akg d112 on kick, sm57 on snare top, some small condenser on snare bottom, akg 451 on overheads and hat, and sennheiser 421 on toms and you're set :)

just my 2 cents

chris

p.s. of course don't forget to run them through hi end preamps like neve or api hehe :)

andrewcubbie wrote: Hello! Just a few quick questions.

I currently have some cheap CAD mics on my drums that work pretty good but since I'm getting more serious about recording, I'll be needing some better mics. What drum mics would you reccommend?

I heard that the AKG D112 is a great kick mic, so I may try that out. But other than the kick, what other, preferrably condenser, mics would work and sound the best?

Two. I was wondering what I can do, production-wise, that would get my kick to have more of a click to it. It has the perfect amount of boom but is lacking click. And to get a great snare sound, that doesn't sound boxy.

Sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush but hoping you could help, thanks!!

If you are on a budget, Audio Techica 4040 or 4050 for kick and toms, Sennheiser e604 for snare or toms.

For more "click" as you are calling it, you can call it "attack", most people will know what you mean. Use the AT mic in omni close to the beater head inside the kick. Another trick would be to gaffer tape a quarter to the drumhead where the pedal hits the head. Another option, change the beater, if you are using felt it's not going to have as much attack as plastic or wood. If you do all these things, you'll have more than enough attack. I've found that it is much easier to dial in low end with a kick that has too much attack than too little. Trying to get punchiness out of a kick that doesn't have it is dang near impossible. (Unless you just sample it later.)

I did a test tonight. I needed some good tom mics in a pinch and did not have the coin for 5 421's. I did a little research and saw that the curves for the AT2020 should work good on toms. I bought 4 of them today and was blown away at how great they sound on toms. I ran them through my Focusrite 428 and then through a tascam 1884 and they were great through both (better through the 428). I have dropped buying the 421's for now and will use the 2020's. I will try and make some samples and post them tomorrow.

To the original question. If you are doing rock or metal check out the Audix D6 for the kick. I own both the D112 and D6 and almost always go to the D6 when hard rock or metal is being recorded. I used the D6 on an alternative band and it sounded great there also. 112 is a bit bit more woofy and mid range than the D6. Mids are scooped pretty good on the D6.

421 inside kick
d112 in the hole
ns10 woofer in front of kick

sm57 on top of snare
sm57 bottom

57's or 421's on toms

dpa 4011/Neumann 184/akg 451 on hh and oh's

Neumann u47's as ambience :D

Doesn't Metallica put a mic on the beater side, pointed at the beater? They certainly get huge click...more like a 'phhhhhht.'

iznogood:

Are there major phase issues a guy has to address in using multiple mics like that? And if so, what's the best way to address them?

Cheers
Keith

jospehson C42's for overheads?
i'm nor a big user of under snare, use any mic with top end and save money.

room mics are crucial for some types of drum sounds and worth prioritzing if you've got a good room, i usually need two mics. Don't like one mic'd rooms much and like rubbish sounding rooms less.

taping a card to the beater/kick point is an option, as is micing the beater side of the kick to the side away from the snare. nice.

have fun

mic in beater side

not sure if mettalica does the mic on the beater side, but doesn't matter cause all of the kicks on the records are samples anyways.

I have used a 421 and an sm57 on the beater side and have enjoyed the results. Don't always use it, but it can help get that nice "click" sound people seems to be looking for. I would definetly say it is worth trying.

As far as drum mic setup:
sm 57 top snr
441 bottom snr
421 toms
451 HH
d112 kick
Neumann km 84's oh
cole 4038 for room
or u47 for room