Recorderman Overhead Drum technique

[GaryCancer]

I've seen this video so many times. Someone should make a parody of it. I feel like there's a lot of potential.

[downriverrat13420]

for real, phase would be such a bitch. If the mic stand was stable, would be much better

[jakubslampa]

do i really need a mixer or can i just connect them with pc?

[InHouseMaterial]

@jakubslampa the mics they use need phantom power for this you need a mixer with 48v of supplied phontom power for each of the two mic inputs.

[Cm180247]

what kind of mics can be used for this technique?

[InHouseMaterial]

@Cm180247 any can be used. but good condenser mics will be best. you CAN use crappy cheap dynamic mics but it will sound awful. or you could use sm58/7s but it would be very quiet compared to good condensers

[aurokam]

Jeez, man, i've tried this in a very large kit and it sounds amazing ! Great technique.

[nchune]

since the 2 overheads are exactly the same distance from sn and kick, do you have to pan l/r for phase cancelation?

[TheTXDrummer]

Good to know. I suppose the phase/delay isn't as noticeable with drum mounted mics and their distance to the drum?

[SeanHart213]

despite what the video says, panning them hard sounds GREAT if you close mic simultaneously ;)

[cnote05]

@imtay22 Glyn Johns or better known as Eddie Kramer on the Hendrix and Zeppelin works was only head engineer for the Zeppelin sessions...PAGE was the executive producer on ALL Zeppelin albums.....Do you home work son! And his technique is not far off from this technique w w w dot funkybassplayer dot com /glynJohnsMethod dot pdf

[cnote05]

Dudes this is pretty much how every led Zeppelin album was done.......... Page was huge on mic placement (distance etc etc) Listen to alot of the old Sabbath albums too.

[imtay22]

@cnote05 Only Glyn Johns was their producer/engineer and his technique is different than this.

[link0867]

how do you get the mics to record like to a computer though? is there something in between said mics?

[cnote05]

@link0867 Hey Bro......you need a mobile pre-amp M-audio make a fairly decent one

[TheJacksonshredder88]

hmmm im sure you need a mic on the bass drum

[TheMusicnate]

Hey Guys, great video! What are the brand of mics that you are using in this video?

[noodledrummin1]

@TheMusicnate they look like a pair of smason co2's highly recommended

[AL3mcbox]

those 2 mics are the behringer c2??

[exaltedone]

My band recorded a quick demo using C2's and this technique. It doesn't sound amazing, but it sounds pretty good for having used 30 dollar mics. The video on my page has the URL for my band's site...the song on there is 'Specimen'.

[PorcupineFloyd68]

Has anyone tried this with a kick mic?

[ryan2stix]

@PorcupineFloyd68 I have used this same setup with a mic on the kick drum, it works great

[PorcupineFloyd68]

Thank You.

[chris25meza]

It's a great technique, but your ears are key.

[danvds3]

Yeah I agree, LDCs capture some of the lows a bit better, Pencils can sound a bit... nasal.

Sounds good! just get a high quality vid up next time so we can hear a better dynamic range!

[ArisMetal]

the whole drum set with just two overhead and one mic for the kick drum??

[daDruMM3r]

nope, just 2mics (both used as Overheads)

[kwnl]

I'm happy with JTS

[ledes022]

the two mics got to be identical?

[jackinal]

that would probably be the best way to go or else it will be differences in the sound

[djhandicapinthemix]

its just cuz his mic stand is touching one of the cymbal stands. pretty easy fix, though, you should try to isolate the mic stands from floor vibrations as well.

[dominichoenig]

the nt5s are cheap, especially considering my overheads were around 600£ each and i'd even consider them as cheap.

[HookedOnHardware]

That is quite cheap indeed. I'm usually (depending on what I'm trying to capture) around the 6k to 12k (just the overheads)

Then again, that's for a pro studio. I'm not even sure why you mentioned the price in the first place.

[mrmichaellpenman]

mmmmmm a mic should not shake and why are there korner killers in the middle of the room

[HookedOnHardware]

They aren't necessarily corner killers. He apparently has some annoying modes going on there, placing them accordingly.

[jruberto37]

one comment.. looks like the top mic is *really* swaying around. that can't be good?

[ryan2stix]

@jruberto37 dude, everything is moving..lol...weak floor perhaps?

[coolethan8]

@jruberto37 it appears the kit is on some kind of riser/floating floor. not the best quality made one by the looks of things.

[sdeanmusic]

@jruberto37 I know right? too funny...I love my concrete floor and rug :)

[Cauldronics]

Hopefully they've installed a solid floor since this video was made. If not, aligning the mics equidistantly from the kick and snare is poinltess.

[Honeythebeebee]

@jruberto37 i saw that lol

[mojorisen74]

Used this set up with nice results! Thanks alot!

