Help on recording drums on a tight budget

[muckypup1]

Well me and my band are going to be recording some new shit soon, and our drummer is insisting on having real recorded drums...

We are all poor in the band, so we need to do this for as little money as possible, the only interface i've got is a line 6 GX, so i know we need a new one for drums.

We are playing funk/prog/death metal, so a kind of raw drum sound would be best.

So any help would be awesome dudes, i have NO idea what to do, or what gear we need to do this

 

[MetalJonesy]

raw, produced, blah blah blah, at the end of the day ur gnna need at least 16 channels for drums, well it's at least what i need. I know we have all been skint at some point and its a struggle to build up our gear (i'm in that boat) but its the only way to get stuff done unfortunately!

 

[muckypup1]

raw, produced, blah blah blah, at the end of the day ur gnna need at least 16 channels for drums, well it's at least what i need. I know we have all been skint at some point and its a struggle to build up our gear (i'm in that boat) but its the only way to get stuff done unfortunately!

I've read about people using like 4-6 mics and getting reasonable sounds, is this possible? or is it hopeless haha

 

[AllanD]

raw, produced, blah blah blah, at the end of the day ur gnna need at least 16 channels for drums, well it's at least what i need. I know we have all been skint at some point and its a struggle to build up our gear (i'm in that boat) but its the only way to get stuff done unfortunately!

ATLEAST 16? Kind of ridiculous. I'd say 7 or 8 depending on toms.

Snare
Kick
OH1
OH2
Tom
Tom
Tom
Maybe Ride

This should easily get you good results. Worst case scenario is that you replace all the drums and keep the overheads. Does the pod thing have a MIDI in?

 

[muckypup1]

ATLEAST 16? Kind of ridiculous. I'd say 7 or 8 depending on toms.

Snare
Kick
OH1
OH2
Tom
Tom
Tom
Maybe Ride

This should easily get you good results. Worst case scenario is that you replace all the drums and keep the overheads. Does the pod thing have a MIDI in?

The pod interface doesn't have shit, i'll need a new interface as well But yeah, i was thinking like 3 mics for 3 toms, one for the snare, one for the kick, and a overhead mic, would one not be enough for the overhead mic?

Also, my drummer kit has 1 kick, snare, 3 toms, 1 crash, 1 ride, and 1 china maybe, i have no idea what it is lol

 

[BLUElightCory]

Save some money and book a day or two at a studio with a good room, sufficient inputs, and a good mic selection - if you want to produce/engineer it yourself most commercial studios will allow it (make sure they have an assistant around to help out). You'll save yourself a lot of trouble and your tracks will most likely sound better. Once you cut the drums you can do the rest with your current setup.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I agree just go somewhere. If your drummer doesn't suck ass, maybe you could bang it out in a few hours.

 

[professorlamp]

red 5 mics are cheap as fook and don't sound terrible, id say 8 channels maximum for now

Kick
snare top
snare bottom (maybe change this for a room mic)
OH L
OH R
tom
tom
tom

 

[Forceps]

would one not be enough for the overhead mic?

No, you need two to get this nice stereo sound! Maybe hiring a studio is the best plan indeed, that doesn't have to be too expensive... or maybe you can rent an interface and some nice mics and do it yourself.

 

[Joematthews]

I've never got a useable sound without a bottom snare mic, so I'd factor that in

 

[BLUElightCory]

I've never got a useable sound without a bottom snare mic, so I'd factor that in

Not to mention a pair of room mics, I couldn't do without them (especially if the band wants to keep the drums raw, the rooms will add some depth/size).

 

[Trevoire520]

As has already been said, looks like you'd be better going to a studio to get the drums down. Should easily be able to get into a local studio for the day for around £200. And they'll have all the gear you need. Hell they might even have a nice drum kit!

 

[muckypup1]

As has already been said, looks like you'd be better going to a studio to get the drums down. Should easily be able to get into a local studio for the day for around £200. And they'll have all the gear you need. Hell they might even have a nice drum kit!

This is what we'll do then Its too expensive buying the mics and doing it myself, I CAN'T do it haha, my bands drummer really kicks ass, he'll be able to get everything recorded in a few hours, thanks for any tips and advice you dudes gave, my fellow sneapsters kick ass

 

[006]

I know you decided but I agree with just going to a studio, it should cost less than buying all the shit to do it yourself. Just make sure you guys practice until you hate the songs, then practice some more to get the best value for your dollar for the time you are there.

 

[fitzrangerhoodngarb]

Well me and my band are going to be recording some new shit soon, and our drummer is insisting on having real recorded drums...

Sounds like a pretty reasonable request I would have thought.

Go to a studio. Try and find someone who is on your wavelength musically....or at least someone who is willing to listen to what you want and understands they exist in a service industry, not as a judge on X Factor.

The human element is more important than the gear as long as the minimum equipment requirement exists to achieve what you require in a workflow sense.