Drum inputs.

[Blue642]

hello,
I'm trying to record a standard 5pc drumset using 8 mics: 2 overheads,3 tom mics,snare mic, bass mic, and hi-hat mic. I have an 002 console, that I was inputting the overheads on 1&2 for phantom power bass on 3, snare on 4 and then toms and hi-hat went on 5-8 with xlr-1/4" cables. I know now that I need a preamp to gain the inputs 5-8, however the way I had pictured this working is that each mic channel would be its own track. Like the bass mic on input 3 would correspond with track 3 in the software and be just the bass drum (granted theres no bleed from the other drums).

Is this a possible setup or will it not work? If it will please give me any useful info you can think of. Thanks in advance.

[Blue642]

just wondering if my question was clear or do I need to re-word it?

[BookSix]

yeah, 8 mics, no problem. Get atleast 4 more preamp's (an 8 channel pre unit might be best for price). Route your extra four into the outboard pre and route those outs into analog 5-8 for additional in's. All will be on there own tracks.

[Blue642]

Thanks for the reply, so with each drum on its own track i can turn up r down each specific drum, correct?

For example, if in the mix I find that the snare is a little buried I can just turn up the snare on track 4...
Just trying to figure this out because latnight when I recorded i was forced to only track with 1-4 (2 overheads bass and snare) however, in the software, in the edit window all 4 tracks had something recorded on it, but when i muted tracks 1 and 2 there was silence (like nothing recorded to 3 & 4 and they were record enabled.) It got frustrating because my result was a very hollow drum sound like only the overheads recorded.

[BookSix]

Well, to be honest with you, those 4 mics you had could sound great provided they are placed just right and the drummer plays each drum even/consistent. Ideally, your overheads provide a good overall drum sound, then the added mics add definition (mainly needed on kick and snare - depending on music genre).

But for your question, yes, you can adjust them separate once they are on there own tracks. Just keep in mind that if you have excessive bleed on any particular tracks, turning them up can turn other things up. For example: Excessive high hat bleed into a snare mic will bring hats up drastically when compressing and raising the snare. Always get your sounds and levels right going in and you won't have problems fine tuning later.

[Blue642]

Thanks again for your comments. I can learn a lot from this. I do need to work on learning mic placement. At the moment, I am getting geared for school (Berklee online for Music production and Tech.) and Isolation of the mics. Do you have any tips on how to keep the different mics from bleeding into the others?

[BookSix]

Sure, a few...but also keep in mind, bleed is one of the things that makes your drums sound real and not programmed. So don't get paranoyed and think you need to completely eliminate it.

Kick: you can try to build a tunnel around the front of the kick to keep outside sounds from getting to it (or use an inside mic)
Snare top: Bring it in between the first tom and the high hats. You'll most likely get more hat bleed than tom bleed, so experiment with pointing more away from the hats (but keeping the mic pointed around the center of the drum head

Those two are the most straight forward techniques. The other drums depend on drum setup, player and mics. Experiment! Hope this helps.