condenser mic options, but a few that I like for this application include the Shure KSM32, AKG C 414 XLS, Mojave Audio MA-301fet, Blue Microphones Baby Bottle, and Neumann U47 FET Collector’s Edition.

Condenser mics are not the only way to go; you can get great results with dynamic mics as well. A few options include the classic Shure SM57 and the ever popular Sennheiser MD 421 II, and the Telefunken M80.

Another great way to go is to use ribbon microphones. A ribbon mic is a type of dynamic microphone that uses a thin aluminum, duraluminum, or nanofilm ribbon placed between the poles of a magnet to generate voltages by electromagnetic induction. Ribbon microphones typically pick up sounds equally well from either side of the microphone, which is why they make good candidates for the two-mic technique. Some ribbon mic options that work well on drums include the Royer R-121, sE Electronics X1R, Blue Microphones Woodpecker, AEA R84, and the AEA A440.

Where to Place the Mics
Mount one mic onto a boom stand and place that stand behind the drummer’s seat. There are a couple of different placement options. One is to have the mic pointing straight down onto the drum kit. Have it directly in the middle of the kit and just high enough so the drummer doesn’t hit the mic with the sticks when he or she goes for the cymbals. Another option is to place the mic over the drummer’s head but have it at an angle so it picks up a bit of the room in front of the kit as well. This position takes a little more tweaking to find the sweet spot, but I find it works well if you have a bigger space to record in. You should be looking to get the drum kit and a bit of the room sound — not the room sound and a bit of the drum kit.

Place the other microphone about four feet in front of the kit and have it as high up as the the bottom of the rack toms. Experiment with the exact placement of this mic to find where it sounds best. This front mic, when mixed together with the overhead mic, should get you a nice round sound with plenty of kick drum. You are basically trying to have it sound like you are standing in front of the drum kit. Slight movements in the height and proximity of the mics will change the sound dramatically. Try many possible placements to optimize the sound before resorting to adding EQ or compression.

Wrap up
You can indeed get a very usable drum sound with just two mics. Even if you have the ability to record with more mics, it’s a good experiment to see if you can make just two sound good. Making music means having to work in all kinds of situations.

Stay tuned for part two and get out there and make music!

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How To Mic Drums for Recording, Part 1 — Two Microphones

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