Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Bob Faulkner]

If you are going to double mic the drums, does your board support polarity inversion (for the second mics)?  If not, you shouldn't really be double mic'ing drums.

[Thomas Le]

If you were short channels, I'm pretty sure you could "skimp" and only have one kick mic and one snare mic.

Yeah that's what I'm doing now, just wondering of it's worth it with extra for a more variety palette.

You're forgetting the second kick drum. No super kit is complete without it.

Guess if I cut the inside and subkick then I can squeeze it in.

Personally, I would be inclined to skip the inner kick and whatever you have in mind with the subkick, under the snare and the ride mic. Now I have to admit, I'm not sure of all the issues you're thinking of here but to me, less is more. I did a number of events this summer using 4 mics on the kits. Two OH's, kick and an SDC splitting the snare and HH. The more I did it, the more I liked it.

Now of course that approach has it's limitations also (gating , comping not happening) But for the kits I worked with, it was easy and sounded very good.

I've done with smaller setups similar to what you do and it works out good also, this is for bigger stages (local outdoor festivals and the like) so I got more to work with, just wondering if it's worth the trouble.

Not to mention the Roto-Toms and the gong.

And... tubular bells!....


Steve.

So... who's mic'ing the rainstick?

Oh noes! More channels to sacrifice!

I have never seen the need for-or gotten a decent sound out of a "sub kick".

It is always "mushy" with no impact-at least the couple of times I have tried.  So I gave up trying and just use regular mics and it works out much better-tighter ect.

Personally I've never tried a subkick, good to hear your insight.

For me 16 mics on drums is a nightmare!  I have never seen the need for dual mics on the snare and kick.  Most gigs, the snare is the loudest thing in the room and gets picked up by every mic on stage!  Very often I end up turning down the snare mic completely. When it comes to mics, I am a believer in the "less is more" philosophy, but I do like the sound of close miced toms(Audix D2s).

Funny how so many soundmen act as if the drums are the most important part of the mix.  I have seen too many acts where the kick and snare were louder than the vocals.

Yeah I hear ya, been doing a standard 8 setup. I'm working on outdoors so no indoor limitations. Never encountered drums overpowering vocals... yet. I can't do "2 toms 1 57 mic", always weak for some reason even though the toms are close.

I can get it down to 11... double mic the toms and its 8...

- kick out (D6)
- snare top (Opus-88)
- toms x4 (D2/4)
- OH x2 (NT5)
- perc sampler "Roland SPD like" (DI stereo feed)

I've been doing a Beatles tribute thing with just an OH and kick, it works, but then that's the style.

Mike

Standard 8 setup also for me currently. I'm dealing with standard rock/pop acts so OH and kick only won't work well...

If you are going to double mic the drums, does your board support polarity inversion (for the second mics)?  If not, you shouldn't really be double mic'ing drums.

Working with GL2200-32 so it's good.

[David Parker]

If you are going to double mic the drums, does your board support polarity inversion (for the second mics)?  If not, you shouldn't really be double mic'ing drums.

I was working a small festival in a football stadium years ago, and their plan was to have several bands in one night, Every 30 minutes another band would start. Not much time for setup. So I set up a kick mic and two overheads. This guy shows up with a 12' trailer JUST for his drums. He had EIGHTEEN cymbals, I couldn't count all the toms, and he wanted everything close mic'd. Yeah right, you're gonna have to set up and tear down 5 minutes each, so yeah lets close mic everything, right!

As it turned out, I got really good sound from the 3 mic setup, I'd say at least 85% as good as close micing everything, and no need for soundcheck on the drums.

[Alex Rigodanzo]

For me 16 mics on drums is a nightmare!  I have never seen the need for dual mics on the snare and kick.  Most gigs, the snare is the loudest thing in the room and gets picked up by every mic on stage!  Very often I end up turning down the snare mic completely. When it comes to mics, I am a believer in the "less is more" philosophy, but I do like the sound of close miced toms(Audix D2s).

Funny how so many soundmen act as if the drums are the most important part of the mix.  I have seen too many acts where the kick and snare were louder than the vocals.

If you're wanting to get people dancing, they are more important than the vocals.

[Bob Faulkner]

I was working a small festival in a football stadium years ago, and their plan was to have several bands in one night, Every 30 minutes another band would start. Not much time for setup. So I set up a kick mic and two overheads. This guy shows up with a 12' trailer JUST for his drums. He had EIGHTEEN cymbals, I couldn't count all the toms, and he wanted everything close mic'd. Yeah right, you're gonna have to set up and tear down 5 minutes each, so yeah lets close mic everything, right!

As it turned out, I got really good sound from the 3 mic setup, I'd say at least 85% as good as close micing everything, and no need for soundcheck on the drums.

Several years ago at a festival, had to convince a drummer that every one of his cymbals did not need to be mic'd; he had a little more than a "standard" kit; he felt that everyone should hear the "excitement" as he does; I assured him they would with 2 mics.

[Jamin Lynch]

Not to mention the Roto-Toms and the gong.

And a top and bottom mic for the cowbell

[Greg Percy]

And a top and bottom mic for the cowbell

In order of importance  15 mics  on the cowbell and 1 mic for the other stuff

[Helge A Bentsen]

Working at the inferno metal festival a few years back, I had the whole left side of a H2K(24 channels) for drums.

[Steve M Smith]

I prefered it in Ye Olden Dayes when we would balance an SM57 between the snare and hi hat and have one overhead.


Steve.

[Steve M Smith]

If you are going to double mic the drums, does your board support polarity inversion (for the second mics)?  If not, you shouldn't really be double mic'ing drums.

There is a good reason for reversing polarity on one of the mics but it has nothing to do with the phase of the sound reaching them both.  You can't position them with a half wavelength accuracy.


Steve.

[ProSoundWeb Community]