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By Michael Laskow
"How do I record tom-toms?"
Favorite mics: AKG 414, Sennheiser 421; most condenser mics
work well.
If the mic has a pad switch, use it. It's always better to
pad at the mic, rather than the console. If the mic doesn't
have a pad switch, but you're seeing too much level coming
into the console or hearing any break-up/distortion, try padding
the mic input at the console.
Mic all three toms with the mics set at a 45 degree (or thereabouts)
angle to the drum head with the end of the mic (the capsule
end) pointing at an imaginary spot about 2" past the rim nearest
you as you place the mic (this is assuming you're working
from the audience side of the kit). The floor tom mic can
be placed a little closer to the center of the head, but not
too close. The distance of the mic from the actual head should
range between one inch and six inches depending on how "roomy"
you like your drums to sound. The further the mics are from
the drums, the roomier the sound, but you'll have to pay more
attention to possible phase cancellation problems.
Eq.: +2@100Hz, -4@300 to 700Hz, +2@5K or above.
Tips: Dampen the drums to reduce ringing using a little
bit of gaffers' tape or tape a piece of feminine napkin to
the outer edge of the drum head using gaffers' tape. Generally
speaking, the more mid-range you roll out of the toms, the
better they will sound, to a point. You can roll out too much,
and the result will sound hollow and box-like.
Experienced engineers concerned with saving tracks will often
combine the stereo overheads/cymbals with tom-toms, using
just two tracks panned far left and far right for all the
toms and cymbals.
Remember that a tom-tom is full of transients, so keep your
levels fairly low to avoid overloading your preamp, tape machine
or the tape itself. -2 or -3 VU or + 2 or +3 peak reading
are typical levels.
"How do I record cymbals?"
Favorite mics: Neumann U-87, AKG 414, Neumann KM 84, Shure
SM81
Recording overheads can be remarkably simple or incredibly
difficult. The important rule of thumb is to watch out for
phase cancellation. The overhead mics will often interact
with individual drum mics causing phase anomalies which manifest
themselves as dropouts at certain frequencies in any or all
of the drums.
If your drum sounds get "cardboard-y" after you bring up
the faders on your overheads, you probably need to adjust
the overhead mics.
Typically, engineers will record the overhead mics in stereo,
making sure to bus or assign the overhead on the left side
of the kit to a tape track that will correspond with the other
drums on that side of the kit (e.g., the right overhead should
ultimately end up being panned to the same side as the floor
tom).
Some engineers will start with the two mics about 16 inches
over the cymbals, and point them straight down, looking directly
at the center of the cymbals to achieve a more bell-like sound.
Other engineers prefer to angle the mics toward the outer
edges of the cymbals to get a brighter, wispier sound.
The closer the mics are to the cymbals in either case, the
less chance you will have of experiencing phase problems.
If you do experience phase problems, it's often fixable by
simply flicking the phase switch on one of the mic inputs
or the other. A good rule of thumb is to always make sure
that the distance between the two mics is at least twice as
far as the distance between each mic and the cymbal it's over.
To get a roomier or bigger drum sound, just raise the mics
higher - try moving them six inches at a time. But remember,
as you get farther from the cymbals, you increase your chances
of phase problems.
If the drummer you are recording really whacks their cymbals,
you may need to pad your mics or your mic inputs. If the mics
you are using have a roll-off switch, then use it. Good chance
you won't need the low end frequencies that the roll-off will
eliminate. If your mics don't have a roll-off, you can use
the high-pass filter on the mic inputs of the console to do
the same job. If you don't have roll-off or high-pass capability,
then roll-off 10 or 12 dbs @30 or 60Hz using your equalizer.
Generally speaking, cymbal mic require very little, if any
eq on the top end. If you feel that you cymbals are dull,
and need to be brightened up a touch, try a smidge @ 8 or
10Khz. Be careful! A little bit can go a long way.
A little strip of strategically placed gaffers' tape can
eliminate the nasty overring that some cymbals have. It can
also mellow out an overly bright cymbal.
Experienced engineers concerned with saving tracks will often
combine the stereo overheads/cymbals with tom-toms, using
just two tracks panned far left and far right for all the
toms and cymbals.
Remember that cymbals are loaded with transients, so keep
your levels fairly low to avoid overloading your preamp, tape
machine or the tape itself. -4 or -5 VU or +1 or +2 peak reading
are typical levels.
Studio Buddy®, The Home Recording
Helper, is a self-contained database that answers the questions
most people have about home recording. It's FREE. It runs
on PCs and Macs. And it's small enough to e-mail to your friends.
To download your FREE copy of Studio Buddy®, just go to
www. studiobuddy.com.
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