Drum Mics

Recording drums can be one of the hardest things when recording a band. Many people are unsure what to do and how to go about it. Although when recording drums mic placement and choice is a big issue, the biggest issue of all is how good the drummer places. ie a solid drummer is going to be alot easier to record than someone who plays loose and out of time.

Kick Drum

Even though the drummer plays the entire kit as a single instrument, the miking of individual drums and cymbals can make for a very complicated mix scenario. The reason I reference country and rock music specifically has to do with the fact that in these genres the sounds of the individual drums and cymbals are not only singled out by individual microphones placed on each of them but also their sounds are exaggerated to create an even more dramatic effect.

Consider, for example, the tom fills in Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight." By contrast, jazz drums are often treated as a more cohesive, unified sound and it's not unusual to use a simple pair of overhead mics to capture the sound of the entire jazz drum kit.

This is a quick primer to help you decide which microphone to use for your specific recording application. Remember that dynamic microphones are more rugged, require no external power, and serve well for recording very loud sound sources. Condenser microphones are more fragile, very sensitive, and require either a battery or a "phantom" power source. Also, note carefully the pickup and response patterns of the microphones you are considering.