Drum recording with one mic

[Drew90293]

Not bad at all. Nice snare btw Joey Jordison's signature drum there

[rhyskallen]

hi i would like to know if it would sound better using 2 mics ether side and would a condenser mic sound a bit better? and louder?

[Darkostica]

@rhyskallen It's all down to preference really. When I use 2 mins(which you will see soon in a video) I use one in the same position as this video and one on the kick drum because its not clear enough otherwise. And yes condenser mics would work fine. As far as I know, they are better for picking up high frequencies.

[ColmIncendinall]

Hey man sounds great! My advice would be to try it with the mic pointing down close enough over your right shoulder, it picks up more of the kick and the snare together while avoiding some of the cymbal, throw your compression and verb on and see what you think! Thats the way I have used in my drum vids.

[Darkostica]

@ColmIncendinall Ahh, sounds good! I'll give it a go, thanks man!

[AlexTheDrummer110]

@Darkostica noob question, how do u get ur reverb and compression? is it in a software? lol

[Darkostica]

@AlexTheDrummer110 Ya, the effects are plugins built in to Pro Tools. Most common effects like that are built in to all good recording software.

[GreenDouche]

Hey are there any mics that can do this that aren't as expensive as the Shure SM58?

[EspGuitars1337]

@GreenDouche 100 dollars is a MINIMUM for a quality mic.. If your budget for a microphone is under 100 dollars than you're screwed. 

[GreenDouche]

@EspGuitars1337 I don't need it to be as good as the Shure, I just need it to be able to pick up the whole drum kit and nothing else.

[jamiemac5]

@GreenDouche do a copy of the SM58 called the XM8500 which i think's quite a bit cheaper.

[pjfadriquela]

not bad. but clearly not enough bass or pop from the snare. We've recorded some good drum tracks with just a bass, snare, and overhead mic. That might be the easiest thing for you.



[Darkostica]

@pjfadriquela I respect your opinion but the whole purpose of the video is the show the sound I achieved with 1 mic, not 3. Plus I only have 2 inputs anyway. I should be making new videos soon. Thanks for the comment.

[petefaders]

What snare drum is that? I like the crack when u hit it hard, but soft it sounds muddy.

[Darkostica]

@petefaders Its the Joey Jordison signature snare made by Pearl. It does have a lovely crack to it when tuned right but I tune mine lower than most people who but this snare.

[petefaders]

@Darkostica Right, but you see what im saying about the inconsistency in the attack?..as a recording engineer, it's a pain in the ass to mix. That snare is for hard hitters..I'll look up Joey Jordison..dont know him. Thanks.

[haakman123]

I miss the beef in the kick, maybe you can put that cheap mic you have there to get some of that?

[Darkostica]

@haakman123 I'll be borrowing some better mic's from a friend very soon so you'll hear it then! ;)

[wattacoolguy]

@MadMaxTVNr1 he said dont judge his playing!

[Darkostica]

@wattacoolguy Ah Captain Obvious, when did you get here?

[Darkostica]

@MadMaxTVNr1 its a Shure SM58! And thanks!

[unique74muzik]

nice funk roll.

[TheTutorialMagic]

just kidding i see it

[TheTutorialMagic]

uhmmmm the fill at 41 has snare sounds but you clearly didnt hit the snare?

[IFoughtTheLaw369]

@TheTutorialMagic (I tried posting this comment before but it looks like it didn't post) he's doing a snare-tom-floor-bass bonham style paradiddle. the right hand goes between the snare and the floor tom (very quickly), so it's just harder to see.

[karmabiscuits]

@TheTutorialMagic He did hit the snare, pay attention to his right hand

[BlindShorty11]

is that the joey jordison snare?

[Darkostica]

@BlindShorty11 It is indeed!

[BlindShorty11]

@Darkostica no wonder it sounds like sex haha

[Darkostica]

@BlindShorty11 Hahaha! Ya I try not to tighten the crap out of it, I really prefer it at a medium-high tension like it is here!

[BlindShorty11]

@Darkostica yeah me too. btw i might make a drum cover tommorow with 1 mic which i have the setting about 3 inch above the bass drum and 2 inch in front it. it sound more bassy . im gonna make test video like this tommorow. i'll hit you back when im done ;)

[Darkostica]

@BlindShorty11 Cool, link me to it when you're done man!

[BlindShorty11]

@Darkostica this is a re-upload /watch?v=nSl5WMM0tQY

[scopata201]

Sounds good. Where did you place the mic? Thanks

[FilthRations]

I love miking with a Shure SM27 at chest level about 5-6 feet from my kit. Sometimes I'll use some uber-heavy compression to place behind a drum mix just to hold things together. It still sounds totally badass with just one mic though!

[MistaMichaelLee]

That had a pretty good sound. Definitely a lot better than mine. I'll try out the Shure SM58. It's pretty bad if one mic has a better sound than my 3 mic set up. Haha.

You got awesome skills too dude. Good job.

[Darkostica]

@MistaMichaelLee Thank you very much!

[DrumsTama182]

what mic do you use ?

