Recording a full Drum Kit
Have you ever wondered how the drums sounded so good in one of your favorite record or at a live concert?
Hopefully after reading this blog, you will have learnt something new as well as have that question answered
for you. In the second year of my bachelors degree in audio, we learnt how to individually mic all the elements
of a drum kit. This was many people's first time mic-ing a whole drum kit, but I had done it before for live shows
so I was pretty well versed, nevertheless I did learn a few tricks.
for you. In the second year of my bachelors degree in audio, we learnt how to individually mic all the elements
of a drum kit. This was many people's first time mic-ing a whole drum kit, but I had done it before for live shows
so I was pretty well versed, nevertheless I did learn a few tricks.
For our recording we used a total of 10 mics. Usually in terms of channels and order, the first channel would
be the kick drum. We used two mics for the kick drum, a kick IN, to capture the fast transient attack of the sound,
and a kick OUT mic to get the lower end, more punchy tone. Next we used two more mics for the snare,
a snare TOP and a snare BOTTOM, to pick up both, the transient hit as well as the tone for the snares itself.
We then used a small diaphragm condenser mic on the hi-hats. For the rack toms we used a mic placed in
between the two to pick up sound from both toms. On the floor tom, another individual mic. And one of the
most important parts, the over heads, to capture all the elements and glue them together. And another
commonly used technique is the addition of a room mic, to capture some of the natural tone & the reverb
of the room.
be the kick drum. We used two mics for the kick drum, a kick IN, to capture the fast transient attack of the sound,
and a kick OUT mic to get the lower end, more punchy tone. Next we used two more mics for the snare,
a snare TOP and a snare BOTTOM, to pick up both, the transient hit as well as the tone for the snares itself.
We then used a small diaphragm condenser mic on the hi-hats. For the rack toms we used a mic placed in
between the two to pick up sound from both toms. On the floor tom, another individual mic. And one of the
most important parts, the over heads, to capture all the elements and glue them together. And another
commonly used technique is the addition of a room mic, to capture some of the natural tone & the reverb
of the room.
A few things to watch out for and some tips for the process. The main thing to watch out for and try to avoid is
phasing. Even though it is impossible to avoid completely, you should try your best to follow miking techniques
developed to minimize phasing. Another thing you’d want to look out for is spillage. You should try and position
your mics pointed towards the source you want to capture, and as far faced away as possible from the rest of the
instruments to ensure a clean recording that can be controlled in production. I hope you learned something
from this blog, cheers!
phasing. Even though it is impossible to avoid completely, you should try your best to follow miking techniques
developed to minimize phasing. Another thing you’d want to look out for is spillage. You should try and position
your mics pointed towards the source you want to capture, and as far faced away as possible from the rest of the
instruments to ensure a clean recording that can be controlled in production. I hope you learned something
from this blog, cheers!
References:
(2020). Retrieved 20 Feb 2020, from https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/mic-drum-kit/
(2020). Retrieved 20 Feb 2020, from https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/media/2015/05/full-kit-multi-mics_behind-600x450.jpg
Recording Drums. (2020). Retrieved 20 Feb 2020, from https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/recording-drums
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