Drums
Miking up a drum kit is possibly regarded as one of the most difficult instruments to record. There are so many things to consider before even setting up the microphones and its very easy to make mistakes. Like most instruments there is never one sure way of recording drums because every drum, every drummer and every studio is different. Factors even such as the height of the stool could affect the sound! For example, if the the stool is too high, the drummer might be leaning over the kit too much and not hitting the bass drum as he normally would, causing inconsistencies in the recording. Most of the factors like these are down to the drummer and his set up. If the sound is not as good as you would like it even when the drummer has finished setting up, there are a few things which can be done.
The names of all the drums are highlighted below.
This shows the basic layout of a drum kit and in most cases drummers have added cymbals, added toms, removed other toms. It all depends on the drummer and how he plays the kit. The engineer has to work the drummer in this way to make sure that the recording process does not hinder his playing.
Even though the drum kit is not naturally a tuned instrument in the way that other kits are, care has to be taken on the sound of each drum before recording. Very little can be done after they have been recorded to reduce any unwanted frequencies. Before the session begins, the drum heads must be checked to see if they are worn. Over time, heads become stretched and start adding horrible frequencies which cannot be tuned out. Replacing the head and tuning it properly will result in a good sound. Drums sound boomy naturally and in the studio this is good up to a point. When it sounds too boomy on the recording, damping needs to be used. These can be either bought products but quite often masking tape is used. By hitting the outer parts of the toms or snare, certain 'pockets' can be heard which sound different to the rest of the rim. Less sustain will be noticed after the drum is hit when tissue paper is taped to these areas. Too little sustain will leave the kit sounding dead so use sparingly.
Snare drums need slightly more attention as they can be quite noisy and rattle throughout the entire recording. Tightening the snares on the underside of the drum will reduce the rattle and also sustain. Depending on the sound wanted, sometimes this might not be desired by the drummer. A good balance between tightening the snares and the drum head will eventually get to the sound required.
The bass drum is often badly dampened and can cause problems when mixing at a later stage. Some drummers have big furry cushions, towels and pillows in the center of the bass drum to dampen it. This not only creates a very dull sound but also causes problems for when the drum is to be miked up. The main aim of dampening the bass drum is so that the two heads move in the same way and to reduce ring. The best way to do this place a neatly folded blanket or flat cushion which fits perfectly against the two heads on the bottom. Some bass drums will have a sealed head or will have a 4/5 inch diameter hole in the front. If it does not have a hole, there are two options to follow. Take off the skin and use only one or cut a hole into the outer skin. If the drummer permits then this would be a better option and the bass drum will sound a lot fuller.
Miking the kit
There are many different ways to mic a drum kit up. The simplest method is by setting up two room mics, positioned around 5feet from the ground and between 5 and 15feet in front of the kit. This distance depends on the size of the room, the number of other instruments playing at the same time or the signal from the mics. In some styles of music such as Jazz or Funk, this might be adequate. In cases of recording a practice or as a guide track, this might be enough also. This will pick up most of the sounds that emerge from the kit, especially the bass drum and the sound is being projected in the direction of the mics. As the bass drum emits a very low frequency output, this is the only way you would be able to hear the sound without miking it on its own. Omnidirectional mics would be the most useful in this situation as they will have the largest range and can pick up the sound with better distinction than dynamics microphones. If the drum kit will be played alongside other instruments then cardioid mics would be more adequate. Recording in this way will automatically create a sense of stereo imaging.
If a better sound is needed than that, then adding two more mics will help. Miking up the bass drum and the snare separately will give a better overall sound as they are the most crucial parts of the kit. Two other microphones are then placed above the kit on boom stands. These should be condenser mics as they pick up all the high frequencies which the cymbals produce. The overhead microphones should be positioned 2-5ft above the cymbals so that they can pick up the whole sound. When they are at the correct height, they can evenly pick up all the cymbals underneath. The sound of the toms will still come through very clear in the mix with the overheads in this position.
Miking the snare
The snare can be miked up using either a dynamic or condenser mic depending on preference and budget. Excellent results can can be achieved using dynamics mics. Unidirectional Cardioid microphones are most suitable for this application as they are nearly always mounted below the Hi Hats. The microphone should be placed 2 inches off the head and 2 inches into the snare. The mic should be pointing at the center of the snare but sometimes the snare is too dull sounding in the center so pointing it further towards the rim will make it brighter.
Miking the Bass Drum
In most cases, a standard dynamic microphone cannot be used as the bass drum frequencies are so low. A large diaphragm microphone would be best suited in this case. Extremely high sound pressure levels are generated within the bass drum, so much so that if you were to put your head inside and have someone play it, you would probably go deaf. The large diaphragm mics are designed to pick up the ultra low frequencies with accuracy.
Mounting the microphone can either be on a small stand or a small boom stand. Either way, it has to be positioned inside the bass drum. When placing the microphone inside the bass drum, be careful not to point it at the skin where the beater hits. To get a good balance between the a bass and click sound, the position of the microphone should be adjusted. At around 6 inches from the skin, roughly in the center of the bass drum would give a good all round tone if it is tuned correctly. If the sound is too clicky, pointing the beater towards the shell slightly will increase the bass end. Depending on the sound wanted, the drum mic can be adjusted to satisfy without resorting to equalization.
Another way of creating the perfect balance is to record the beater side of the drum also. The two channels can then be blended back in to create the desired tone.
In situations where double bass drums are to be recorded, two microphones can be used. Stereo panning effects can be introduced to create a better stereo image. However, both drums must be perfectly in tune with each other as it will not sound right on the recording.
Toms
The tom sound depends greatly upon the tuning and the damping. Even if the toms sound good without a mic, they could still come across poorly on the recording. The choice of the microphone can usually alleviate these difficulties. Unidirectional, dynamic or condenser microphones can be used for toms as the desired sound affects which mics you use. For a more defined sound, capacitor mics are favoured but if budgets cannot stretch that far then dynamic mics will still produce an excellent sound. They should be positioned in a similar fashion to the snare but a small compromise normally has to be worked out. Cymbals will often get in the way of the microphones so care must be taken in their placement. Asking the drummer to play the cymbals very hard will show if they will hit them or not. The microphones must also not get in the way of the drummer's playing.
Overheads and Hi Hats
The microphones used for overhead microphones should always be capacitors to capture all the detail which the cymbals produce. Cymbals are different to the rest of the drums as they do not require any form of tuning so it is up to the engineer to capture all the sound at the best of his/her abilities. In situations where large amounts of cymbals are used, 2 microphones will normally suffice as they have a large polar pattern. The position of the microphone in relation to the Hi Hats should not be so far away that overspill occurs, nor should it be too close where it will be hit be large blasts of air as the cymbals close. they should be positioned in between the center and the out rim so that sufficient detail is picked up. If the sound from the Hi Hats is still not good enough after moving the microphones around, it can be place underneath. This might reduce overspill but might not pick up the tapping from the sticks as clearly.
Room mics can also be set up on top of individually miking the drums. If the acoustics of the room allow, natural reverb can be fed back into the mix of the drums which can often work better than artificial reverb. Omnidirectional condenser microphones are best suited for this application.
Percussion
Additional drums such as congas piccolo snares can be miked up in a very similar fashion to the toms on the drum kit. Condenser microphones would be best in this situation and should be placed 3 inches away from the skin. This will give a dry but accurate sound. If a more ambient, natural sound is required, set up the microphone around 3 feet above the drums. This will pick up the sound of the drum and the tapping of the sticks or hands.