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Thread: Need advice with drum micing | Recording Drums

  1. #1

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    Default Need advice with drum micing | Recording Drums

    So I'm fiddling around with my mini home studio and I noticed that both the DW and the Peavey kits have significant ringing coming from the floor toms whenever the kick goes off. At first I though my kick itself was boomy, but then I started muting mics until I found the 14" and 16" in particular add a lot of boominess to the overall sound.

    I can turn down the sound of those mics, but then they lose too much volume compared to the rest of the kit.

    What would you guys suggest to fix this problem? The only way I can see would be to go through the track after it's recorded and mute the mics during the sections when those toms aren't being hit.
    DW Performance Series
    Peavey Radial Pro RBS-1
    Roland TDW-20

    Gibraltar rack system
    Sabian AA/AAX/HHX/Vault
    Tama pedals

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    Is it coming through your overheads, and are they maybe too hot?

  3. #3

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    There's a few things to try here.. One way is with dampening, low tuning, and head choice in order to "balance" it out. You could also try editing the sound in the software you record with, maybe a bit of gating would help. I personally like to start with drums that sound good before they hit the mics, so i'd try some dampened head combos to help with the excessive sustain. Ec2 over ec reso, pinstripe over powerstroke3, performanceII/studio-x, etc. Big rooms are going to have a lot of natural reverb to them though, especially if they aren't treated. My area is smaller and surrounded by thick sound blankets so I get a nice drier sound, but I can edit the master of that sound in the DAW later on for a bigger room sound, while keeping the drier controlled attack. I was reading up on some feedback of the Performance series awhile back - and apparently it's not an uncommon problem you're having. A lot of other reports that the floor toms are quite sustain rich. You might want to pick up some studio rings, they work in a jiff.
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
    Snares: 4
    RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
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    Quote Originally Posted by amdrummer View Post
    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

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  4. #4

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    No, it's definitely the FT mics. The overheads volume is rather low. Turning them on and off didn't affect the ringing at all. The 16" FT was by far the worst offender.
    DW Performance Series
    Peavey Radial Pro RBS-1
    Roland TDW-20

    Gibraltar rack system
    Sabian AA/AAX/HHX/Vault
    Tama pedals

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    The kit I'm micing now is the Peavey. It has G2's on it now. Looks like it's going to need a lot of muffling to stop that resonance.
    DW Performance Series
    Peavey Radial Pro RBS-1
    Roland TDW-20

    Gibraltar rack system
    Sabian AA/AAX/HHX/Vault
    Tama pedals

  6. #6

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    EC2's / EC resos are great heads for micking. Are both kits in the same room could be one is resonating on the other.

  7. #7

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    Nope they're in separate rooms. This was happening on the DW as well when it was the only acoustic kit I had. If I kill the mic on the 16", the kick sounds phenomenal...tight and punchy. As soon as I let the 16" in the mix, it sounds like the kick has zero muffling in it.

    This is the current setup:

    Last edited by Digital; 04-29-2013 at 08:39 AM.
    DW Performance Series
    Peavey Radial Pro RBS-1
    Roland TDW-20

    Gibraltar rack system
    Sabian AA/AAX/HHX/Vault
    Tama pedals

  8. #8

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    Quote Originally Posted by Digital View Post
    The kit I'm micing now is the Peavey. It has G2's on it now. Looks like it's going to need a lot of muffling to stop that resonance.
    Bright pitched drums usually sing a ton(but there are some exceptions such as birch or ash shells), so you have to plan around that. Just like tuning to a room. Just remember that the ringing you hear in the room isn't always how it ends when it's recorded and processed.
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
    Snares: 4
    RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    I wish I was your wife
    Quote Originally Posted by amdrummer View Post
    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

    Forum Rules
    DrumBum
    No metronome?
    The Rudiments

  9. #9

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    Quote Originally Posted by Digital View Post
    Nope they're in separate rooms. This was happening on the DW as well when it was the only acoustic kit I had. If I kill the mic on the 16", the kick sounds phenomenal...tight and punchy. As soon as I let the 16" in the mix, it sounds like the kick has zero muffling in it.

    This is the current setup:

    Sounds like a bleed issue between the kick and ft. For some reason that drum is so ringy that it's picking up interference from the kick. To fix this, you're going to want to try one of a few things. The thing i'd want to be doing is isolating the kick mic, so if nothing is already - try dampening the kick HEAD. I say head because you don't want the shell's tone to disappear by the traditional bass pillow covering the entire inside(I learned this the hard way). A rolled up towel by the edges will suffice, but in addition to this you can experiment with different angles for the kick mic. Preferrably away from the direction of your floor toms if possible. Looking at your pics, it appears as though you have the mics pointed at the edges and not the center, which is a great idea for attack. If you get really desperate you could set up the kick for triggering, but that's a last resort option.
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
    Snares: 4
    RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    I wish I was your wife
    Quote Originally Posted by amdrummer View Post
    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

    Forum Rules
    DrumBum
    No metronome?
    The Rudiments

  10. #10

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    As I stated, the kick sounds perfect without the tom mic active. The kick isn't the issue. It's already muffled adequately with a blanket.

