Recording Drums, where to start?

[NisimPerc]

Hi all. I'm actually very newbie when it comes to recording and studio gear. I have a practice studio that I built. It's nothing special but it gets the job done.

Anyway to get to the point, I want to start recording my own drum tracks and exporting them to studio professionals and/or friends/bandmates. I'm looking for a relatively cheap start (Protools included) just so I can start to get the hang of things. Editing, micing and the general recording process. Bare minimum would be nice. Thanks for the help

[Audiodude]

First of all, welcome to Audioforums!

Let me start by saying that I don't know of any cheap way to record drums, or at least not to record them well. Here's why...

First of all, miking a drum kit isn't like miking a vocalist or guitar amp. One or two microphones won't cut it, especially if you are trying to create tracks that will be useful to another studio. A drum kit is a collection of 6 to 20 instruments, and the most widely accepted practice is to individually mic each of those instruments. That means you need a lot of microphones. And a lot of cables. And a lot of preamps. And an audio interface with a lot of inputs to handle them all.

Second, creating great drum tracks is as much about the room they are recorded in as it is the drums, the microphones, and the technique. Put another way, if the acoustics in your room suck, your drum tracks will suck. No way around it. That's because drum kits are not just miked close up, but with overhead microphones a couple of feet above the kit, and frequently with room mics several feet back. Those microphones pick up the sound of the room as much (or more) as the direct sound of the drums themselves. It's a big mistake to launch into setting up microphones and recording drums without first addressing the potential acoustic issues lurking in your room.

So, having said all of that, here's what you need to record great drum tracks in Pro Tools:

- A great sounding room. I'd start by getting a free acoustic consultation from Auralex. They'll make recommendations about how to best treat your room without making major changes to the structure.

- A collection of microphones, probably 8-10 of them, that match the setup of your kit. If you ask 10 audio engineers how to mic a drum kit, you'll likely get 11 opinions. I recommend you figure out the layout of the kit, your budget, and call Sweetwater to come up with a package that makes sense for you.

- An audio interface with enough inputs to handle all of your microphones at once. This is where it gets a little tricky. Since Pro Tools is sold as a hardware / software bundle in most cases, your choices here are somewhat limited. You can get a 003 Rack and add an 8-channel digital mic preamp to it like the PreSonus Digimax FS for 12 total mic preamps. Or you can get a 003 Rack Plus, which comes with 8 preamps right out of the box. Or get Pro Tools M-Powered and a compatible M-Audio interface. Again, which direction you choose will be dictated by your needs and budget.

-A computer capable of running all of this. That means either a Mac (pretty much any current or recent model will do) or a PC that meet's Digidesign's published system requirements. Don't assume that your PC will work well with Pro Tools M-Powered unless you've tested it or someone who knows Pro Tools AND your computer well has tested it. I've seen too many people go out and buy a high-performance PC from somebody who has never even heard of Pro Tools yet assures them it will work, only to find out that they are missing some critical system specs or they could have spent a lot less money and gotten a "lesser" PC with identical performance.

-All of the other stuff that goes with a studio. You need near-field monitors, mic stands, headphones (good ones are critical to help with microphone placement), and a lava lamp.

-Oh yeah, drums.

Again, I'll repeat what I said above. Your best bet, IMHO, is to call a Sweetwater Sales Engineer. This is what we do all day, every day - match up a client's needs and budget with a list of gear that helps them meet their musical goals.

[sabianq]

hi there
i would like to add to audiodudes excellent response..

using a dedicated 8~16 channel analogue mixer, you can mix the drum set into a good overall stereo mix then send that mix to the recording console mixer or interface.

also placing a dual channel compressor limiter on the drum mix is very important. drums are notorious for exceeding SPL (sound pressure levels) and clipping is a very real concern.

by limiting overall signal response to the interface, you will get a much better recording.

cheers!

[NisimPerc]

Such great advice. Thanks for spending the time to really get down to details. It really is very nice of you.

[JamalPiper]

You can mic a kit with just a few mics... But you won't be able to get that modern isolated/compressed sound...

This kit was mic'd with 4 mics....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVbFr...OUT-real_rn-HM

If it's a small room you can tape/screw a PZM (boundary) mic to the ceiling above the kit, which will minimize the comb filtering small rooms generally have...

You could effectively get by on a kit with 3-4 mics. Snare, Bass, Overheads...

For positioning the overheads with a good stereo image, take a look at this under the 'mic placement' tab...
http://johnlsayers.com/Recmanual/Tit...ding_Drums.htm

[vulcan_dc]

Thanks for the youtube link... that sounded great.. awesome sounding room...

regards,