Hi hats close mics?

[Switchback]

Hello,

I was thinking, are closed mics really indispensable?
I barely use them, because of the hi hat bleed in the overheads and snare mics.
I 'm always ending with too much hats, so I never bring them up.

How do you process with it? Should I rethink my way of mixing these?

Thanks!

 

[KillFrenzy]

I rarely use the hi-hat mic but it's good to have it around. I mostly use the hi-hat track to shape the sound. Add more mids, for example, when the hi-hats sound a little thin on the overheads.

 

[Vihaleipä]

Hi-hat spot mics (and spot mics in general) can be quite useful if the drummer plays subtle grooves with the hats for example and you want those notes to stick out, you can just automate that spot mic louder for that.

 

[Switchback]

Thanks for the replies, guys!

Damn, my twin brother is here!

I rarely use the hi-hat mic but it's good to have it around. I mostly use the hi-hat track to shape the sound. Add more mids, for example, when the hi-hats sound a little thin on the overheads.

Ok, but when you already have too much high end with the overhead and you want to bring the hats mic to get a bit more mids, don't you end up with way too much high end? Would you low-pass the hats a bit?

Hi-hat spot mics (and spot mics in general) can be quite useful if the drummer plays subtle grooves with the hats for example and you want those notes to stick out, you can just automate that spot mic louder for that.

Thanks for the tip, I'll try to automate it in case of special groove, then!

 

[ExecutiveRob]

Hi-hat spot mics (and spot mics in general) can be quite useful if the drummer plays subtle grooves with the hats for example and you want those notes to stick out, you can just automate that spot mic louder for that.

This. But I don't normally do automation.

Hats are usually too quiet in my overhead mic placement, no hats in the snare channel after gating, so I always add a spot mic. My overhead mics are smooth sounding to start with so brightness/harshness isn't an issue.

 

[KillFrenzy]

Thanks for the replies, guys!

Damn, my twin brother is here!

Ok, but when you already have too much high end with the overhead and you want to bring the hats mic to get a bit more mids, don't you end up with way too much high end? Would you low-pass the hats a bit?


Thanks for the tip, I'll try to automate it in case of special groove, then!

Hey twin bro! haha

When I said "thin" I meant "without body", not exactly harsh. But yes, if the hi-hat is already ok in the overheads high-frequency-wise I low pass the close mic track - in fact, most of the times that's what I end up doing.

 

[Switchback]

This. But I don't normally do automation.

Hats are usually too quiet in my overhead mic placement, no hats in the snare channel after gating, so I always add a spot mic. My overhead mics are smooth sounding to start with so brightness/harshness isn't an issue.

Okay, I guess it's all in the tracking!
I'm not a AE, I mix multitracks that I find in internet for my pleasure, so I can't redo the record and say "move your hi hat, man!", but I wish I could, ahah!

Hey twin bro! haha
When I said "thin" I meant "without body", not exactly harsh. But yes, if the hi-hat is already ok in the overheads high-frequency-wise I low pass the close mic track - in fact, most of the times that's what I end up doing.

Ok cool, Every time I was low passing the hats, I was saying "I'm doin it wrong", but after all it seems ok!

Once again, thanks for your replies, guys!

 

[Nikolas Quemtri]

These are my typical direct HH mic applications:

1. To make the HH more definite in the stereo-field regarding its pan: sometimes there happen such OH recordings, where the pan isn't as obvious as it could be.
2. To emphasize the closed HH part (it is often quieter than the open parts).
3. On my own records there is too much open HH in OHs usually, so I use the direct mic in order to suppress the HH sound in OHs, using multiband sidechain.

 

[Switchback]

These are my typical direct HH mic applications:

1. To make the HH more definite in the stereo-field regarding its pan: sometimes there happen such OH recordings, where the pan isn't as obvious as it could be.
2. To emphasize the closed HH part (it is often quieter than the open parts).
3. On my own records there is too much open HH in OHs usually, so I use the direct mic in order to suppress the HH sound in OHs, using multiband sidechain.

Hey,
Thanks for the tips, I got to try the sidechain MB stuff!