[Darkostica]

@DrumsTama182 Shure SM58

[DrumsTama182]

@DrumsTama182 Ok thanks ! the sound is good ! i have a Sm58too, i try to do a drumcover with this mic :)

[dsally23]

hey man tried it out - yours sounds way better lol but i got a good sound overall with a nice addition of stereo balance, only thing is i dont have 2 58s, only 1 sm 57 and an ev dynamic - good mic but the 57 sounds dead scooped you know? :)

[thedebo777]

Is there any way you could corporate Garage band in any of the audio processing?

[Darkostica]

@thedebo777 I have never used garage band properly but I'm sure you could just do all your recording through it. All you need is a cheap usb audio interface and you're good to go. If garage band doesn't work out for you. try Reaper, I used it for years before I bought Pro Tools, its free and very easy to use. Let me know if you have any more questions, I'll try my best to help.

[dsally23]

hey man thanks alot! im gonna try this method now but with two mics up above put into a kind of stereo mix... an sm57 and --- oh a dunno im sure ill find some piece of crap that sound alright in my garage lol :)

[Darkostica]

@dsally23 Cool! Really glad it helped! :)

[sahbian]

where is the mic placed?

[Darkostica]

@sahbian About a foot over my head, placed centrally over the kit.

[jackthedrummer96]

u think i could do this in audacity? :P

[Darkostica]

@jackthedrummer96 This could probably be done in Audacity but I honestly think if you want to use free software to record, you should use Reaper. I find it much better than Audacity in every way. I might make a video on using Reaper soon.

[AustinFrestone]

wow! I didn't expect the sm58 to get so much of the bass!

[Darkostica]

@AustinFrestone Ya I was fairly surprised too! haha!

[tomita90]

yo what kind of mic are you using homie?

[Darkostica]

@tomita90 A Shure SM58

[TheArtateK]

awesome. and everything recorded with just one mic? sick.

[Darkostica]

@TheArtateK Thank you! 

[RC62Scorch]

what did you use to record the sound? An Ipod? video camera? or actual mic>?

thanks a ton

[Darkostica]

@RC62Scorch I used an SM58 microphone going through Pro Tools to record the sound! Then I put the video and audio into windows movie maker and synced them up! Its very simple! Hope this helps!

[RC62Scorch]

my neighbors would be so pissed if I drummed in my house.! xD

[Darkostica]

@RC62Scorch Haha! The funny thing is that the man that sold me my first drum kit lives right across the road! So he can't complain! :P

[LooneyCon]

its ok now m8 ive worked it all out. :)

[LooneyCon]

hey, when using a basic audio interface for say just an ipod and one mic, is there any need for some special software? or can i just record it with the computer basics?

[Darkostica]

@LooneyCon I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Recording with an iPod?

[ShxlerMusic]

Way to have a Joey Jordison kit and not be some Slipknot wanna be 12 year old.

[Darkostica]

@ShxlerMusic Hahaha! I most definitely am not a slipknot wanna be, I dont even listen to them! I just like the snare! And its not the joey jordison kit, its a pearl masters premium....much better than the joey kit! ;)

[ShxlerMusic]

@Darkostica This is true.

[spongeydrumer]

i have grage band and a am not sure how to record and make video any help?

[LooneyCon]

If recording drums with only one mic is it best to use a vocal mic or a Large-diaphragm mic? and also can it be recorded on the computer without a mixer??

[Darkostica]

@LooneyCon I'm not entirely sure but I would guess the Large-diaphragm mic would be better for this setting! And yes it can be recorded on the computer without a mixer! I didn't use a mixer for this! I used a Digidesign Mbox 2 mini, which is an interface that plugs in through usb! If you're looking for a cheap interface I have a friend that recommends the ESI UGM 96! its inexpensive and good quality for the price! Hope this helps!

[LooneyCon]

@Darkostica That helps so much! thank you m8!

[LooneyCon]

@DarkosticaThat helps loads ta m8, but what about like camera n stuff, how do you put the recording with the sound? is there some software i need or can it just be done in movie maker? and what camera do u recommend??

[Darkostica]

@LooneyCon Movie maker will do the job fine, thats what I used for this video! Well any decent digital camera will do! You just record the video and audio at the same time, import both into movie maker, and then turn off the audio from the camera recording so you can only hear the recording from your mics! Does that make sense? Sorry if I'm explaining badly!

[LooneyCon]

@Darkostica yeh that great thanks :)

[Darkostica]

@pacificdrummer40551 Thanks! 

[daking439]

which mic did you use??

[Darkostica]

@daking439 I used a Shure SM58! The SM58 mostly for vocals but it was the best mic I could get my hands on at the time!

[blacknred09]

Cool drumming man

[Darkostica]

@blacknred09 Thanks man!

[willwelsh816]

theres gotta be a way to get a little more bass drum out of that, maybe the mic a little lower?

[Darkostica]

@willwelsh816 Ya maybe you're right! I haven't really had a chance to check it out since I recorded this! I'll try make another vid to compare and lower the mic this time!

[Darkostica]

@ben13drummer Thanks man!

[HipInTheHop]

senheiser HD 201 for the win !

