Microphone Setup for Drum Recording

And here we are. I got one microphone here. It's a U87. It looks like a U87, but it's actually not. It's a U87 AI I've had modified. Basically, it's turned into a U67, which is a hideously expensive microphone, but has a lovely sound.

Why Use a Tube Mic?

• It's a tube mic, so in that respect, it's a bit warmer and a bit softer sounding than a normal U87.
• I'm going to use that mic because I think it will suit well for an overall picture of the drum kit.

Mic Placement

What I'm going to do is put it right in the middle of the drum kit around here. As you can see, it's pretty close to the right cymbal, so I will have to:

• Move that away a little bit
• Even put it up higher so you don't get too much spill from that.

But in this position, you will get a pretty even volume from all the drums that you're trying to record. And that's what we want. We want an even picture of the drum kit.

Expected Sound Quality

You will get the kick mic, you will get the snare, and you will get the toms and the cymbals. So let's try and record it and see how it sounds.

Setting Up the Microphone

Okay, so we got the mic here and we need to put a little cradle on it. This cradle is to protect the mic from having shockwaves coming through the mic stand.

Importance of the Cradle

• Movement: There's a lot of movement going on with the drum kit, both from me moving as a drummer and the vibrations from the drum kit.
• Cleaner Recording: We have a cradle to protect the mic from picking up these vibrations, making for a cleaner recording.

What we're going to do is try and fit it on here. One thing when you mic up the drum kit is to make sure that when you tighten your screws, you really make sure to tighten them hard.

Avoiding Technical Issues

The last thing you want is a mic that moves in the middle of a good take. Because there will be quite a few mics on the drum kit, chances are that something will move around because drummers, technicians, or other musicians will be moving in the room.

• It's good to have everything really solid and tight.
• Tip: Double-check everything before you start recording; it's probably one of the worst things to have to redo a great take, something you can never really do again.

Common Mistakes

So, when you put up the mic stands, a lot of people neglect that. I see it all the time when I play live. Very often, mics fall off or the kick mic drops into the kick drum, and suddenly it sounds horrible.

Timing Is Everything

You're in the middle of a song, and you can't do anything about it, so you just have to get on with it. But it's a shame just because someone couldn't be bothered to tighten the screw.

Positioning the Mic

We're going to position the mic down here over the kick. As you can see, it's a pretty simple technique.

• You probably will have to adjust things as you go along.
• Record a little bit and have a listen. If it sounds good and is in balance, it's good.

Fine-Tuning

If the kick is too loud or the snare is too loud, just point the mic slightly off the drum. You don't want to be too far off. This is pretty good; it will still take a bit of the click from the beater of the bass drum.

• Cymbals: This cymbal needs to be a little bit higher, so it doesn't interfere with the mic.

Accommodating the Drummer

Sometimes, for miking the drum kit, you have to move stuff around so the drummer will have the drums in a different position than they're used to.

• It's better to accommodate the drummer because he obviously has to perform.
• Sometimes you need to move cymbals up a little bit higher or shift the hi-hat a little bit away.

Balancing Two Roles

It's good if the drummer can adapt as well because you're doing two things: playing drums and recording the drums. So, those two elements have to meet.

Power Supply and Cable Management

Okay, we're going to mic it up. This is the power supply for the tube in the microphone, and the lead goes here.

Safety Tips

• Make sure the cable is not in the way or touching any of the
• Oops, nearly killed my mic there. Make sure it's safely tucked around the mic stand.

Another thing, if you have an arm like this on a mic stand, try to put a leg alongside, and it will be more stable.

• Tip: Have the leg pointing in the direction of the arm.

Final Thoughts

We're good to go. As you can see, the microphone is pretty much right in the middle of the drum kit. It's got almost equal distance to each drum, so you should have a fairly balanced sound of the drums recorded.

The cymbals will come through as well quite nicely. So let's try and record it and see how it sounds and play along with the track.

Quick Recording Benefits

Obviously, this is not the way I would record in a drum session, but it's a good way to get a sound really quick. You can put ideas down or if someone wants you to play on their track, you can do a very quick recording.

So it's quite handy in that way. Let's try it and see how it sounds!