Mic'ing Techniques that work for me...

[buddaman71]

I see lots of threads from players wondering why their recorded tones never sound like their amp does in the room...

Basically it's because their ear isn't usually a 1/2" off the speaker cone like it is when you close mic it.

This is my fave way to record guitar amps/cabs:

I just hit a chord, close my eyes and move to where the amp sounds best to me. (I'm not talkin 20 feet away, unless you WANT that super room tone)

I then put a smooth, flat condenser mic on a stand at ear level and aim it at the amp. (Omnis sound really great for this as this mic is mostly for "air".) If it's too roomy sounding, shorten the distance from the far mic to the speaker.

I then take my close mic (Royer R121 if you can afford it) aimed about halfway between the cone and rim and blend those tones.

You just have to use your ears. Start with the close mic tone and then blend in the ear-level mic to taste. Phase anomalies can become present if you get too much of the distance mic, so listen for comb filtering and low/low-mid loss.

The air provides some natural warmth and compression, so don't go overboard with plug-ins or rack-comps.

I usually seem to end up with about an 80/20 close/far mix, and it sits so much better in the mix than 100% close mic'ing.

DON'T rely on plug-ins and software correction to fix things. Get the absolute best up-front tone you can and your tracks will sound so much more organic and fat, even on DAWs.

Also, through the years, I have found that fewer tracks overall = bigger sound and much more open mix. This is coming from a dude who LOVES to layer tons of acoustic and electric bed tracks.

I also think the fewer mics on a drum kit = MUCH better tone. If you've never recorded a great kit in a great room with the Earthworks 3-mic drum system, you don't know what you're missing.

Hopefully this helps someone get a little closer to their desired tone!

Rock on.

[elambo]

I also think the fewer mics on a drum kit = MUCH better tone.

I strongly disagree.

It's harder to screw up a small collection of drum tracks - I'll agree to that - but, far and away, it's better to have an engineer who knows what he's doing mix the full compliment of 10 or so mics. Spot mics, of course, but you can't discount the usefulness of room, overhead, ambient and crush mics. These are invaluable. And to be able to hone each spot mic to the individual kit piece is crucial.

It's a tough job, but those who know their way around a drum mix will take the full shebang and stomp all over these 3-mic systems.

[buddaman71]

The context of the recording is the determining factor for me. I tend to view the drum kit as a single instrument and try to capture that organically.

Multiple mics work great on hard rock or metal tracks where the idea isn't really to capture the sound of the actual kit as it is to CREATE a tone based on the actual kit. I mean, I've never heard a kick drum that sounds like Lars' in real life. (Unamplified, uncompressed, ungated) It's pretty hard to find a kick that sounds like a Howitzer in it's natural state.

[frankencat]

I have had some great results miking kits with 4 or even 2 mics but it really depends on what type of sound you are going for. If you want that punchy, in your face, "right here, right now" kind of presence then individual mics is a good way to go. If you want a looser, more relaxed "live" kind of feel then I like the 3 or 4 mic setup as long as you have a great sounding kit and a good sounding room. If the kit or room do not sound that great when you are standing in front of them in the room then that option is probably not going to work and you should opt for the close/multiple mic setup. But if everything is sounding incredible in the room then chances are you are going to get a real nice recording if you tak some time and figure out where to put the mics. I like to do kick and snare close mic'd and then two condensers for overheads. Placement of the condensers is critical to the overall sound and I usually like either C1000's or 414's with a little compression on them. This gives a nice big fat silky sound that works really nice with some styles of music.

It's really a matter of preference and what fits the song/session best. FWIW, I have been recording and producing bands for about 20 years now and have done some good and some bad ones. I have made enough mistakes to know when something isn't going to work and have had some sucesses that I have learned how to repeat. It's definitely a learning process.

-Frank

[jackaroo]

Each approach has it's pro's and cons...some sessions are more laid back and can benefit from the ease of use that comes with a simple raw recording of the drums- others need that definition and precision of the multi mic approach.

I think it mainly boils down to the density of the final product. Larger orchestrations generally I use more close mics and like having that isolation for punch and clarity in a crowded mix.

With a more laid back/sparse approach I like using less mics. I changes the vibe of everything- from the recording process to the mix and the tone of the kit.

