Standard drum mic setup

Condenser mics are more accurate than dynamic mics. Overhead Microphones like the Rode M5 can be used on miking other instruments too like violins and acoustic guitars. Anywhere that clarity is demanded Condenser microphones will do the job. Anywhere that the volume levels can be applied Dynamic mics will be better used and on the drum kit this is especially true. The only problem with this that you leave a little clarity and high frequencies that you get with Condenser mics behind.

A feature called DB Padding which normally happens in Condenser mics will raise or lower the input signal to the mic. This is something that you will see miking a loud source like cymbals.

Sensitive Condenser mics will sometimes distort, using this feature you can knock the volume down and still use the microphone for optimum performance.

Before you can talk placement of mics and the type of mic to use, most sound engineers agree that more importantly is the drum tuning and the player.

The drums need to sound their best and have to be played to get the best sound. The clip-on Mics like Sennheiser e can work the Snare. They are Dynamic and Cardioid that can clip to the side of the Tom or Snare for easy set-up. The clips are out of the way and out of sight. The Best microphones needed to mic your drums in a Live setting are not the studio-quality Condenses that Professionals need.

They will also handle most of your workload. They are less prone to feedback and they offer a good mid-range frequency. They are engineered with pre EQ frequency which makes them built for the job. The Cardioid Condenser mics that an inexpensive like the Pencil style condenser will produce the high-end frequencies that are lost by using the Dynamic mics. Use them on the cymbals and Hi-Hat where those frequencies matter. But I would recommend the Drum Mic Kits that include everything you need to get your kit miked on stage with fairly good quality.

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What you will hear is a lack of attack and a lack of body. These will come close to fully canceling each other out, so to remedy this, you flip the phase either at the mic pre or in your recording software.

If only it was that easy all the time! More than likely you are going to find that things are not fully out of phase or fully in phase. In our example below you can see that these are very close to being locked into phase.

We can do the same with the kick mic. Drums are tricky like this, as we have a lot of different sources packed into a small area.

The fewer mics you use, the less chance of having phase issues. As you add microphones, you have to really make sure that you are getting a great sound while recording, as you may not be able to fix the phase in the mix if there are phase issues.

You can really enhance the sound of the kit by adding mics, but when starting out, fewer microphones is probably the way to go. In the end, we are all chasing a great sound, so making sure you have a great raw sound on the way in is going to allow you to manipulate the tracks in the mix to get exactly what you are looking for, and this all starts with in-phase tracks. The kick and snare positions are really a matter of moving the mics until you achieve a sound that you like.

Move that mic until it sounds good. The kick is even more straightforward. These mics are intended to enhance the sound of the kick and snare along with the overheads. For your two overheads, you can try using two different mics if that is all you have. Ideally, we like using two of the same mics, but in a pinch, find the mic that sounds better over the snare or try both there first , and then move as necessary.

The first overhead mic is the mic that is directly over the snare, pointing to the center of the snare drum head. We like to go closer to 2. This provides more room to the drummer and gets you a little more of an open sound. In your room, you may find that you are getting too many reflections and room sounds at that height. If so, bring the mic closer to two sticks, or until the sound is better.