Drum mic setup - drummer being awkward!

Thorax the Herdsman

Thorax the Herdsman

Procrastinating Fuck
Mar 26, 2003
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Outer London, United Kingdom
www.asoftoday.co.uk
So my band recently got a set of drum mics from ebay. Nothing too pricey, just something to get us up and running in the studio:

picture1mh6.png


Within seconds of setting up a clip on the edge of the snare and attaching a mic to it my drummer was complaining. Saying that they were in the way, too bulky, he won't be able to play with them and we should save up and get some "d drum mics" instead and "use triggers". (He's a drummer so likes to latch onto buzz words like they're gonna save the world, haha)

So is he being unusual in his opinion? I admit I have seen microphones smaller than these, but surely other drummers have used these kind of mics and mic holders before? Are they particularly unusual? Am I setting them up wrong - instead of clamping them to the top edge of the drum should I be doing something blatantly obvious I'm somehow missing? Any info or advice would be appreciated - I'm really looking forward to recording the band but the drummer is going to give me cardio-vascular disorders if he keeps up the good work so far! :erk:
 
Maybe try moving them a little bit higher than you had them, I don't know. If your drummer has never played with a drum microphone before tell him to practice with them and get used to it. If he still is complaining then tell him to aim for the center of the drums! If he still is complaining then buy DFHS. :heh:
 
A picture of how he sets his kit up would be usefull. Those tom mics can be a bit obtrusive especially with smaller toms. Try putting the mics on the clips the other way round. Take the screw in pin and put it through from the other side. I sometimes use this with 604s and it gets them out the way a bit more. Looking at how these ones attach it they might not be able to point down enough to point the mic at the centre of the drum but its worth a try.
 
elmuchoescadawg said:
A picture of how he sets his kit up would be usefull.
Click to expand...

Agreed! I would like to see his stick marks on the head too.
 
MKS said:
Agreed! I would like to see his stick marks on the head too.
Click to expand...
right. say him when the mic's in the way he's playing wrong!
he's to hit the snare in the middle, and there's no mic i assume.....


mics can cause some problems in the way to the 1st tom though...try to place the hihat further away/higher (better anyway) and the mic with the rear pointin towards the hihat (cardioid)....this way he shouldn't have any probs
 
Will try the mics the other way in the clamp, thanks for that tip!
And will post photos next time I'm down the studio - as far as stick marks go, he's a ridiculously heavy hitter, always has been - he cracks cymbals constantly and in the last month has gone through a kick skin and a tom skin. He also plays with his cymbals down really low, so there's probably little chance of decent separation on the mics.
Gonna be great fun recording :cry:
 
it sounds to me like your drummer is about like every other drummer who's new to recording (my drummer is very much the same way)

explain to him that you need to set up the mics to get the best sound possible, that's probably gonna make it difficult for him to play at first...try adjusting the position to compromise a little and help him out

it's very important for the drummer to understand tho, that to get the best possible sound, the mics are gonna be a slight annoyance atleast...if a good sound is really what he wants tho, he'll learn to work around it

i have this conversation with my drummer every time we record anything...he always insists on things being set up a certain way, with no reasoning behind it other than "i don't see why we should change it"

for the tracks we're currently doing i put my foot down and made him let me set things up my way, after which we made some minor adjustments to make things a little easier on him...the drums are sounding a ton better now, and i think that finally has him coming around
 
You can put the snare mic on a stand & back it off a touch. It will give you a brighter sound anyway. But remind him that a professional can handle minor inconvieniences with ease.

If that doesn't work, I suggest violence. A cattle prod will work nicely. :heh:


-0z-
 
Haha, you guys are all so mean - and blatantly all guitarists too.

Recording your guitar you can play exactly as you normally do, you get to sit down, you can hear yourself great and everything's fantastic - you don't even need to be in the same room as your gear or use headphones. Then you turn round to the drummer, tell him his kit's crap, his setup is wrong, and if he doesn't do what you say you'll murder his firstborn.

