Here’s a simple, common-sense method to record a great-sounding drum kit on only four tracks. I’ve always been a follower of the less-is-more philosophy, and this kit technique goes all the way back to my analog 4-/8-/12-track days when track economy was a must.
There have, of course, been volumes dedicated to recording “trap kits”, from only two microphones to two mics on each drum! I think the concept of a drum kit as a group of separate instruments is off-base. A drum kit is an ensemble and has a “group sound”.
To me, using a mic on each drum is like multi-miking piano strings. And using so many mics can become a balance, EQ, and panning headache—as well as a phasing nightmare!
Now back to square one: What exactly are you looking for in a kit sound? Most pop, rock, R&B, jazz and country music requires a good separate kick and snare sound and maybe a separate hi-hat depending on the musical arrangement.
But how about all those tom-toms? They have essentially the same fundamental sound with different harmonics depending on shell size, diameter and tuning. If struck properly, they will have approximately the same volume level, and most pro drummers will do this subconsciously. So a simple mic technique can capture them well.
If you are looking for an earthy, realistic kit sound that can easily be manipulated, try this out. You’ll need one pair of stereo mics, one good snare mic, one good kick mic and last but not least, a good location for the drum set in the studio.
Setup
Location is very important and is an oft-neglected starting point. I prefer to set up the kit across a corner. A wall will do as well.
I use baffles from the floor up to about three feet, and approximately four feet wide behind the drummer in the corner. My baffles are low tech, made of 3-foot by 4-foot jalousie window frames with 6-inch wooden slats. There are four layers of wool moving blankets behind them. Thank you U-Haul!
Other baffle materials that work well are cork faced bulletin boards with combos of styrosheet and blankets behind them. Portable office walls work well too.
The baffles reduce, but do not completely remove the resonances and reflections of the tom, snare and kick. We want some of these reflections for our kit sound.
Microphone Placement
Once the kit is set up with baffles in place, and tuned as you and the drummer want it, you can proceed with mic placement. It’s always a good idea to watch the drummer play for a while to observe where he places his hands and sticks while going around the kit. This will help you put the mics where he won’t hit them or have to move around them. We want him to be comfortable.
Walk up in front of the kit, put your head over the tom-toms, find a spot where the drums seem to focus, and listen for the toms and reflections off the corner. What you’re hearing is a larger percentage of top skins, some bottom skins and wall reflections.
I usually find this spot about two or three feet above the toms and two-thirds of the way over the toms. That’s fairly close but out of the drummer’s stick path. This will be the position for the stereo mics. I have been using a Crown SASS-P MKII stereo mic for this job for more than a decade. Any good pair of mics in a stereo configuration should work well.
Remember, tom-tom and snare spill is actually an important part of the overall sound. If you listen to the drum solo tracks on the Beatles Anthology CDs, you’ll hear a great example of this: Ringo’s Ludwigs drone along just beautifully in “Strawberry Fields” Another example is Levon Helm’s kit on all The Band’s classics and—oh yeah, Atlantic R&B.
Once you’ve positioned the stereo mics, the rest is straightforward except for the optional hi-hat. For snare and hi-hat use a mic that has plenty of proximity effect. Position the mic at the snare-drum edge between the drum and the high-hat. This should keep the mic out of the drummer’s sticking path.
A Shure SM57 will work OK. I prefer a condenser, a Neumann KM84 or AKG 451 type. The Asian clone mics are recommended here.
You want the mic nice and close to exploit the cardioid proximity effect to get the snare drum “bulge” sound. I prefer positioning at a slight angle. The mic will pick up the high-hat thanks to leakage into the side of the mic.
Finally, the kick mic is whatever you’re comfortable with. Your criteria should be good low frequency response, excellent transients and—very important—ability to handle high sound pressure levels at low frequencies.
Find a sweet spot where you hear a definite increase in volume and tone. I use a Sony ECM 322 (an ancient cardioid condenser) inside the drum under a layer of blanket, about 4 inches away, parallel to the drum head. This is for a one-head kick drum. For two heads, I use a Neumann U47 FET in front. Here a large-diaphragm, Asian mic clone will also work fine, but be aware of room noise.
If you really need overheads for the cymbals, add them. If arrangement calls for a hi-hat played open and closed, use an extra mic.
Finally, record as hot as you can without clipping. This gives you the dynamic range needed for a good drum kit sound. I don’t recommend compression while recording.
Mixing
That’s it for setup—now on to mixing where we will tailor—not create—our kit sound. As always, if you got it right in the recording, the mixing will be easy and breezy and not a time consuming chore.
If at all possible don’t mix immediately after tracking because of listening fatigue. It’s much better to come in fresh with the concept of simply getting the right sound.
