Overhead Advice?

[koalamo]

Until my Saffire pro 40 comes, I've been messing around with my overhead setup on my pos fast track pro.


I was using an XY setup in this recording hi-passed at 615 hz i believe and then hi shelved at 10 k.

My question is, is the bleed that's still coming through the OH's going to be too much once I add in the close mic's and the sampled drums or is it fine the way it is?



https://dl.dropbox.com/u/14509637/untitled.mp3


Plz ignore my playing i was just messing around

 

[NSGUITAR]

Until my Saffire pro 40 comes, I've been messing around with my overhead setup on my pos fast track pro.


I was using an XY setup in this recording hi-passed at 615 hz i believe and then hi shelved at 10 k.

My question is, is the bleed that's still coming through the OH's going to be too much once I add in the close mic's and the sampled drums or is it fine the way it is?



https://dl.dropbox.com/u/14509637/untitled.mp3


Plz ignore my playing i was just messing around

It's really hard to tell because your overheads are mono.

 

[koalamo]

It's really hard to tell because your overheads are mono.

Is that because I used an xy setup because I panned each track hard left and right after I recorded them??

 

[HvO]

no, your sample is a single mono track...

check your export settings in your daw.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

No dude, it's because you exported the OH's as a mono file...

 

[koalamo]

Ahaha wow, that was a fail. Yeah I think this should be better...

I hope.


https://dl.dropbox.com/u/14509637/overheads.mp3

 

[HvO]

no, it's not too much.

maybe you should test the spaced pair technique - less bleeding and a wider stereoimage.

 

[koalamo]

I've tried the space pair but I feel like I set it up wrong, I know the overheads need to be equidistant from the snare but the 3:1 rule always confuses me.

 

[iraobryan]

I just did my first real drum recording this weekend. The 3:1 rule was tripping me up a bit too. I think I finally got it though. The cymbals are the main source you are trying to capture with the overheads, so the mics should be about 18-24" or so above the crashes. Then three times that distance apart. Someone correct me if I got that wrong. You just have to pay attention to the center line of the kit, and keep the mics equidistant from the snare after that. Try to find a spot where the hi hats don't take over...like putting a cymbal in between the mic and the hats.

 

[NSGUITAR]

You really don't need to think too much when using the spaced pair technique.. What you REALLY want to focus on is that the snare+kick is centered. This can be done during the monitoring stage and tweaking the input on your interface.

 

[iraobryan]

This is true, I was thinking about that fact when I was about to give up on it and go XY. I ended up getting it right with the kick and snare centered, but it could have been easier. It was a good learning experience.

You really don't need to think too much when using the spaced pair technique.. What you REALLY want to focus on is that the snare+kick is centered. This can be done during the monitoring stage and tweaking the input on your interface.

 

[koalamo]

Yeah, I guess I'll keep experimenting with the spaced pair until I get it right, though I do like the sound I'm getting from the xy for the most part. I just hope the drums aren't bleeding tooo much.

 

[iraobryan]

The drum bleed sounded pretty good to me. Are you worried about it for sound replacement or editing purposes?

 

[koalamo]

Yeah I'm afraid there's gonna be too much bleed and when I sample replace everything its not gonna be as tight, I primarily just want to use the overheads as cymbal mics but I don't have enough mics right now to spot mic everything, I just don't know how much bleed is too much... cuz even Hi-passed at 600hz you can still hear the toms and bass drum pretty clearly.

 

[NSGUITAR]

Another Tip:


To reduce bleed in the over heads, instead of pointing the mics straight into the middle of the cymbal, point them on the edge of them. You' get a better tone as well.

 

[koalamo]

Thanks for the tip dude, I'm definitely going to try that, and definitely going to try messing around with a spaced pair as well

 

[AllanD]

Another Tip:


To reduce bleed in the over heads, instead of pointing the mics straight into the middle of the cymbal, point them on the edge of them. You' get a better tone as well.

Can you elaborate on this?

 

[::XeS::]

Point them not straight down but angle them a little, aiming the edge of the cymbals (and away from the snare)

 

[NSGUITAR]

Can you elaborate on this?

Sure:


Instead of angeling your mic straight into the cymbal, (where the diaphragm and cymbal would be parallel), angle the mic towards the outside edge of the cymbal AWAY from the kick and snare

 

[Seth Munson]

HAHA Holy shit, that dick is cumming all over the sad man