Drum micing (not a "how do get this drum sound?" thread)

[jeid]

Hey, Just curious on what mics people are using on drums and moreso, if they use stands or clips for the mics?

I'm using SM57's on snares and rack toms and an MD421 on floor. I'll be using my newly purchased D6 on the kick.

Anyway, my problem is with mic stands. I hate getting stands in and around a drum kit. Is there a neater solution that I'm unaware of? Has anyone tried these things out? http://www.thomann.de/gb/km_24030_mikrofonhalterung.htm

I'd like to get some, and likely will because they're cheap, but I don't want mics sticking out and getting in the way of the drummer. They are stupid after all and my mics are like my babies!

I do need new stands for overheads etc anyway, but I just wondered what people thought about clips vs stands.

 

[BLUElightCory]

I used a mix of stands and clip-on mounts for the first few years of my career when I was recording mobiley...

Go for stands. They are much easier to deal with in terms of positioning the mics quickly/easily/appropriately.

Also, clips usually hang on the rim of the drum, which can kill some of the drum's resonance and can cause tuning issues.

 

[drew_drummer]

I don't recommend clips for anything other than live use. They vibrate and sound nasty. Stands are a must, imo.

If you get the drummer to set up his shells first... then mic them. He'll set his cymbals up in relation to that, and you should be able to get all your microphones in the positions you want. If they bitch.. just tell them it's the way it is.

 

[jeid]

Cheers guys, stands it is.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

I use whatever is available. On a good day it's 414's, KM184's, MD421's and something nice for the kick, the e602 being one of my favorites. Snare is pretty much always two 57's. Today I had 57's on snare and all toms, e609 for kick, K6's for overheads and some random AKG LDC's for hihat and ride, purely because that's all that was available. Sounds halfway decent, though, considering the room is horrible.

I always prefer stands, but there are times when I'm forced to use clips, eg. if the drummer has a shit ton of cymbals and can't place them so I can fit the stands in.

 

[drew_drummer]

57's are awesome. They work for toms, snares, and can even sound good when spot micing cymbals.

 

[jeid]

I've got four 57's.. I like them on pretty much everything. Overheads are my next mic purchase. Likely Oktava's