Recording Drums - The Basics

Some Important Things You Should Observe While Recording Drum Sets
The recording process can be challenging especially if your drum set is not conducive for recording.  A good drum set can be a one sure way of producing a high quality recording which will track well with other instruments used in the recording.

Aside from a quality drum set, the recording microphone is arguably the most important component that will determine the quality of the drum recording. A good quality microphone will be responsible for recording the natural sound of the drum kit. The microphone will also determine the dynamic range of the drums that will be recorded.

 

In additional to the quality of the microphone, mic placement also plays a huge role in the sound quality of the recording and is responsible for which part of the drum set gets highlighted in the mix. Generally, the placement of the microphones is dependant upon the experience and judgment of the recording engineer as it is their responsibility to ensure that unwanted noise and ambient sound are kept to a minimum, when recording drums, the microphone technique you decide to use will be determined by the following factors, including:

1.) Tone/Vibe – Depending on the “vibe” of the song, you may want a particular sound to fit the tone and the mood of the song. The vibe of the song will help to determine the microphone technique used to record the drums. For example, a song calling for a “punchy” drum rhythm will require a different microphone technique that a song calling for a “booming” tone.

2.) Microphone Type - Microphones differ in the way they are manufactured to capture sound. There are dynamic, condenser, and ribbon microphones just to name a few. All of which come with their own set of recording characteristics. In addition to the microphone type, every microphone has a pattern in which it picks up sound. Some microphones are unidirectional, while others are omni-directional. Some microphones have cardiod patterns, while others have hypercardiod patterns. Every microphone is going to be unique, and therefore it is important to note the type of microphone you are using before setting it to record.

3.) Type of drums – Drum sets are made from different materials and different types of wood. Each component has its own unique characteristic and will play a role in the recording process. Understanding the recording characteristics of your drum set will take some time to learn, however it is extremely important that you realize how your particular drum set resonates and records. This is the only way you can ensure that you are getting an optimal recording.

You will also have to consider what type of drum you are attempting to record and highlight within the mix. The technique involved in recording a kick drum is going to be vastly different then the technique used to record a snare drum or a tom.
Once you have the drum set ready to record, your goal should be to create a recording that is of high quality and pleasing to the ear.
Here are some tips on how you can achieve high quality output at the throughout your recording:

 

The Room or Environment
The size of the recording room determines how sound will bounce off the walls. Usually, more bass is produced in a small room as compared to an open, spacious room. Change the environment once you realize that the room you are in is not giving you the best sound you desire. Alternatively, you can modify the rooms by padding the walls with material that absorb sound.

The Microphone
When selecting a microphone for recording bass drum, dynamic microphones that are specifically designed for recording kick drums are generally the best choice. Placing the microphone half way inside the center of the drum offers an excellent body of the sound and lessens the attack.
To get an open and boomy sound, direct the microphone to the middle of the head if you are sure that the pitch of your drum is set relatively high.

The Snare Drum
The snare drum is popular in most well known music. It is necessary to have it as punchy as possible because if it is weak it gets covered up by other instruments like the bass guitar, hence losing its essence. A supercardioid pattern microphone is most appropriate for recording the snare drum; this is because it is usually placed between the small tom-tom and the hi-hats drums separated by about 2-inches. Always ensure that you have the best settings for the threshold, attack, release and gain on your snare drum for quality output.

The Tom-Toms
You can opt to use one microphone, by placing it between them at a distance of 4 to 6 inches, but if you choose to use two microphones for better quality, then place them each above the drums at 3 inches from the head. Because tom toms could be mounted or placed on the floor the microphone placement does not change so much in terms of the distance.

Hi-hats
They are part of the main groove and often the microphones picking the sound of other drum sets pick its sound too. The problem is that they tamper with the quality of the output especially when picked by the microphone set for the snare drum, it is therefore recommended that you use noise filters to separate the hi-hats sound from being picked by other microphones unnecessarily.

 

The significance of placing microphones for these drums is not so much as to warrant a lot of worry about where to place them, they can therefore be placed approximately 3 to 4 inches above the hi hats with the heads facing  down. Caution should be taken while recording to avoid hitting the microphone. Compression when tracking can only be preferred if the drummer is inconsistent in volume. It is advisable to employ similar settings as those of the snare drum on the set before recording.

Cymbals
Cymbals produce high frequencies and are well captured by the small diaphragm condenser microphones. The microphone placement is usually an over head placement between 1 to 3 feet above each cymbal. The ideal mix of the cymbals and the drums is a combination of softly played cymbals to allow the overhead microphones capture the sound of the drums more dominantly than that of the cymbals making the drums to have presence over the cymbals thus producing a great mix. A good mix of the two creates a good balance making the drums to stand out more.

The Complete Kit
Ambient microphones will more often be used to pick the cymbals. Overhead microphones on the other hand are placed above the drum sets. The large and the small diaphragm condenser microphones are commonly used because they also create a wholesome good sheen of the total drum sound. Ribbon microphones could also serve the same purpose of picking the overhead sound in the recording.

In the actual process of placing overhead microphones for the drum set, use the spaced stereo pairs and note that they should be separated with a distance of about 3 to 6 feet and set 1 to 2 feet above the cymbals pointing down. Check that all other settings are properly done before starting to record.

Overall, there are many different components that go into creating a good drum recording. Although there are many resources that can educate you on the generally accepted techniques and strategies, the best way to record drums is to constantly experiment and tweak your techniques to discover what is best for you and your music.