How do I track drums?
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Posted on Jun 10, 2007 11:19 am
guitarkeyes
Member Since: Jun 10, 2007
I want to get each drum part recorded onto its own track so that i can work with it in acid music studio. How do I do this?
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McMerkinHobbyist musician,pro recorderMember
Since: May 15, 2007
Jun 10, 2007 12:48 pm Well, do you have drums or are you using a keyboard? Are you using tape or a computer?
Do you have one mic or many?
If you want -total- isolation you would have to play each element separately, which can be tedious but done easily enough. Snare on one track (and in one take), kick the next take (so long as you can monitor the click track or prior takes so you know what you're playing along with), cymbal the next, etc.
If you're using, say a 4 track, tape then you really would have a problem, since you could isolate 4 tracks of drums (one element on each track) but then would have to boil that down to another tape and end up mixing them no matter what.
Jun 10, 2007 03:40 pm You need an interface with multiple inputs. I usually like at the very least, 8 inputs to track drums. Isolation is easily achieved by gating. Of course when dealing with overheads and room mics... Isolation of the snare drum, toms and whatever else may be on the kit can only be flitered to a certain extent. I've never done the method that McMerkin is mentioning, but to me it sounds like it would be grueling and lose a lot of feeling by playing each drum on it's own take. I cannot really say because I have never done that. But guitarkeyes, I think your best bet would be to get an audio interface or sound card that has 8+ inputs, like a firepod or something. Mic each drum up and record it onto it's own track. Good luck.
McMerkinHobbyist musician,pro recorderMember
Since: May 15, 2007
Jun 10, 2007 09:47 pm Well, I have no idea what this person has or how they want to record it, so I just tossed out a scenario. Yours would be a perfect way to do it if one had the equipment or money to do it that way. Playing each track separately would be an extreme and rather ridiculous way to go about it, I agree, but I was just guesing at what this person might be asking.
Yeah, your answer is better. :)
RigsbyUltra MagnusMember
Since: Nov 13, 2004
Jun 17, 2007 02:24 am I like four mics on drums: glyn johns-style overheads with a pair of LDCs, kick in a duvet-tunnel to isolate it a little and 57 on snare, pointed at the rim. Totally floats my boat. I'm loving my drum sound at the moment.
Jun 17, 2007 03:14 am AKoppenheffer mentioned that isolation is easily achieved by gating. I have to stick my opinion in here and tell you that using any tool as drastic as a gate is not easy.
Back in my studio drumming days, I always gave meticulous care to the sound of my kit. But, now and then, I'd have to deal with a lazy engineer who insisted on slapping duct tape and tampons on everything with a resonance - drums being the most obvious target. Which came first - the lazy engineer, or the crappy sounding drum kit? Who knows.
Then, engineers found noise gates. Hallelujah. Now they could simply twist a couple of knobs and obliterate everything their ears couldn't identify. The worst was when the engineer didn't know how to separate the gated sound going to the tape from the cue (headphone) mix. Drove me nuts.
That's my diatribe. Always remember, if you MUST use gating, pay attention. Setting your threshold and release levels are crucial. Audition your settings thoroughly before committing them to a track. Let the sound breathe.
CptTrippsCzar of Turd PolishMember
Since: Jun 20, 2006
Jun 17, 2007 04:33 pm I like 3 mics (kick, 2xOH's - I think this way sounds better with LDC) all the way up to 8. I use a layla 8 input interface with (1)kick (2)LTom (3)MTom (4)HTom (5)Snare (6)OHL (7)OHR (8)Room.
It's common to use similar mics on the snare/toms (sm57), a kick mic(Audix D6 here), and a cpl SDC's as the overheads. I let the OH's provide the higher end on the toms and just use their close mics to add a little body.
But yeah, without a gear listing, it will be quite hard for one of the HRC'ites to tailor a possible solution for you.
zekthedeadcowEat Spam before it eats YOU!!!Member
Since: May 11, 2002
Jun 17, 2007 05:59 pm Or my future setup:
2 Overheads for cymbals and mesh heads with triggers! :)
I'm probably going to be getting one of the Alesis drum modules on ebay in the next month or so... hopefully...maybe... I think...
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
Jun 17, 2007 07:31 pm aside from the kick and snare, skinny puppy mic'd their kit up with all SDC's. I thought that as odd.
Jun 17, 2007 11:57 pm For me, I like to typically mic every drum with dynamic mics, preferably a 57 on the top and bottom of the snare, Sennheiser E604 on the rack toms, and an E602 on the floor tom. For the kick I like the E602, D6, and the D112. SDC for overheads... I'm really into my Rode NT4 right now, a nice fixed XY works great when it comes to phasing. I'm also a sucker for room mics. I dig U87s or the TLM127s. And finally to add some "balls" or some "oomph" to the recording another LDC set to omni and tucked in the corner of a room. I like it right where the wall meets the ceiling. Bass builds up in corners and adds a great effect that can enhance your recording alot. Also I compress the rooms quite a bit.. Kind of crushing them to mak the tracks punch a bit more.
Jun 18, 2007 12:05 am WORD! i rocked a similar setup for as my 'goto' mic setup (sometimes sans tom's)....i just got into room miking and it's opened my ears nicely....good advice, i'm gonna do the corner thing next time!...try LDC's on overheads for a softer feel....i didn't think to try it until recently but they handle cymbals way better....SDC's are real 'surgical' sounding to me for that application now.....butta up them cymbals with dark LDC's.
also ribbon's under the snare are fun for dirtying up a soft hitter...and 451 on a kick is super deep...if you set the highpass just right...i'm really liking the results, and i wonder why i don't hear of alotta ppl usin' it.
good advice though, thanks!