[91seirravistapunk]

amazingly cheap my ass! I just seen them for like 400 dollars bro. the NT55's and the NT5.

go and get the Sansons! there 100 for two!

that's gonna be my setup soon.

The Sanson monitors are supossed to rock too.

2 mic rules!

[simonpca]

I can say you, from experience, that the 300$ price difference between the NT5s and the Samson you're talking is perfectly justified...

Depends on your budget!

[joetelefair]

This is by far the best video (pretty much the only) I've found on Youtube about recording drums with two mics. Clear and concise. Can't wait to try it out when I get my new setup. Anyone know of any other videos regarding recording drums with two mics?

[jagcag123]

is this best with condenser mics or dynamic mics?

[edwardjohanbol]

Concensers for sure - those are Rode NT5's very nice, and amazingly cheap

[PigLib]

Excellent! This is a life saver since i am very short on space around my kit. Thank you!

[pinkfloyded]

hi, can i use 2 maudio NOVA mics to get the same results? will appreciate any advice. thanks!

[daDruMM3r]

thanks for for sharing this simple video!

one question:

I want to record my drums, but I dont want to spend a lot of money on it.

Would you recommend me to buy 2 Overheads or a Zoom H2?

cheers,

[Niek747]

samson co2s?

[Marlow88]

Does anyone know what song is playing in the background? I like the sound of it but I can't seem to figure out who it's by.

Thanks

[blinklover2]

has anyone tried this with large diaphragm Condensers yet?

[rboeger]

ive tried with pencil and large diaphram.. bad combo lol, dont try it. as far as 2 large diaphram condensers, I think it would screw up the "stereo feel". like there would be too much bleeding on the mic tracks.

[dazzelya]

You probably don't know much about recording.

[deadendkid1968]

Id disagree...most of the best drum tracks are done with LDCs as overheads...Ive gotten much better results with a Pair of KSM32s or AT3035s that any SDC pairs Ive used...and if you read "Behind the Glass" most of the biggest names are using the Shure KSM32s as overheads nowdays.

[ustadkhanali]

I can't possibly be the only one who noticed how much the mic over the snare waggles ferociously back and forth when the kit is being played? Bizarre. Probably not the best for phase coherency.

[blinklover2]

haha yea but in my place it never happens.

ive had good results with this.

[b0ssh0gg]

@ustadkhanali its actually an enhanced technique which creates for more phasal shifting and subanatomical differentiation in the upper frequency quadrant

[RealZonked]

@b0ssh0gg hahaha you should audition for the next star trek movie!

[b0ssh0gg]

@RealZonked lol oh shit i forget about some of these comments i spew out... i was talking out of my ass if you couldn't tell. either way, thanks for the laugh! 

[toofarpunk]

sure it works, until you have a crash cymbal on the right above the "over the shoulder" mic and then you're getting all kinds of off axis crap.

[petesySO]

for drums, dynamic or condenser??? what are better

[martindecorum]

well there different, condensers are used for the room sound which pick up a lot of things

but dynamics mostly focus on a range of frequencies

those there are condensers if u used dynamic in it this technique would not of worked

[BillyC15]

It would work, just not as well.

[jmtdrums]

what mics are that?

[watsonad]

they look like Audio-Technica AT3031's to me.

[Proceed1992]

Rode Nt5!

[simonpca]

they're Rode NT5

[alexlancaster]

Anyone have any pointers as to EQing the drumset with this technique???

[martindecorum]

u would need to increase a lot of the lo-midrange area to gather as much bass and toms as possible without getting it sounding muddy

[Fornicus2008]

Hey RecorderMan people!! I really found this video helpful, but i have a question... What would i do if i had 3 overheads? I own a ten piece and 2 just isnt enough, s owould i put a third in the middle to cover more bass/middle toms and if so how could i measure it out?

[alexlancaster]

I would try it with the same method. just use a string or cable to make sure that all 3 OHs are the same distance from the snare and kick drum. They should all be in phase.

[Fornicus2008]

Thanks for the info, it turns out that thats almost exactly what I did!! Thanks for taking the time to reply, and im going to take your advice on makeing sure that the extra mic is the same distance from the bass AND the snare.

Again thanks

[GawdMachine]

Fantastic & painfully simple method to get the phase together quickly. All from a piece of string?!

I'm going to try this out on overheads at my next session.

Thanks!

[shawnyfresh]

Nice succinct, clear video. The internet thanks you.

[grandolddrummer]

Just tried it today, works great. I used a kick mic for a bit more punch...

[nyaben]

What mics are used in the video? Small diaphragm condensers of some variety.

[gkdrummerboy]

Bass drum?

[simonpca]

Caught by the back mike.

[gkdrummerboy]

Nice, sweet video by the way, I'm going to try this.

[kaffeinsuchtiger]

It's an overhead technique which is (or can be) combined with your close mics.

