Need advice:what mic for room/drums???

hmm, one mic? might not be able to pickup the rather quiet ride.

is it possible to do two? that way, with one mic covers the hihat side and crashes, while the other mic covers the ride and its crashes for a more consistent sound.

set them up, both facing 90 degrees, x/y, right above the drummer himself, so you'll get an equal spread, and minimal phasing. also, gives you a nice big bass sound.

got dough? pair of Shure SM81's. if not, Rode NT5's are nice. and heck, you might as well use two SM57's, if you're really strapped.

 

try an MXL 990, Musicians Friend sometimes has them with the shock mount for $69 with case. I wouldn't go for the 2 mic combo as I haven't heard that many great things about the little mxl mic, the shock mount is pretty beefy. I've only used the 990 on vocals and acoustic guitar, but have heard they work great with drums.

 

I would use it on a boom overhead, using someone remote with phones and ear plugs listening to the mix directing the person moving the mic for the best position. Definitely a low budget mic solution, but a lot of good records were made this way.

 

I've limited myself to one two drum mics on occasion (usually for the effect - it can be a hip sound). I'm gonna break with the pack and say to stick one mic about 3-4 feet in front of the kit (closer, if you want less room). Move your head around while the drummer's playing to find the spot. This frees up a mic for the kick - most important, and very difficult to get right with overheads alone. I use an ATM25 for kick (which i learned about here, or on the old PRS forum). Unbeatable for the dough.

Audio Technica makes (made?) some great, inexpensive small diaphragm condensers which are very flattering for kit. I've got a pair, and really dig 'em for OHs, in partucular

Downside to my approach: Mono drums.

Upside: Mono drums.
Control over kick level.

Note: If the room you're recording in sounds bad, my suggestion may suck.

 

basso brings up a great point,

if your trio is a bit more "rock" like, you may wanna go with his suggestion, or better yet, just stick a mic right in the bass, and use the single overhead, equidistant from the ride and hihats for the most balance.