[Darkostica]

@HipInTheHop Hahaha, FTW!!

[LouReedsBooks]

tighten that snare

[Darkostica]

@LouReedsBooks No because it chokes too easy and I like the tone I get from it at this tension!

[soundofwaveband]

Do you use mixer?

[Darkostica]

@soundofwaveband No I didn't use a mixer, I have a Digidesign M-Box 2 mini which has 2 inputs on it so I didn't need a mixer!

[soundofwaveband]

@Darkostica Would mixer work anyway?

[Darkostica]

@soundofwaveband Ya a mixer would work too! I could just have the two main outputs from the mixer going into my two inputs on my M-Box!

[soundofwaveband]

@Darkostica Thanks!! this helps so much ;)

[Darkostica]

@soundofwaveband No problem, glad I could help! Have you got a recording interface aleady?

[soundofwaveband]

@Darkostica Not yet, I'm getting it

[Darkostica]

@soundofwaveband Cool, what are you getting? And what software are you going to use?

[soundofwaveband]

@Darkostica i'm getting behringer u-control uca 202...and i use maybe sony acid 7 or pro tools...i dont know yet.

[Vidmakr6302]

were did u put the mic?

[Darkostica]

@Vidmakr6302 I used one Shure SM58 and its placed about one foot over my head, fairly centrally over the whole kit!

[xmetalrx]

slipknot snare! \m/

[Darkostica]

@xmetalrx It is indeed! It has served me well! haha!

[cokezzzftw]

<3 your splash.

[Darkostica]

@cokezzzftw Hahaha! Thanks dude! I got it dirt cheap man, like around 30 euro! I think its a 10'' Paiste 502!

[yatindimebag]

what mic did you use? and where did you place it?

[Darkostica]

@yatindimebag I used one Shure SM58 and its placed about one foot over my head, fairly centrally over the whole kit! It sounds quite good for just one mic! :)

[yatindimebag]

@Darkostica yeah! its an awesome sound you got there! :)

[Darkostica]

@yatindimebag Thanks man, I appreciate it! :) I honestly threw this together in like 5 mins! All it is is a bit of compression and reverb but it sounds much better than I thought it would!

[tazrevo]

Dont judge your playing? Dude your freakin amazing. Im almost scared to see how you are later in the day!

[Darkostica]

@tazrevo Dude.....this comment just made my day! Thank you so much man! That really means a lot! I'll make a much better vid soon and I'll be properly warmed up in it! Thanks again man!

[Frogprince777]

@tazrevo Lol I agree, very well done. And great sound indeed

[rcboatdriver1234]

i just use my logitech usb vocal mic in front of me and it sound great its just like the rockband mic but its the logitech version

[Darkostica]

@rcboatdriver1234 Oh cool! Ya i've seen a few people do that actually!

[mootbooxle]

You're pretty freaking good yourself man!!

This reminds me of my high school days, when all I had was a pair of old SM57s. You can get some decent sounds, but you always have a weak kick tone. Once I was able to get a nice condenser mic, I'd put it about a foot in front of the kick, and that helped a lot.

Nice rock snare tone! Is that the Joey J snare?

[Darkostica]

@mootbooxle Thanks man! Ya i know what you mean, its fun trying to get a good sound with limited equipment though! Ya it is the Joey J snare, I really like the sound of it and it sounds great live!

[mootbooxle]

@Darkostica I agree. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes more is more lol. Just depends! I've done some records with just 5 mics on the kit - pair of Neumann KM184s on overhead, SM57 on snare, D112 on kick, and a Shure KSM44 in omni to pick up the room. Perfect for a funky 60's-70's sound. Most of those mics were borrowed, mind you ;)

I bet that snare has tons of projection and volume for live, huh? Again, nice playing!

[Darkostica]

@mootbooxle Ya man, depends on the sound your looking for! I wanna try some experiments with different mic setups and placements to see what can be done! And I'm gonna make a proper kind of drum solo video soon using maybe 2 or 4 mics so it'll sound a lot better! I was only messing around in this vid, testing the sound! But thanks for the compliments anyway dude!

[dinkyemg]

you liked my bass drum sound :) but i loved your snare sound haha ;)

[Darkostica]

@dinkyemg Haha! thanks man! I like to take my time when tuning, its well worth it. People often don't like the Joey Jordison snare!

[Darkostica]

@dinkyemg I'm going to make another one soon enough using either 2 or 4 mics

so that will sound a lot better! My bass drum sounds very weak in this video without its own mic.

[dinkyemg]

@Darkostica nice :) you should put one in your bass drum, another in the snare, and 2 overheads if you are just using 4 mics :)

[williamgag]

what mic did you use ???

[Darkostica]

@williamgag Just one Shure sm58.

[simplyunclassifiable]

@Darkostica You have to be kidding me. That's a vocal mic.

[Darkostica]

@simplyunclassifiable I know it's a vocal mic, I study sound engineering in college. This was simply an experiment I did to see what sound quality I could achieve.

[Darkostica]

@simplyunclassifiable Would you not agree that they sound quite good considering I used just one vocal mic?