As for guitars...I like that approach of using a roomy sound behind a close one- I've gotten some nice results with that exact technique, but sometimes a 57 up on the speaker into a plate reverb plugin sounds fulfilling too.

[buddaman71]

Agreed on all points. I should have quantified the position of my notes. I always try to balance harmonic vs. sonic density and the musical context of the recording.

Over the years, I have come to realize that the music we hear on the radio is a representation of the instrumentation more than the capture of the instrument at that specific moment in time. That is my focus now. I guess I have been missing the SPACE in music and recording that, for me, gives more impact to the actual notes. All I know is that we have a finite amount of physical, digital and psychological room for the aural input and everytime I try to cram in too much data, it just gets smaller and smaller and more concentrated.

Hell, what do I know. I am a hack anyway. I certainly wasn't trying to start any $hit. I was just making random musings of my findings over the years. If it helps one newbie get a better track, then cool.

:drink

PS: For the record, John Bonham DID make some of the biggest sounding rock drum recordings ever with 1-2 mics...:D

[frankencat]

Agreed.

Man I said all that above and then forgot to say what I wanted to ....

I just did a session with Nickcha and we recorded his Ric 360 through his '62(?) AC30 with a Beyer omni pointing straight at the center of the front baffle about 6 inches away and a Nady TRM-6 tube ribbon about 6 feet away at ear level and a little off axis form the front of the amp - trying to duplicate what your ear would hear if you were standing there. I thought the tracks came out sounding great, they were very large and airy sounding. (P.S. Thanks Dean/Pink Strat for letting us use your mics ;) )

I usually start with a 57 up close and a nice condenser further away. For the condenser I just use whatever I have at the moment. At home I usually use a C3000 and sometimes an MXL990 (yes, the $69 one, lol) but I like to use a 414 or Neuman of some type if I have access to it and a Senn 421 on the cab in place of the SM57 works like a charm too. I am getting ready to go in with my band and start recording our 3rd CD and I plan on having some fun with mic's and placements this time out. :)

[elambo]

The context of the recording is the determining factor for me. I tend to view the drum kit as a single instrument and try to capture that organically.

Multiple mics work great on hard rock or metal tracks where the idea isn't really to capture the sound of the actual kit as it is to CREATE a tone based on the actual kit. I mean, I've never heard a kick drum that sounds like Lars' in real life. (Unamplified, uncompressed, ungated) It's pretty hard to find a kick that sounds like a Howitzer in it's natural state.

I always think of drums as a single instrument, and that's what they are, but this perception doesn't weigh in on the method for capturing them.

Whether heavily embellishing the typical sound of a kit or trying to capture it au naturale, room + overhead + spot mics gives you EVERY option. Favor the ambients and tweak each piece with the spots, or reshape all of it using primarily the spots, or anything in between. It's an issue of available mics and preamps to get the job done and knowing the contribution of each. Even when I'm recording drums for jazz and looking for the perfect natural tone, each mic (11 or 12 of them) plays a very important part. I agree that the room mics are crucial, but take out the spots and it crumbles. I should say that even if I were intending to mic with only 4 mics, the postioning of those 4 mics is already covered in the 11/12 mic setup so it has nothing to do with making adjustments based on the total number of mics.

[elambo]

I have had some great results miking kits with 4 or even 2 mics but it really depends on what type of sound you are going for.

Wow - 2 mics is putting an awful lot of volume control in the hands of the drummer. You have NO control over volume of individual kit pieces and even a very good drummer can make that a challenge. One primary difference between good and great drummers is their management of dynamics - their ability to self-mix. With 2 or 4 mics you're forcing them to do it, and to do it well.

[loudboy]

I strongly disagree.

It's harder to screw up a small collection of drum tracks - I'll agree to that - but, far and away, it's better to have an engineer who knows what he's doing mix the full compliment of 10 or so mics. Spot mics, of course, but you can't discount the usefulness of room, overhead, ambient and crush mics. These are invaluable. And to be able to hone each spot mic to the individual kit piece is crucial.

It's a tough job, but those who know their way around a drum mix will take the full shebang and stomp all over these 3-mic systems.

100% agreement here.

Bonham/Glyn Johns sound is cool, but it's not what you're looking for in a modern drum sound, 99% of the time.

Close mike 'em, and take some rooom mics and you'll have all options available at mix time.