Recording drums

[Stevenglass]

Me and my friend are starting a two piece. We want to record some drums. I've got a fast track pro with 2 mic inputs....I know that micing a drumset requires like 4-5 mics right? So i obviously need a interface with 4 inputs right? What interface would you guys recommend?

[Phil O'Keefe]

There are a ton of good interfaces out there. It comes down to the features you need, the number of inputs you want, the computer / OS / DAW you're running, and what the budget is.

 

Typically for someone in your situation, I'd recommend checking into something with 8 analog inputs. Ideally you want the interface to have ADAT lightpipe capability too so that you can add additional input channels (more line inputs, more mic preamps, etc.) if you need more later. Eight channels of mic / line inputs is generally enough to track a drum kit, but it's a little tight if you want to record anything else along with it simultaneously. For that - tracking the drummer, bass player and a guitar or two simultaneously, you really need a 16 channel interface. And I REALLY like to try to track at least the rhythm section together as a unit whenever possible - IMHO, it's nearly always going to result in more interaction between the musicians, and correspondingly more musical sounding results.

 

Some possible units to check out?

 

Mackie Onyx Blackbird

Focusrite Saffire Pro 40

M-Audio Profire 2626

Presonus Firestudio

Tascam US-2000

Presonus Firestudio Project

 

With the exception of the Tascam and last Presonus listed (the Firestudio Project), all of those have ADAT lightpipe I/O, which means you can add 8 additional mic preamps to the system by getting something like a Presonus Digimax, which is an 8 channel mic preamp with ADAT lightpipe interface.

[Stevenglass]

Ah yes! Thanks Phil!!! The only other question i have is that most of these are firewire and i've only got 2 usb 3.0s and 1 usb 2.0. Should i add a usb to firewire adapter or will this add latency?

[Phil O'Keefe]

Stick with USB interfaces and avoid the adapters.

 

While there are no USB 3.0 interfaces on the market yet that I'm aware of, USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 spec products, so any of those three ports will probably work fine with any decent USB 2.0 interface.

 

What specific computer (make & model) will you be using with this? Which OS? How much RAM do you have? You should check the computer's features (especially the motherboard and chipset) with the manufacturer's compatibility specs & docs for any interface you're considering getting to insure they're compatible.

[Phil O'Keefe]

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/tascam-us-1800-usb-2.0-audio-midi-interface

 

The US-1800 is a bit less expensive than the US-2000 I linked to earlier, but it would probably work fine for you too. The downside to the Tascams is the lack of ADAT lightpipe, but they do have extra line inputs, which can be used for keyboards, going direct with the bass, etc. You can also connect external mic preamps to them for extra mic input capabilities. The cheapest way to add extra mic preamps to something like that would be a small analog mixer with direct out or insert jacks that you could use to route the signals from multiple mic preamps to the line inputs on one of the Tascam units.

[Stevenglass]

I love you and your big knowledge phil.

I'm just a little apprehensive because the last time i used a tascam interface it sucked bad and it constantly crashed my pc.

 

My laptops specs

Processor : Intel

[Phil O'Keefe]

Who makes your laptop Steven - do you remember the model name?

[Stevenglass]

Who makes your laptop Steven - do you remember the model name?

 

asus K55A phil!

[Badside]

 

I love you and your big knowledge phil. I'm just a little apprehensive because the last time i used a tascam interface it sucked bad and it constantly crashed my pc.   My laptops specs Processor : Intel

[CME]

And once you get the interface sorted, look up the recorderman technique for micing drums. There are other methods for sure, but it works great for capturing the whole kit with a minimum amount of mics.

[PhxdB]

From what I remember John Bonham only used 2 mics when recording with Led Zeppelin.

 

If 2 mics are good enough for John than it's good enough for you.

[Temple of Light]

Yeah, but Bonham was in a marble/stone hall with 30' high ceilings.