[gamnub405]

nice

toms have nice tone only prob is not enough punch in the kick

[theman362]

bit dodgy how much that top mic is wobbling but i will definitely try at least a variation of this method, maybe with a few close mics just for the phase coherence trick! cheers :)

[colorblind101a]

I still find this quite amateurish. Can't tell you why but it seems unprofessional and thats my opinon

[gkdrummerboy]

I think this way of recording was for people that don't want to buy a set of drum mics, so you;re missing the point.

[moo99]

Drum mic sets are generally crap. Build up your mic collection slowly and get good stuff that works right. Audix D6, Beyer M201, and a good pair of overheads - rode, studio projects, beyer or peluso. It's quality, not quantity

[dkcot]

i don't think gkdrummerboy meant an all-in-one drum mic set.

either way, the video is obviously how to record drums with limited mics.

[gkdrummerboy]

lol I took your advice, dynamic mics get a real clean sound too.

[colorblind101a]

I like how u people spammed this, i just stated my opinion there's nothing wrong with it, it's just my opinion deal children

[BHagey]

awesome, WILL try this.

[earhythmic]

hmm...intresting! I'm going to try that on my next drum sesh!

[hazerlazer911]

Thank you for the excellent tutorial. I'm currently looking into a low-budget home studio to get some of my ideas down, and this helps a lot.

[jetplanesteamray]

Some people also put a mic inside of the bass drum (facing to the side). This helps add some tone to the kick. Also if you want a little more space you could add a room mic.

[areuter727]

Thanks A LOT for putting this video on the internet. We got a great sound for our recording (previously the drums sounded too thin even with our nice Delta1010 setup.) Using two Audio Technica 4040's we now have a great sound. We're using closeup mics as well but the overheads are really what give the drums the nice overall sound!

[23Luce]

Great technique used it on a few recordings sounds amazing and captures the whole kit great!

[colorblind101a]

I suppose if you use two microphones that would work but for close mic'in you want to have the phase/delay the same, so by placing two microphones at the same height would be better.......i hope that kid didn't pay you too much for the session

[drk1974]

the whole point of measuring with the string is to make sure the phase/delay is exactly the same, with both mics the same distance from both the kick & snare.

[mysweetnothing]

when i first read about this technique this was the way to mic drums if u can afford enough mics or only 2 inputs to recod with Tbh it does sound good but it does sound like 2 overheads placed over a drum so its sounds a bit cheap and unpolished if u get me u cant hear the detail of each tom and the cymbals sound a bit muffled but . At the end of the day its personal i would use this for jazz maybe not with rock

[RareMusicVideos]

very plausible technique. Eddie Kramer got some of Bonham drum tracks with just two room mics. Its all about placement of the mics and drums and how your room sounds with the drums in them. Bad rooms sound bad no matter what micing technique you use. It's still a good idea to use a filler kick drum mic for added punch and mix it in with the other two overheads mics for a nice stereo drum mix.

[blinklover2]

you just saved me from spending 500 bucks on some new gear that i will only use for drums

thanks!

[Jonathangoodmanmusic]

yea thats a good idea if you want your drums to sound distant.. and cheap. maybe i should make a real "recording your drums" video..

[SublymeRecords]

Hmmm...I don't think so. Ever tried it? Let me guess, you want to use a mic on every single tom, two on snare, high-hat and then overheads, right??

Ever heard of phasing issues?

I've done some pretty big names with drum setups pretty similar to this (with the addition of a good kick mic - u47 or Soundelux U195.)

[Jonathangoodmanmusic]

actually, i used to try it alot, and i never could get the sound that i want. i use 1 on the snare, and 1 aimed to the middle of the head on each tom. and, the bass mic to the far right of the bass drum, it gets a really nice punch sound. yea.. they sound pretty good. the band im in is doing a live recording later today, ill post it later, then you can see.

[ndjlreg]

I tried it and it sounds great on my kit too. Thanks for the tip. I also tried it together with individual mics on the rest of the drums. I'm so happy with the result. Now what I have here is a pair of overhead mics that brings out the sound of the whole drumset, not just the cymbals.

[BrandynBoyles]

what HiHat is that? sounds good

[girotube]

HAHA NT5 doing what it does best...

You just gave me the final push to get me a pair of NT5 ;) I've been holding for a while...

Thanx!

[museumoftechno]

Clever! Nice one for posting this.

[nikmak]

"Those look like Rode NT-5 Pencil Condensers."

correct :)

[facethemusic1]

Those look like Rode NT-5 Pencil Condensers. I imagine that a pair of Apex 185's with omnidirectional capsules would work just as well?

[sweepee10131013]

Could be MXL603's

[SublymeRecords]

Only the omni capsules if your room sounds excellent. Even then, probably not - not for this method. Stick with cardioid.

[dorianbrentfoyil]

Nice sound! Which mic's did you use?