difference recording drums with 4 mics or more

[Sibob]

I remember reading that Primus' Brown album was recorded with one ambient condenser in the room, and the drummer used the largest drums he could find.

Doesn't sound super 'studio', but definitely has a vibe. Anything is useable if you know how

Si

[cheddatom]

I'd say they key to that is a drummer who actually sounds good in the room. So many drummers play their cymbals louder than their drums, and if they're doing that, you really need to close mic everything

[jensenmann]

22 hours ago, Sibob said:

It's also worth remembering that those 'professionals' are probably only in that position of knowledge by DIY'ing for decades lol

Si

Not really. Working or recording in a good studio sets the bar for a beginner to know what is considered to be a good or bad sounding track/performance. Of course you can get there with a DIY approach, but this includes a lot of effort, time and fails. Using the expierience of great studio engineers lets you move on much faster.

E.g. the singer of my current band was interested in audio and booked online classes here in Germany. That took him money, time and effort. When he later joined the band we went straight into my studio and started recording. That was something else for him. He later on admitted that most of the stuff he´d learned in these classes were meaningless because in the end it always comes down to judging sounds and performance. Obviously something he hadn´t been taught in his classes.

I´m with BigRedX, get your hands dirty, use whatever you have and make it sound good. That will bring you further. (Though I still think that listening in a good designed room with hi-resolution monitoring will get you further a lot faster and gives your judgment a more reliable basis).

[Dad3353]

2 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

We found that individually micing drums is essential...

While being pertinent, one could also argue that a listener, 'live' to the set does not have this luxury of fine balance between the elements of the kit. It's  the sum that's heard. An equivalent could be having individual pole piece adjustment on a bass pick-up; some use a single bar magnet, which works well, too. It all depends on the result looked for. Personally, and excepting specific needs, I find that the whole kit is balanced enough (cymbals included...), helped along by the playing techniques adopted. If I want a crash to be a bit louder, I hit it differently. Problem solved (most of the time...).

I'd use separate mics if I want, for instance, specific treatment (Flanger on the cymbals..? Delay on the snare..? etc...); otherwise a simulation of what someone in the audience would hear is my basic goal. The bass drum mic is only there, for example, because the overheads won't pick it up enough. Even then, a solo mic further out can do that job, too. It all depends...

[charic]

Like you say it all comes down to what you're after.  Probably the biggest advantage to micing everything (in some case as many as 3 mics on one drum) is that you don't HAVE to use them but they're there if you want them.

I think it was and justice for all that had two mics taped together on the top of the snare and one mic underneath.  For me it's about options!

 

[Dad3353]

[Terry Bozzio] Yes, I insisted on having three mics for every part of the kit, but all I got was this stinking single overhead..! What; aren't I good enough or something..? [/Terry Bozzio]

[bazzbass]

On ‎11‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 21:17, discreet said:

...nylon tip sticks and sand coated heads can help compensating for a soft hitter and save you time editing (ie, editing less).

Where is that soft hitter and do you have his phone number??

his name is George. He is 65.

 

you can't have him he's ours...and five other bands'