Taking a poll and any general info on those who record live drums. LDC or SDC for drum overheads. which do you prefer? any cool ways you guys get good takes in small rooms? Struggling right no with toms. Can't seem to get a good tone from my kit.
SDC for overheads usually work good for me in live situations, especially in smaller areas. I don't get the best toms and snare, but the cymbals have a nice wash to them and aren't in your face....... suppose it depends on what you want from them and what style of music. I do mostly jazz and jazz related live recording.
I don't usually have the space to mic toms separately and even then I have no room for mics that pick them up the way I want them to sound - I haven't recorded in a controlled setting for over 5 years, but I expect being able to mic everything up with good full range mics is where it's at for the tone you want.
On overheads, weight is often another important consideration for me and keeping them light and out of the way helps maintain the chances of leaving with mics intact at the end of the night... plus the SDC mics aren't as sensitive to surrounding instrument sounds, I've noticed recently.
In isolation, even in smaller areas, it's pretty much anything goes to get the best sound from a kit. Fine tuning the heads is at the top of the list for tone, regardless of the mics.
A single LDC overhead can pick up a really great sound from the kit. A foot or two in front of the kit and four feet or so up and can be enhanced by a few dynamic spot mics for anything that needs more detailed control in the mix. That might be a good way to get more oomph from your toms, if you depend on only overheads or close mic'ing right now.
Registered: 02/20/02
Posts: 6817
Loc: Atlantic Beach, Florida
Agree with everything uptil said, sdc's for me too. Mic placement on overheads is crucial, you really have to listen with just the overheads turned on and make adjustments as necessary to get a good sound. The other thing to watch and listen for is phasing. Lot's of good videos on micing drums.
I prefer close micing plus overheads. I have had luck with individual tracks for each mic and 2 track stereo mix of drums (external mixer) plus overheads.