Unless you have similar accomodations, you should count on a mic for every 2 toms, a bass drum mic, and a pair of SDC's or LDC's for overheads as a minimum for a drumkit.

[Phil O'Keefe]

 

From what I remember John Bonham only used 2 mics when recording with Led Zeppelin. If 2 mics are good enough for John than it's good enough for you.

 

 

I'd respectfully disagree. It MIGHT be "good enough for you", assuming the engineer knows how to place the mikes, the room has the proper acoustics, you've got a great kit that is really dialed in, you've set the kit up in the right spot in the room, AND if the drummer can play very well and knows how to balance the various elements of the kit.

 

You're still going to usually have a light kick with a two-mic setup, which is why Glyn Johns normally at least added in a third mic on the kick drum. His brother Andy used a pair of Beyer M160 ribbon mikes on the drums for When The Levee Breaks, and placed them fairly high above the kit (which was in a foyer) and compressed the heck out of them, then processed with a Binson Echorec. It's a great sound, but not perfect for everything... and again, it takes considerable skill on the part of the drummer and engineer to pull it off.

 

In general, I recommend a three or four mic approach as a minimum. Can you do it with only one or two microphones? Sure... but the fact is, the vast majority of home recordists lack the engineering skill, access to a really good drummer, and outstanding acoustical environment needed to make that a realistic and sufficiently flexible approach.

[Lee Flier]

This is true - 3 or 4 mics is much better. That said, if you have one decent mic you can actually get pretty good results just by putting one mic right above the kick drum. If you're just doing demos, this works fine and picks up the whole kit surprisingly well. Of course, the onus is on the drummer to "mix himself" and balance the kit well, but if he sounds good in the room, the one mic approach is better than you think, so long as it's placed properly.

 

I will add that if you're looking for a good budget mic for recording drums (as well as piano, acoustic guitar and a lot of other things), I can't recommend the CAD M179 highly enough. They're cheap, and sound fantastic in a 3 mic Glyn Johns setup, as drum overheads, or on toms. In fact if you had one of those at around the drummer's chest height in the middle of the kit, and a Heil PR40 (also inexpensive) on the kick, I'd wager you could get VERY good results with just 2 mics. Assuming of course that the drums sound good, the room is halfway decent and the drummer doesn't suck.

[KillerV]

Some cool suggestions so far. Here's a link to a video that might interest the OP:

 

http://ronansrecordingshow.com/2009/12/drum-recording-tips-great-drum-sounds-with-only-two-mics-or-two-inputs/

[QuietInTheDark]

This is true - 3 or 4 mics is much better. That said, if you have one decent mic you can actually get pretty good results just by putting one mic right above the kick drum. If you're just doing demos, this works fine and picks up the whole kit surprisingly well. Of course, the onus is on the drummer to "mix himself" and balance the kit well, but if he sounds good in the room, the one mic approach is better than you think, so long as it's placed properly. I will add that if you're looking for a good budget mic for recording drums (as well as piano, acoustic guitar and a lot of other things), I can't recommend the CAD M179 highly enough. They're cheap, and sound fantastic in a 3 mic Glyn Johns setup, as drum overheads, or on toms. In fact if you had one of those at around the drummer's chest height in the middle of the kit, and a Heil PR40 (also inexpensive) on the kick, I'd wager you could get VERY good results with just 2 mics. Assuming of course that the drums sound good, the room is halfway decent and the drummer doesn't suck.

 

I've used stereo CAD M179s as overheads with good results. Note they are multipattern, so they are quick to set up, sound check and adjust to the room and set.

 

For other 'just starting out' mics the AKG D 112 is nice.

[Rimmer]

My tip. Experiment recording a drum kit first with one, then two, then three, then four mics.

 

Rather than just steaming in with 10 mics at the same time and winging it, head towards the sound you like with the first mic, add mics as the feeling takes you..

 

A bit jazzy maybe, but you may find it easier to find your own personal way that way... ?