overheads

[backwoods]

Andy, what is your technique for recording overhead mic's? Do you use a good condenser on overy cymbal or do you try to capture a good stereo image with just 2 condensers? What kind of mic placement techniques do you use. Is there a particular hieght and distance that will focus primarily on the cymbals and minimize the bleed from the rest of the kit? Or do you just eq the shit out of your over head tracks? I am really focusing on separation and don't want to compromise a tight sounding drum mix by having too much room sound bleeding in with the overheads. I suppose I would like to apply all of these questions to hi-hat micing also. What is the secret to those super smooth, super silky hi-hat sounds you get. Is it compression, eq, thin hi-hats, a particular mic, etc...

thanks, mike

 

[Andy Sneap]

Overheads are one of the hardest things to get right. Too much cymbals and hat and it will kill your mix, too little and you have no dynamics. I still struggle with OH's, it's down to the drummers style also. I usually go with 1 mic per 2 cymbals and try and keep the hi hat out of the oh's by obscuring the direct line of them with a cymbal. I always aim for the edge of the cymbals, about 1.5/ 2 foot above. I also get pretty heavy with the filtering and roll everything below 600 out. I dont tend to compress much as this just brings the hi hat out more, but if I'm mixing something with a lot of kit in the oh's, I'll limit them, maybe even send the snare to the limiter in the side chain. This can help the phasing of the snare also. Micing the ride from the underneath, near the bell, gives you good separation also.

 

[TheShattered]

So you usually spot mic the cymbals? That goes against almost everything I've read, but the proof is in stores everywhere, I suppose. I want to try that now. Hehe.....better go buy like 8 condensers