Should overheads be mono?

Should overheads be mono?

Mono overhead mics must be far enough away from the drums but also far enough away from the ceiling. If the mono overhead mics are too close to the drums we have unwanted pressure issues. This mixing of the reflections with the drum sound produces a drum sound that lacks quality and sounds small.

Should overheads be mono or stereo?

You can record drums in both mono and stereo. Each drum should be recorded as a separate instrument. Individual microphones are used to record the kick drum, snare, and toms; therefore these are captured in mono. However, overhead and room mics are recorded in stereo.

Can you record drums with one overhead?

There’s two main options for using one mic to capture a drum kit – directly overhead, or directly in front of the kit. When trying the single overhead option, start out with the mic positioned so that it’s about 4 to 6 feet over the kit, and pointing straight down at the snare.

How do you set up spaced pair overheads?

The spaced pair configuration offers a great deal of flexibility in placement. Position the mics low above the cymbals to remove emphasis from the rest of the kit. Position them at a higher elevation for a more balanced sound. The farther apart you position the microphones, the wider your stereo image will become.

Should drums be recorded in mono or stereo?

You should keep your individual drum hits in mono if possible, especially the kick drum, though you should also use stereo effects or panning decisions to create width and separation in your sound to add more variety to your mix.

How far apart should overheads be?

To even the arrival times you can place the two overhead mics at two different heights, as few as 2–3 inches or up to 8–10 inches if necessary. This will solidify the center image that is so important to your drum sound.

How far away should drum overheads be?

They generally are around 32”/0.8m away from the drumset so that they can capture ‘the big picture’ of the kit. For most mixing, your overheads will be the core of the drum sound. Close mics and auxiliary will fill in holes in the sound and add impact/punch to specific drum sounds.

How to balance drum overheads and close-mics?

If you balance the levels of your overheads in a way that keeps the snare and kick centered, you will have a strong, coherent picture when you add the kick, overheads, and snare mics to the mix. This anchors the drum sound whether you use more of the close-mics or the overhead mics. The two components, near and far, are in agreement.

What are the different types of overhead drum miking techniques?

The spaced pair is the other of the most common overhead drum miking techniques, although there are an infinite variety of ways to do it. Perhaps more than any other method tested, the spaced pair approach requires care to avoid phasing problems. As an example, let’s say the snare drum resonates at 400Hz.

What is a drum overhead and why is it important?

I like to think that drum overheads capture the bulk of the sound for the kit. This isn’t always the case, as it depends on the style and the engineer. But for the most part, the overhead mic placement is where you get the big picture of the kit. So let’s talk about a few drum overhead techniques you can use to get a great drum sound.

Should you listen to drum clips in mono or stereo?

Listening in mono also reveals that, in stereo, both clips do present a sense of space — it’s small, but it’s there. If you don’t like hearing tom fills that go from one corner of the room to the other, or if you’re recording a song for which the drums play a background role, then XY is a reliable choice.