If you've got the time and it's your gear, get him to set up as normal and record a track like that. Then play it back to him, and every time he mentions something he doesn't like explain that it's because of the way his kit is setup and there's nothing you can do without moving some stuff. And if you really have to, make the point that HE'S good enough to alter his kit and still play great, but if he leaves it as it is YOU aren't good enough to make it sound great. Once he's left the room you can throw up at having to tell such blatant lies :p

Steve
 
Yeah. Every time I mic up a kit I make the drummer move all of his brass as far away as possible while still letting him play his stuff. Sometimes drummers can move their shit wayyyyy back, and the drums come out seperated as fuck, which is awesome, but then you have the guys that just can't move their shit and it sounds...well...not as good, lol. If he has short arms, then I can understand the cymbals being so low, but if he can reach farther without a problem, then he's just retarded for having them that low. Also, being able to break cymbals and heads in a very short amount of time is not cool in the least bit, maybe you should tell him that. Unless he just doesn't like money and enjoys replacing that shit constantly. That's absolutely rediculous that he plays that hard, it's not necessary at all.

~e.a
 
Suicide_As_Alibi said:
Haha, you guys are all so mean - and blatantly all guitarists too.
Click to expand...

Actually, I AM a drummer. Slightly moving cymbals and drums around shouldn't be a big deal. Just give the drummer 15 to 20 minutes to warm up to the new setup.

Just take the time to explain the method to your madness. If my un-skilled ass can hit the center of an 8 inch tom with a e604 and a ddrum trigger, surely this guy can hit the center of his snare.
 
Suicide_As_Alibi said:
Recording your guitar you can play exactly as you normally do, you get to sit down, you can hear yourself great and everything's fantastic - you don't even need to be in the same room as your gear or use headphones.
Click to expand...

I routinely have guitarists play guitars that aren't theirs and basses that aren't the bassists' because they sound better than the crap the band brings with them.
 
Yeah I figured I'm going to have to ask him to raise his cymbals a little at some point...just not looking forward to the torrent of reasoning I'm going to have to deliver it with to justify myself, and the sulks I'll get after! He'll probably ask for them all to be triggered instead, he's already asked if I can trigger his cymbals :Smug:

On a side note, he mentioned to nobody in particular whilst at rehearsal, that he was thinking about removing all the bottom skins from his toms and having them miked from the inside. I know sometimes drums are miked from the bottom as well as the top - with the snare quite often for example, but surely miking them from the bottom only isn't a great plan? I'm pretty sure the answer is no anyway but I feel like I'm going to need mountains of evidence to support every suggestion and demand I make of him and his kit during recording! :cry:
 
Your drummer needs to get his facts straight. if he wants his stuff triggered tell him to go buy his own damn Ddrum triggers and a brain to run them through, and he can set all that shit up. I use MD421's on my toms and 57's on my snare. You have to learn to play around it, it sucks without a doubt but you have no choice basically. I've been playing drums for 11 years and just recently started playing on a set with mic's. I've raised my cymbals and flattened my toms out as well as moved my hi hat in order to prevent a lot of bleed. ill post a picture of how i have everything set up as of now.
 
Thorax the Herdsman said:
Yeah I figured I'm going to have to ask him to raise his cymbals a little at some point...just not looking forward to the torrent of reasoning I'm going to have to deliver it with to justify myself, and the sulks I'll get after! He'll probably ask for them all to be triggered instead, he's already asked if I can trigger his cymbals :Smug:
Click to expand...

Show him this thread www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=217656

This does kinda illustrate the difference between a drummer and a bloke who sits and hits things!
 
If he wants everything triggered anyway, why don't you just save yourself all the hassle and program a good drumtrack in DFHS?

I sure know it's MUCH quicker than bringing gear to the studio, setting it all up, getting tones and recording a perfect performance.

AND he doesn't have to mess with those DARN microphones that are in his way! :)
 
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