AS EASY OR HARD AS YOU WANT IT TO BE: MIC SELECTION, TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Get a side address condenser mic and place it directly above the kick drum, just underneath the ride (facing downwards). It really shouldn’t sound good, but somehow it does. OPTIONS: PGA181, Beta 181
Same deal as with one microphone, but add one on the kick drum. After all, the kick is the heartbeat of your song. KICK OPTIONS: PGA52, Beta 52A
This one is called the Glyn Johns’ Method after the legendary engineer for Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Emmylou Harris and so many more. Keep the kick mic and buy a second condenser. Place one of them to the right of the floor tom, about six inches (15 cm) above the rim, angled towards the hi-hat. The other one goes four feet (120 cm) over the kit aimed straight at the snare drum. OPTIONS : PGA52, Beta 52A, PGA181, Beta 181, KSM137, SM27
Keep the kick and the overheads, but add in a snare mic. This time we’ll place the overheads directly over the kit, equal distance from the snare. The kick mic stays where it is, while the snare is roughly 4 inches (10 cm) above the drum and pointing halfway between center and rim. SNARE OPTIONS: SM57, PGA56, Beta 56A
PRO TIP: When you’re using multiple mics, you can sometimes get phase cancellation. To prevent this, remember the 3-to-1 rule and flip the phase switch on one of your overheads in your DAW.
Sylvia Massy has recorded Johnny Cash, Tool and System of Down. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t ready to do weird things on a budget.
“I do try to bring in unconventional techniques,” says Massy. “My philosophy is that if you want to help someone create new sounds, you have to try new ideas. If you just press buttons and use presets, you get the same results as everyone else.”
A great example comes from her book Recording Unhinged, where she explains how to record drums with a single mic and a garden hose.
The method: get about 10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 meters) of hose, and insert an SM57 into one end. Carefully tape up the other end. And then lay the hose around the kit with the mic on the floor tom side. “Add some compression and you’ve got a great drum sound,” says Massy, “Best of all, it’s without all the cymbal noise that can sometimes ruin room mics.”
LISTEN TO THE FULL SYVIA MASSY SIGNAL PATH EPISODE:
This episode was recorded with two SM7B at The Famous Gold Watch studio in Berlin. Find more Signal Path interviews with the people shaping the world of audio here.