    When the tom is hit, it sounds great so I don't want to muffle it "too" much but something has to be done to stop that sympathetic boom each time I hit the kick. It's barely noticeable by ear, but the mics pick up everything. I might try to throw in a small towel inside the floor toms and see what happens.
    DW Performance Series
    Peavey Radial Pro RBS-1
    Roland TDW-20

    Gibraltar rack system
    Sabian AA/AAX/HHX/Vault
    Tama pedals

  11. #11

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    Are the floor toms tuned low? Are you using a mic for each floor tom, or one mic between the two?
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
    Snares: 4
    RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    I wish I was your wife
    Quote Originally Posted by amdrummer View Post
    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

    Forum Rules
    DrumBum
    No metronome?
    The Rudiments

  12. #12

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    As low as possible, any lower and they start to fart. I'll need to get an audio sample tonight, that would help show what I'm dealing with.
    DW Performance Series
    Peavey Radial Pro RBS-1
    Roland TDW-20

    Gibraltar rack system
    Sabian AA/AAX/HHX/Vault
    Tama pedals

  13. #13

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    Some close tom micing needs the use of audio gates if you're picking up the other drums in the other tracks or channels:




  14. #14

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    I may have a Gate effect on my recording software. That might do the trick, although all that stuff is new to me so I know nothing about it yet.
    DW Performance Series
    Peavey Radial Pro RBS-1
    Roland TDW-20

    Gibraltar rack system
    Sabian AA/AAX/HHX/Vault
    Tama pedals

  15. #15

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    Quote Originally Posted by Digital View Post
    I may have a Gate effect on my recording software. That might do the trick, although all that stuff is new to me so I know nothing about it yet.
    This might help:

    Learning How To Use An Audio Gate

    Your home recording software probably offers various forms of compression, and may offer a dedicated gate setting for its compression. Play around with it, and try using it on an especially noisy track. Change the threshold to control where the gate kicks in, and use the attack and release knobs to control how quickly the gate "attacks" the track and how quickly it stops affecting it. As is the case with most types of compression, the best way to get to know gate effects is to use them, so have fun and play around to your heart's content. Every home studio should know how to use gate effects. They're a very useful tool that can give your recordings a professional edge.


  16. #16

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    Perfect, thanks!
    DW Performance Series
    Peavey Radial Pro RBS-1
    Roland TDW-20

    Gibraltar rack system
    Sabian AA/AAX/HHX/Vault
    Tama pedals

  17. #17

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    Quote Originally Posted by Digital View Post
    Perfect, thanks!
    You're welcome. Here's a tip if you want to try and rig some sort of a DIY bass trap for any 90 degree angles to help your recordings in the room with the Peavey kit. I super-imposed the image in the corner next to your hats as an example on where one would be best utilized:




    Here's a closer look:



    Or you could buy these for about $40 each:



    and do the entire corner:

    Last edited by late8; 04-30-2013 at 12:21 AM.

  18. #18

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    what mic's are ya using? I use audix and love them...no blanket/towel in the floors man.

  19. #19

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    Have you considered it might be the room itself? I'm seeing a lot of hard surfaces with big dimensions, this is going to create some echo.
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
    Snares: 4
    RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    I wish I was your wife
    Quote Originally Posted by amdrummer View Post
    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

    Forum Rules
    DrumBum
    No metronome?
    The Rudiments

  20. #20

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    quick way in post mix eq out the frequency thats humming if need gating then add a compressor in post mix

    or move the floor toms away from the kick a little bit...might just stop the vibration

    angle the mic so its like this if you want to lower the sub frequency's


    if all else fails tape some foam to the head thats ringing..

    ..but seriously you only hear this when your playing with out any music

  21. #21

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    Quote Originally Posted by late8 View Post
    You're welcome. Here's a tip if you want to try and rig some sort of a DIY bass trap for any 90 degree angles to help your recordings in the room with the Peavey kit. I super-imposed the image in the corner next to your hats as an example on where one would be best utilized:

    I sort of did this with what I had on hand. I used my Humes and Berg bass drum bags, left them wide open in each front corner. With all the fluff inside of them, I figured they'd work in my favor to stop the sound from bouncing around. The room isn't that bad right now.
    DW Performance Series
    Peavey Radial Pro RBS-1
    Roland TDW-20

    Gibraltar rack system
    Sabian AA/AAX/HHX/Vault
    Tama pedals

  22. #22

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    i'll just echo some of the other posts... try pointing the mic more toward the impact point where your stick hits the head and gate it... if i had the choice i'd use the plug in version of a gate so you can focus on getting a good take and mess with the gate settings after the fact.

  23. #23

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    Coming in a little late on this thread, but diffusing and/or absorbing overtones doesn't have to be a mysterious task. Try this.... Use a throw pillow (or Auralex acoustic foam) to lean against the kick drum, between the kick and floor tom. Consider doing this as well between the two floor toms. Adjusting the position of the foam/pillows, will yield a much better result than taping heads, compressing or gating. The objective when recording drums is to capture the BEST sound of the drum. While several methods with give good results, the best approach is pretty simple: Make the drum sound good without a mic (tuning), isolate that sound (control the surrounding by creating foam baffles or traps between drums), capture the sound (mic placement). If you still need more control, gating is minimal and can add the finishing touch. Happy drumming!

  24. #24

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    Default Re: Need advice with drum micing

    Sounds to me like a phase issue. Have you figured it out? If not, send me a message and we can get it taken care of relatively easy.
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