
But for recording you have to consider what is center, and then at what angle will you approach the drum kit. (Picture on the right shows that snare is NOT centered, just like a live set up) The snare drum is always centered in my recordings. It’s the drum that has the most range out of the entire kit, and contains frequencies that que the listener in on what type of flavor the drums will have for a song. Change the snare drum, and the whole kit sounds like it was swapped out.

On stage you put two mics on either side of the kit, and call it a day. And with a great foundation in your overheads, the drum tracks will mix a lot easier too.ġ ‐ Divide the Drums Most look at a drum kit from the front and think of a drum kit set up on stage. With the three steps that follow, we can make sure that you are achieving a great foundation. In recording, the center of the kit is very important, and slight adjustments can make a big difference in the balance of the drums. In live sound, there is natural sound coming off the stage, and the audience gets a sense of what the drums sound like by several factors. In recording, we are providing them with 100% of what they will hear, and any mistake will be much more obvious. No direct sound to cover up a mistake. Therefore we treat the drums as a collection of elements that make up a single kit. In studio recording, we have to treat the drums as a complete instrument that is made up of many elements. Together these elements make a single drum set, played by a single performer. Overhead mics in the studio is much different than setting up overheads for live sound. In live sound, it doesn’t matter where the mics are, as long as they pick up the cymbals on each side of the kit. Overhead mics for live sound are often centered around the kick drum, and the sound of the snare is mainly from a close mic such as a sm57. The overhead mics start as an outline that we fill in with the close mics. I believe that a great drum recording will rest on the sound of the overhead microphones. These microphones not only record the sound of the cymbals, but the sound of the drums, and the location of each element in the stereo image of the kit.

Overheads ‐ Mastering the Art of Recording Drums Foundation of Drum Recording Ryan Earnhardt This guide is about creating a strong foundation for your drum recordings.
