Getting Drums Down

Live drums can add a human touch to any recording, but the idea of recording them at home can seem daunting. This guide can get you started.

By Rich Tozzoli

Recording drums is never easy. There, we got that out of the way first. While it is quite simple to call up a great loop or program your own beats with samples, a live drum performance can help make or break a song. But properly capturing the sound of a good kit takes a little planning, preproduction, and creativity. In this article, we'll examine a few different ways to track live drums and talk to several experts in the field about their techniques and approaches.

Let's think about the average basic drum kit. It features a kick drum, snare, hi-hat, rack tom(s), a floor tom, and several cymbals. Each of these elements, and the combined sound of the kit as a whole, has its own frequency range and tonal characteristics. Therefore, the microphones used should be tailored to best capture each one. For example, the mic you use to record the low end and punch of a kick drum may not work on a bright, crisp hi-hat.

Many home studio owners actually buy their own kits so that they can perfect the sound of the drums, even if they're usually played by others. If the drummer is bringing his or her own kit, however, find out the size of the kit and type of drums you will be recording before the session begins. This can help you plan out the mic selection in advance.

Also, consider the fact that drums are acoustic instruments that need room to "breathe." Take into consideration the room you will be recording them in, and whether or not you will want to put mics up to capture that ambience. Build that factor into your pre-production planning.

When the drummer arrives, make sure to tune and tighten up the kit before any tracking starts. If it's cold or hot out, let the drums settle to room temperature first. Every drummer and engineer has their own technique for getting the kit in tune, and the effort spent doing so always makes for a better recording.

Veteran drummer and producer Ray Levier (Mike Stern/John Abercrombie/KJ Denhert) starts with the drum heads. "I like to have new heads on the kit but not fresh out of the box," Levier notes. "That's because they always stretch and change a little as you hit them. I usually put them on two nights before and break them in real good�but this will be different depending on the drummer. I will actually stand on them a bit to seat the bearing edges and get the cracks out. That happens because of the way the head is physically glued to the aluminum rim of the heads from the factory.

"After putting a fresh head on, I will then over-tighten them," Levier continues. "Make sure to equally tighten each tension rod so the head will resonate correctly. I tap the head by each rod and listen for the tone, trying to get a somewhat equal pitch. I often want a specific tone, and usually tune in thirds or fourths. For example, three toms would be a major triad and four toms a major seventh."

Levier notes that for rock-type sessions, he uses a slightly thicker head (two-ply) instead of a thinner one-ply head to get more punch. "Also I keep them a little looser, which helps to get a lower tone out of the drum," he adds. "This translates sonically through the mics as fatter lower tones. But for jazz sessions, I tune a lot higher and use a one-ply, more resonant head, usually coated, for an even warmer sound."

Setting Up Mics

Like most any other recording technique, microphone choice and placement will vary depending on the style of music and the sound you're going for. There have been many great drum recordings made with just one mic! That said, there are some conventions that most pros follow.

The traditional rock/pop setup may include two mics on the kick drum. If the front head has a hole or is removed, place one mic just to the side of where the beater strikes the drum. If necessary, the inside can be dampened with blankets or heavy pillows. Experiment with small changes in the beater head mic position, which will alter the tone dramatically. The second mic can be placed on the outside head, to capture more of the depth and presence of the kick.

Snares are miked on top, with the mic being placed near the edge of the head facing away from the hi-hat. If placing a second mic on the bottom of the snare (for more sizzle), remember to reverse the polarity! Otherwise, you may exerience phasing problems.

Hi-hats are not always individually recorded (there is sometimes enough bleed in the overheads and snare mics), but if you do choose to mike up the hat, the mic should be placed about four to six inches above the edge of the hats, facing away from the snare.

Tom mics should be positioned just over each drum's head, at the edge, facing the middle of the drum at a sharp angle. Angling sharply towards the drum helps minimize cymbal spillage. Like snares, toms can also be miked on the bottom�but again, remember to reverse the polarity if using two microphones.

The position of overhead mics for the cymbals will depend on the size of the kit and the sound of the room. The mics might go in front of the kit facing down on the cymbals, over the kit itself, or even just behind the drummer's head and shoulders. Two mics will capture the stereo image properly, but some engineers choose to place a third overhead just above the kick drum.

Choosing Mics

One of the biggest challenges for small studios is having the right mics on hand to capture a drum set. You'll find kits for drum miking from major manufacturers. Companies such as Shure, Beyerdynamic, Audix, Earthworks, Sennheiser and others make self-contained drum mic packages that can take much of the hassle out of mixing and matching different brands of mics. You'll even find clip-on mics like the Sennheiser e604, which can be practical for both studio and live performance. Still, the pros often like to choose mics � la carte.

Placing a pair of overheads in the room or over the kit, and adding a single kick mic can often deliver a great sound.

Here are some common choices, but experiement to see what works for you:

Kick drum: AKG D112 (D12), Shure Beta 52 or SM-7, Electro-Voice RE-20, Audix D6, Neumann TLM-127

Snare: Shure SM57, Audix D1, Sennheiser MD 441, e604

Hi-hat: AKG C451, Shure SM81 or SM57, Neumann KM84 or 184, Rode NT5, Audio-Technica AT4051

Toms: Sennheiser MD421 or e604, Audix D4, Audio Technica ATM 25.

Overheads: Shure SM81, AKG 414/C1000, Coles 4033, Earthworks SR-25/QTC-1, DPA 4090. (Note: pairs of the same model are normally used.)

Room: Neumann U47, U87, or TLM 103, RCA 44, Audio-Technica 4050, Rode K2, Beyerdynamic 160

Giving it Room

Aside from close-miking a drum kit, capturing its sound in a room can provide additional depth and dimension. Grammy-nominated engineer and producer Paul Antonell, owner of Clubhouse Studios in Rhinebeck, New York, has recorded such great drummers as Steve Gadd, Simon Phillips, Jerry Marotta, and Gary Burke in his studio.

"When recording drums, I think the room is very important," he explains. "I usually try to find the sonic �sweet spot,' which includes sight lines to the rest of the band. Sometimes using a smaller room gives options for a classic Motown or Stax Sound. If I am going for indie rock or a larger rock sound, I use a bigger room.

"I normally use stereo room mics," Antonell continues. "I often use AEA-A440s. They are active ribbon mics, which sound amazing. I usually start about 10 feet back, 10 feet across, and 10 feet high in an equilateral triangle. For some rock stuff, I will use a mono source mic, about 12 feet back. I often use a center mic right in front of the kit, above the kick drum, that helps to center the snare drum in the stereo image."

If all these mics seem out of reach, remember what we said earlier: You don't always need a lot of mics to capture a drum kit. Placing a pair of overheads in the room or over the kit, and adding a single kick mic can often deliver a great sound. This mic can be placed away from the kick itself to capture more of the overall drum sound.

Recording live drums in a good room with a good drummer can raise the bar on most any song. Just take the time to consult with the drummer before the session, plan out the mics, and be ready with extra drum heads and sticks. Experiment with different mic setups, and take careful notes about what works. Sound is important, but the performance you capture is the best benefit of miking up a kit.