I personally hate to mix after tracking. While recording I have a pure “techno Nazi” head: ears tuned for all the bad stuff, rattles, hum, clipping, pitch, meter, mistakes, etc.
While mixing, first listen with no effects, EQ, reverb, etc. Start with only the overhead pair. You should have a nice overall kit sound that’s almost usable by itself. Listen to the sound and use EQ to trim out any unneeded resonances.
Be careful not to cut into the floor toms’ fundamentals. If your board has minimal EQ, beg, borrow or steal a pair of graphics or parametrics. A single sweepable mid EQ will make life difficult here. You’ll need to EQ mids at more than one frequency.
Now’s a good time to add some reverb. You will use the drums to “trigger” the reverb and they will complement each other.
Don’t smother the drums with too much low-end EQ on either the track or the reverb. Always remember less is more!
Listen for significant tom fills and cymbal crashes. You should be able to tweak low mids and mids and separate upper mids/highs for the crash cymbals. Also cut out high-end in the reverb. We don’t want any reverb on the cymbals.
Next listen to the snare/hi-hat mic. Again, start flat. Trim the bottom for unwanted room rumblings. Work for a big snare sound, usually found in the low mids and even the upper bottom. Add the reverb and work the two.
Next, on to our optional hi-hat. Many engineer/producers make the mistake of going too high in frequency looking for a hi-hat sound. Cymbals have a broadband signal and reach well down into the mids.
Look for an effective stick and brass strike and then add highs to sweeten the sound. Not too much! Make them peek through and you’ll have the real deal.
Is the sound O.K. now? The kit should sound sort of like Levon Helm and The Band. But what if that’s not what you want? Do you need more balls, more commercial sound, more funk?
Let’s whip out the compressors. Some compression on the toms will even them out and make them cut through nicely. Again, not too much. Play with the ratio. It’s a good idea to let them build to a threshold for more dynamics. I prefer RMS compression for a more natural sound.
Snare is more critical with compression but more fun. If the drummer is consistent in volume, you can use a higher ratio, but watch the threshold. Let it limit only the top. Watch the lil’ red lights and make ‘em dance to the beat. This way you can control the ring tone of the drum and make it really funky.
This same snare technique will work fine on the kick drum. You can control the attack and tone. Watch the bottom end with the EQ. Don’t overdo it or it will get lost when heard with the bass player. Look for EQ frequencies that separate the kick from the bass.
I use little or no reverb on kick drums. You want to trigger the reverb with the compressed signal from the snare and toms to get a naturally reverberant sound. This is exactly what a properly tuned and played kit in a decent acoustic environment would sound like…….with a little help from our electro friends.
Now you should have all the control you’ll ever need. You can raise and lower kick and snare independently as needed in the mix.
You can also pan the tom-toms as you like. I usually use a medium pan on the overheads. This way when the drummer plays a fill across the kit, it will bloom across the sound field and then settle down the way a real kit would—unlike with the hard synthetic panning of individual toms that always stay separated from each other. This naturally occurring sound will also help the drummer, as his kit will sound the same in the cue ‘phones as it does live.
I usually leave the kick and snare near center, but not on top of each other. It’s best to slightly separate kick and bass. Bass that is too far to either side is bad news for the mastering engineer.
During tom fills, the effect of natural buildup is due to the toms’ resonance enhanced by the corner walls and your compressor.
Tweaks For Different Genres
Try this technique when you have time and you’re not under a deadline. It’s well worth the effort. If you can nail it, it will work with little variation on many types of music.
Some suggestions:
- R&B: toms medium spread, kick and snare tight-panned.
- Country: tight-panned snare and kick, medium tom spread (just like R&B).
- Jazz: close-mike the snare and kick, mike the toms not too close, and use very little “room program” reverb.
- Doo-wop: mike very close for mono sound, and use little or no reverb.
- Reggae: mike snare and kick very close, pan toms wide, use tight EQ and mucho reverb.
Neat huh? Good luck!
Ward Lionel Kremer is a lifelong musician, producer, and recording engineer, who cut his first hit at age 17. In the 1960’s he recorded and performed in the New York pop/R&B music scene with The Four Seasons, The Chiffons, Joey Dee, The Temptations, and Ike & Tina Turner. In the ‘70s he worked in the Miami music scene with TK records, KC & The Sunshine Band, George McRae, and The Ritchie Family. Ward also recorded and produced soca, reggae, and jazz festivals in Italy, USA, and Mexico. He did live sound and recording for Randy Bernsen and Ken Basman. As Ward says, “There’s no music I can’t appreciate if it’s performed with soul, sincerity and love!”
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