So far we’ve captured one heck of a sound with only 4 mics. It’s mono but it’s really good. It’s full, it’s big, it’s punchy. It totally works.
For the record I love a mono drum sound. It’s tight, focused, and punchy. It also leaves a lot of room in the mix for other elements such as guitars, keys, vocals, etc..
However, mono can become a little stagnant as far as modern music is concerned. A lot of music can really benefit from a stereo image or left/right movement from the drums.
So I’m going to use the tom microphones for two things: Attack/presence and stereo image.
The spot microphones on the toms will definitely help them cut by adding attack. It will also give them more clarity and a little more body.
By panning the mics slightly to the left and right the drums will start to get a bit of a stereo image. This is a really neat setup. The grooves will be tight, focused, and centered while the fills will have left to right movement. It’s cool!!
Enjoy “Building A Drum Sound pt3” and I’ll see you in the studio!
All the best,
Charlie
View “Building A Drums Sound pt1“
View “Building A Drums Sound pt2”
