room mics for kit in a large space

[Philthy]

I have an opportunity to track a pop-rock album in a beautiful-sounding large room, and I'm planning on using mono or even stereo far-room mics for a big sound. (I can go out as far as 25-30' along the sides of a triangle with the kit at one point. The space is roughy triangular as well, although squared off at the points.)

I had decent results at this room with a single AKG C12 room mic in the past, but I'd love to hear any suggestions anyone might have. The acoustics in this room are fantastic and I want to capure as big a sound as possible.

I close-mic everything as well, and I also use stereo overheads, so really I'm asking for suggestions for microphones for micing far room.

thanks for any tips in advance!

[AE]

I tend to like the sound of omnis in this situation. Some folks use directional room mics and position them pointing away from the sound source to capture primarily ambient energy, but I'm not crazy about the off-axis coloration you'll get (more noticeable than when close miking since the energy will be roughly equal from all directions). Omnis will be much flatter off axis.

For the biggest sound, use two room mics panned hard left and right. Try different room positions, not too close to your kit. Also best to not be too close to hard reflective surfaces.

You might use a single room mic if you're trying to tightly localize the drums in the mix; pan all mics (near and far) similarly. Another interesting effect can be gotten by panning a single room mic opposite the close ones.

I wouldn't stress too much about the specific mic(s). If the room sounds great, you'll probably do fine using something that's fairly flat. My personal favorites along these lines are the Earthworks and B&K omnis. The former are more reasonably priced. If you think you want a rich, colored sound, you could of course try something else. But it's not so obvious as to what good ambient tracks should sound like. Generally, I don't look for too much low end, and I sometime tweek a bit between 1k and 2k for a more "live" sound. Like most components in a mix, the best room sound may not seem so great when auditioned alone...

[Robotnik]

Try two Coles 4038 ribbons at equidistance far and high from the kit.

[Fritz]

I agree the mics aren’t that important. But I’d be happy to have a pair of Coles. Barring them, a pair of 414 set flat and omni are quite entertaining. I always find setting them on low (desk) stands to be more interesting and sort of not bilaterally symmetrical. And then a nice squish is good.

[Kenny Gioia]

Also try a pair of 57's. I know their cheap.

For some reason they have a nice punch.

[Corey Shay]

I agree, omni's in big rooms are often the best choice. I've used U87's here before... An expensive solution. Sometimes, though, an MS mic technique can be great, especially because then you can adjust the width of the room sound to your liking after the fact. I have found however that when doing a room sound, mic choice is probably the least important when compared to other sound sources. Placement takes a higher priority.

[Philthy]

Thanks guys, those are some great suggestions and I will give them a try. Definately placement will be a priority. 57's can be a real suprise sometimes. And I will give the omni technique a shot as well; I bet the difference between the two will be interesting.