Can record drums with 4 mics?

[The-Warlord]

I'm getting a MOTU Traveller soon, and plan to do full band recording. Seeing as it has 4 XLR inputs, id like to record drums with that...a few questions:

1. Would this even work and sound ok? I'm thinkin a L and R overhead, a kick and a snare mic.

2. What microphones to use for this? I was lookin at the net and saw some 'drum recording' mic packs, but most where 6/7/8 pieces... :? Should I get one of these packs, or should I uy 4 seperate mics? Budget is kinda tight!

It's for decent quality band demos...

Thanks!

 

[soft]

The-Warlord

1. You might wanna get a Behringer ADA8000 ( http://www.behringer.com/ADA8000/index.cfm?lang=ENG ), this will add an additional 8 XLR to your Traveller.

2. The packaged mics are quite a good deal for starting out. once you get the hang of the sound, you can then add mics to the collection.

*if you look around, there are some mics that are constantly used for drums. those are good guide but they are also usually the very expensive ones.

 

[The-Warlord]

Thanks for the reply James, but im trying to go as portable as possible...so if i go with the cheaper version and get a 4 pack of drum mics, it will sound acceptable?

Or buying 2 over head mics, then a dedicated snare and kick mic? Im worried I wont get the toms properly..

 

[soft]

remember to factor in mic stands. how to go mobile? :lol:

you can check out http://www.sweetwater.com/store/category/c106 to see which of these are within your budget.

I would pick:
AKG D 112 for Bass (USD200)
Shure SM57 for Snare (USD90)
Samson C02 for Overhead (USD120 for stereo pair)
that total up to USD410 which is about $700


or you can choose the Samson 7pcs ( http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/7DrumMicKit/ ) USD250.

haiz... when it comes to audio stuff, microphones is big headache. oh.. actually, pre-amp also ... dynamics also ... power supply also ... monitors ... headphones ...

 

[seekz]

the ada8000 is reliable or not? are you giving reccomendations based on experience james?

cos i tried their mixers before that feature the same Invisible mic preamp(IMP) thingy boasting ultra-low noise(ULN), wah in the end its damn noisy. I almost cannot tahan.

I can't tell if its the mixing circuitry or the mic pre-amp but i know the behringer mixers are noisy as hell. so wana check up on the ada8000 if its the same problem or otherwise.

 

[soft]

seekz

ya, used the ada8000 before. quite a straight forward piece of equipment.

which mixer did you used? nowadays, equipment are all quite low noise already.

 

[gkinsingapore]

Can record drums with 4 mics?

Check out a little known band called The Beatles! Or how 'bout early Zep or the Stones?

Beringher Adat interface has mixed reviews on the various web boards but there is no doubt it cant be beaten at that price. I guess you get what you pay for and if the noise floor is a little higher than the much more expensive competition then there is so much technology around these days that can easily remove any noise at the mixing stage.

However 4 mics would probably be more than enough for your needs and I would go with the '57 and D112 combo for kick and snare and put a couple of Rodes over the top. There was someone on this board advertising ex demo Rodes for bargain prices just a few days back. A pair of NT5's would be a great choice for overheads and for some weird reason, Rode's are cheaper in Sg than anywhere else in the world.

 

[seekz]

the behringer 2442fxpro

its this static noise.. very disappointing

 

[The-Warlord]

Where do i get Rodes microphones? And AKG? Thanks... Thing is, if i ave a kick and snare mic, the two overheads will have to cater for all symbols....im worried it wont pickup stuff like the ride.

 

[blueprintstudios]

errr.. i'm using the behringer ada8000... i have 2 infact. works okay for me. $400-$450+ for 8 channels is reasonable i guess. but the honest downside to it is that it will heat up damn jialat after certain amt of usage time. and it'll double up as a coffeecup heater. make sure you standby a fan or something on it.

 

[parablue74]

4 mics on the drums can be done.
With the limitations, you have to choose which component is the most important to your needs.
What i can tell ya is that the most important components are Snare, Bass Drum, High Hats/Cymbals and Rack toms.
To start with the cheap way, you can go for 2 Audiotechnica XM3S on Snare and Rack Toms, ATM25 on the Bass Drum and a large diaphragm condenser like Rode NT1A for Cymbals/HH.
Samson C01 is via USB (though i never tried it before, it will give you an extra input).
There are many other mics that can be use in regards to budget.
If you want the expensive way, you can try a Shure Beta 57 on Snare, a Sennheiser MD421 for rack toms, ATM25 on Bass Drum (Still prefer this over D112) and a Neumann U87 for Cymbals/HH.
There are many combinations you can try, these are my ideal mic recommendations, some i really am drooling over...
BD/Flr Tom=> ATM25, D112, Beta 52A, Blue Ball
SD=> XM3S, SM57, OM2, Beta57
Rack Toms=> E604, MD421, Audix D2
HH/Cymbals=> Samson C02, Rode NT5, Neumann KM184, Oktava MK012
Bet there are many more great mics out there!!!!!!!!!!