Avid Pro Audio Community

Avid Pro Audio Community

How to Join & Post  •  Community Terms of Use  •  Help Us Help You

Knowledge Base Search  •  Community Search  •  Learn & Support


Avid Home Page

Go Back   Avid Pro Audio Community > Legacy Products > 003, Mbox 2, Digi 002, original Mbox, Digi 001 (Win)

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 01-06-2003, 11:26 AM
sipi1910 sipi1910 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: ga
Posts: 51
Default overhead mic question

it seems no matter what i do when recording drums,my overheads pick up too much of the cymbals and highhats.does anyone have any techniques for minimizing this?the rest of the kit sounds great and the cymbals actually sound pretty good too,their just too loud.

thanks,
wayne
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 01-06-2003, 11:30 AM
BigRedButton BigRedButton is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 1,292
Default Re: overhead mic question

Question #1
Are you also close micing the drums, and if so what mics are you using?

Question #2
What kind of overhead mics are you using, and how many?

Question #3
How are you currently positioning those overheads.

Question #4
What type of room are you tracking in - size, reflective surfaces, ceilings, etc.?
__________________
"Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion."

BigRedButton / Jackson Jackson
www.jacksonbjackson.com
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 01-06-2003, 11:35 AM
mjames08 mjames08 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 806
Default Re: overhead mic question

I would say that the overheads should have more cymbals in them than the rest of the kit.. Are you micing each drum seperately?
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 01-06-2003, 01:03 PM
bjoneill74 bjoneill74 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 296
Default Re: overhead mic question

Could be that the cymbals are being hit too hard.
Also, you may want to try using a different room.

In my opinion overheads aren't just for cymbals.
I've always set up the overheads first to get the whole kit then used the kick, snare, tom mics to add dimension, power to the individual drums.

Really all depends on the drummer, the drums, the room, the mics and equipment, the style and sound you are going for.

It sounds like you have a good selection of mics. Try placing the Neumann mic out in the room rather than directly overhead.

Brian
http://www.landofchocolate.net
__________________
Brian

http://www.ephemeralsun.com
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 01-06-2003, 01:10 PM
sipi1910 sipi1910 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: ga
Posts: 51
Default Re: overhead mic question

hey guys, thanks for the quick replies.im at work right now but ill try these things when i get home.its nice to have a place like this that people go out of their way to help you.

thank again,
wayne
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 01-06-2003, 01:12 PM
mjames08 mjames08 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 806
Default Re: overhead mic question

I can't live without stereo, so I would use the two condensors as overheads, but remember if you have them above the cymbals, that's what you are going to hear. You should try and blend the close mics into the overheads to get the kick and snare to the right level in relation to your overheads.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01-06-2003, 01:26 PM
silence_of_stone silence_of_stone is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,424
Default Re: overhead mic question

experiment experiment experiment. Thats all I can say... easier said than done when you have a client on the clock, but the effort is worth it.
I currently have a super nice set of Gretch drums in my studio that belong to the drummer of my band. He graciously lets my other customers use them if they want to..easier than taking them down (we also practice in the studio) everytime I have a session.
It amazes me how I have to mic the same kit differently for every drummer that plays on it.
Usually I do 8 tracks of drums, close mic all the toms, one for the BD, 1 57 pointing directly on the snare, and I mic the hi-hats, which some folks dont do, but I like the extra control. I would like to have 2 overheads, but one has been enough.
Position that overhead in different directions and see what happens. not much useful info I know, but jsut keep trying and it will definatly get better!
keep us posted.
Kev
__________________
Ad astra per aspera...
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 01-07-2003, 12:22 AM
sipi1910 sipi1910 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: ga
Posts: 51
Default Re: overhead mic question

yea, i'm close micing the snare with an sm57 and the bass with a beta 52.i'm using a neumann tlm 103 and a cheap nady scm 900 for the overheads.ive got them about 2.5 ft above the set in front angled down and about 2ft apart.im recording in a carpeted bedroom about 15ftx15ft.

thanks,
wayne
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 01-07-2003, 12:40 AM
vonbleak101 vonbleak101 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Australia
Posts: 1,256
Default Re: overhead mic question

If the overheads are picking up too much cymbals then rasie them up higher, cymbals are high frequency transient intruments meaning that the sound they produce is sharp and loud but carries little power, lower frequencies are produced by the toms, and lower frequencies have more power than higher frequencies so by time the cymbal signal reaches the mic(s) that have been moved back it will have less power, therfore it will be lower in signal, while the toms will have enough power in the signal to not be degraded by the extra distace. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Its all psyhics, as much as recording is an art its also a science.

[img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
__________________
Audio Engineer/Musician/Producer
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 01-07-2003, 12:43 AM
BigRedButton BigRedButton is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 1,292
Default Re: overhead mic question

SipiWayne -

I'd say you've got a nice mic selection to work with, and you're approach so far has been pretty standard. Many get very desirable results with similar setups and placement, but since you're getting more cymbal than you'd like, you may want to try a couple of things.

#1 - Try using only 1 OH mic (I'd go with the Neumann - drool), and rather than placing it over the kit, try in front of the kit about level with the top of the rack tom(s). You can often capture the "beef" of the drums quite nicley this way.

#2 - Try a combination of 1 OH and 1 room mic. Again I'd go with the Neumann (directly above and about a foot over the drummer's head), and then the Nady about four feet away, and in front of the kit at almost the same height as the OH mic. This may give you more of a "complete kit" sound, rather than a "directly over the cymbals sound".

#3 - No matter what, you may simply want to use more of your close mic signals durring the mix down. Experimentation is the key! Don't be affraid to try your mics in any number of combinations! You might find that the Nady condenser works great on the snare, and you can throw that 57 on a tom or HiHats.

Have fun, and please keep us posted. Or better yet, post you raw drum tracks with different mic setups and combos!

hope this helps!
__________________
"Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion."

BigRedButton / Jackson Jackson
www.jacksonbjackson.com
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
overhead compression skwad Tips & Tricks 2 12-21-2006 10:08 AM
dumb overhead question Eless 003, Mbox 2, Digi 002, original Mbox, Digi 001 (Win) 2 03-12-2005 06:10 PM
drum overhead question mbuono Tips & Tricks 8 02-18-2004 10:54 AM
drum overhead question mbuono 003, Mbox 2, Digi 002, original Mbox, Digi 001 (Mac) 5 11-28-2003 10:00 AM
Only 1 Overhead Mic??? Big Tyme 003, Mbox 2, Digi 002, original Mbox, Digi 001 (Win) 6 04-05-2003 12:58 AM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 03:35 AM.


Powered by: vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Limited. Forum Hosted By: URLJet.com