Miking a drum kit is a daunting task that leaves even the most experienced studio engineers scratching their heads when asked about the perfect method. There are entire 4- and 6-piece mic kits that are made solely for miking drums, but these are sometimes restrictive of the warmth you can get from a good condenser mic.

If you want to mic your kit for recording without spending alot of money on a specialized mic set, you're in luck.

Materials

Procedure

  1. Connect your condenser mics to their power supplies, and the power supplies to your recording medium.
  2. Mount each mic on its own stand.
  3. Position the condenser mics to be just above your head (if you are the drummer) or your drummer's head (if you are the studio engineer.)
  4. Angling towards the kit from behind the drummer's stool, turn one mic slightly to the left, and the other slightly to the right. This captures the stereo effect of the drumkit.
  5. Position the dynamic mic so it is approximately 1 cm away from the bass drum (or kick drum) head on the side opposite the pedal. Place it halfway between the center of the drum head and the rim.
  6. Have someone play the drums while you return to your recording medium and monitor the sound. Adjust the levels to your liking.

You are now prepared to record mind-blowing gut-busting drums that will sound as good on the recording as they do live, and you have saved money to boot.

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