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anonymous 25 March 2009

Just wanted to get some different opinions on mic choices for my upcoming tracking session.

Recording a good old fashion rock band with a sound much like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

They have a website: http://www.myspace.com/swaggerrocks

# Source Microphone Notes
1 Kick 1 Sennheiser MD 421 Double kick set
2 Kick 2 Sennheiser MD 421
3 Snare Top Shure SM-57
4 Snare Bottom Shure SM-57 Polarity Reverse
5 Hi Hat Neumann KM184
6 Tom 1 Sennheiser e604
7 Tom 2 Sennheiser e604
8 Tom 3 Sennheiser e604
9 Overhead L AKG C451 Audience perspective
10 Overhead R AKG C451
11 Bass DI Countryman DI
12 Bass Cabinet Shure SM-57
13 Electric DI Countryman DI
14 Electric Cabinet Shure SM-57
15 Ryan Vox Neumann TLM 103
16 Jordan Vox Neumann TLM 103
17 Mix Vox Shure SM-57 Drummer / booming from behind

Microphone List Number of mics in studio
Sennheiser e604 4
Sennheiser MD 421 2
Shure SM-57 4
Shure SM81 2
AKG C414 2
AKG C451 2
AKG D112 1
Neumann KM184 2
Neumann TLM 103 2
Audio-Technica AT4033 2

(Drums are being tracked separately.)

(Recording space is pretty small but mostly dampened.)

Comments

Davedog Wed, 03/25/2009 - 10:55

You have three sets of mics to choose for your overheads....Why did you choose the 451's? Have you heard them? Are you choosing them with a suggestion from an internet site? Have you considered a room mic for the drums? If they are being recorded separately....

Have you tried recording the drums before? Have you tried getting a drum sound with half of the mics you propose? If its CSN&Y then the drum parts wont involve the toms a whole lot....Are you going to gate these or draw out the overtones in your computer afterwards?

Do you know how to make the source sound like you want it to without edits?

If you already know how this drum set sounds with these mics why are you asking?

anonymous Wed, 03/25/2009 - 11:41

I don't think he ever said he knew how the drum set sounds with those mics on it. And why don't people just answer other people's questions on here? I know some questions aren't worth answering but this one seems pretty legit. They're just asking for an opinion.

I like the C414s as overheads. Also, the KM184s are pretty nice as well. They'll have pretty different sounds. I will agree with Davedog and say that starting out with fewer mics, like two overheads, kick, snare (possibly above and below) is a pretty good way to go. Adjust those mics until you get your desired sound and if you feel like it's missing something then add more mics to whatever element you think you're missing. I, again agreeing with Davedog, think room mics are pretty rad when you're able to track the drums seperate...but then again you did say that your room is pretty small so it might be kind of pointless to set up room mics (unless again, that's the sound you're looking for).

I don't paticularily like the D112 on kick but I know people have used it with success so you could try that.

I think MD 421s are pretty sweet on bass cabinets. But might have a little too much bite for what you're going for. You might even just end up using the DI signal for the majority of your bass sound.

I think you've got a lot of options. It really just comes down to taste and what the client is looking for.

Other than that I think you've got a pretty good set up going.

But yeah, that's my opinion. Simplify and then build off of that.

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