[QuikDraw]

If you visualise the cardioid pattern of the SM81 mics you'll see that pointing them straight down is not going to yield a distinctively stereo signal. There's not much rejection off the sides of those mics. You need to point the mics in the direction you want them to hear.

You should probably try what is known as an XY configuration for your OH mics. Both mics will be over the approximate center of the drumkit almost touching each other. The mic that is on the Ride Cymbal side of the kit will actually be pointed towards the Hi-Hat and vice versa. The mics will be angled about 90 degrees to each other. Now if you visualise the pickup pattern of the mics you'll see that each mic will see a significantly different signal. This is probably the most popular configuration for overheads. Since both mics are in almost the same physical location it minimizes phase problems.

I've also had success with more distant mic'ing. Place each mic 5 or 6 feet either in front or behind the kit and point each one towards the physical location that you would like to be panned strongest in the L-R mix. This setup also yields good stereo separation, but you're more likely to run into phase problems due to the physical distance between the two mics.

Experiment with the mic placement until you get it just right. You want the overheads to do a good job of picking up the whole kit. They are the heart of your drum sound. The close mics on the rest of the kit only support the mix you have in the overheads.

Mike