Members Rumor Posted July 4, 2004 Members Share Posted July 4, 2004 Ok, my band is gonna try recording some home demos. Problem is recording drums. We have no money and can't afford studio time or proper recording gear. I have a digital recorder that can record 2 tracks at a time, a SM57 and a cardiod mic of some sort. That's it. Pretty pathetic I know, but I'm a guitarist. I have had a little success just putting a mic a ways from the drums and getting decent sound. Not too great, but you can hear stuff. Some thing's seem to cut through alright like the snare, hi-hats, other cymbals and stuff like the kick doesn't come through very well. Anyway, the drummer's kit is a 7 piece. 2 kicks, 3 rack toms, 1 floor tom, snare with hi-hat, ride, crash, and china splash (sometime in a few weeks will be a splash and a china) for cymbals. What I'm asking for are tips on how to get the best possible recording with our limited recording gear. Can do several takes with different mic positions as well. I know this may sound like a near impossible feat possibly, but any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thanks ahead of time! Dustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The*Ataris Posted July 4, 2004 Members Share Posted July 4, 2004 There's nothing more annoying than recording a drum kit like that. Tell your drummer to break that down or use a small portion of that kit for the purpose of this demo. Then take one mic, use some isolated headphones and walk around the kit while he's playing to find a well balanced sound. Chances are, this is going to be below waiste level, trust me. Then take your second mic and try to compensate for something that's lacking. I've done it before and many others have as well. When you're walking around, try to find something that has more kick and snare and less cymbals then you think you're going to end up needing. Cymbals will ALWAYS cut through a mix like this and you'll always have a tough time with kick and snare. Good luck. In all honesty, it does take more recording gear to do this properly but it can still be a lot of fun and a good experience. Recording is as fun for me now as my music and I was in your position not too long ago... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ignited Posted July 4, 2004 Members Share Posted July 4, 2004 My group was in this same sort of dilemna not too long ago. We had two SM58 mics. We ended up just putting one into the bass drum to get a strong low end and the other mic was placed almost directly out in front of the kit. Be careful and avoid placing it where it will pick up too much cymbals or snare. Those both are extremely loud and can easily dominate over the rest of the kit. Snare and cymbals can cut through with no problem, it's the toms and bass drum you need to focus on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BATCAT Posted July 4, 2004 Moderators Share Posted July 4, 2004 Here's some thoughts: -Experiment with mic placement. It can do wonders. -Keep your mic's LOW, with the priority on capturing kick and snare. (And secondarily toms) Forget trying to capture the cymbals, because they'll bleed through anyway and even if for some reason they don't, well drums without cymbals sound much better than cymbals without drums. -Once you get the basic sounds you feel are pretty good, experiment with a good EQ. This can do a lot. Then COMPRESS! -You can get really excellent sounds with one good, carefully placed condenser mic, (agian, place it low!) a good preamp, and a drummer WHO KNOWS HOW TO MIX HIMSELF WHILE PLAYING! Mono drums are underrated and if you want stereo just copy and paste your drum track, EQ the copies differently, and then pan them... BAM- instant stereo drums with no phase issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikemccreadyspick Posted July 6, 2004 Members Share Posted July 6, 2004 I put an SM58 above my bass drum and wedge it between the tom mounts, i have got some great results so far considering i`m just using 1 mic. When i record into my computer i always add a bit of compressor which gives the bass drum a nice punchy sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Apendecto Posted July 6, 2004 Members Share Posted July 6, 2004 Back in the day, everything was recorded with a SM-57. I was watching the Led Zep DVD the other day and they even have a 57 on the bass drum. I try to play as hard as I possibly can but I get a really even sound from one mic directly (about a foot up) above my head pointed down. If that still sucks, place your other mic in the bass drum or somwhere else it's lacking. If you know of anyone with a mixer and a few exta mics, you may be able to do a pre mix before it hits the digital. I'm not sure what the craze is all about with the Boss/Roland digital recorders. Two tracks at a time is pretty crappy and pre mixing usually gets you into trouble. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dark Slide Posted July 6, 2004 Members Share Posted July 6, 2004 How angled are his 2 kicks? I have seen some kits where the kicks are at and extreme angle and I would imagine that would be a huge problem if you only have 2 mics. I'd say if that is the case, then try to get a mic down low out a bit from the set in front of each kick. Good luck with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HuskerDude Posted July 6, 2004 Members Share Posted July 6, 2004 Put one just beding/above the drummer's head, and the other a few feet in front of the kit. Move them around until everything's phase happy and rock. If you want a more "intense" sound, follow ActionSquid's advice and compress the {censored} out of 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rumor Posted July 6, 2004 Author Members Share Posted July 6, 2004 Thanks for all the suggestions. More would be greatly appreciated as well though so don't be discouraged! As far as the kicks are, they're at about 45 degree angles to each other. Any tips on setting the compression? Also, any suggestion distances for the mic out infront of the kit. I've tried several that turned out ok, but its hard to know what is sounds like until its on the computer. One problem I seem to be getting is the toms are coming through too loud but with no low end really. I know there's not much I can ask from what I'm working with, but if there's any solutions I'll be greatful. Thanks again all! Dustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dark Slide Posted July 7, 2004 Members Share Posted July 7, 2004 I had that problem while recordnig band practices. I'm not sure how much low end you're going to get out of them without it all getting muddy, but I made a small shield out of cardboard and put it between the toms and the mic. The snare sits a bit lower usually, and with the mic down low it seemed to cut through just fine. Pic Here I think you might be expecting a little more than is realistic though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rumor Posted July 7, 2004 Author Members Share Posted July 7, 2004 Originally posted by Dark Slide Pic Here I think you might be expecting a little more than is realistic though Lol, I'm not expecting more, I know even the best I can get out of what I have won't be very good even. But if there's any possible way of improving with what I've got, I'm all for it. Thank's for the cardboard idea! Dustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Goldtop56 Posted July 14, 2004 Members Share Posted July 14, 2004 If you aren't expecting much you should be able to get a decent sound. Don't kill yourself trying to get it perfect...you won't. You need more mics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.