ABSTRACT
In most pop and rock music, the drums are the second most important instrument – second only to the vocals. They provide the beat, the groove, and the foundation over which the other instruments play. Their sound can be natural, or heavily stylized and influenced by microphone, mixing, and recording techniques. Before deciding how to mic a drum set you need to be familiar with the band’s sound, and all the instruments being recorded – if you don’t know how specific instruments should sound, or how the musicians are trying to use them in the context of the band’s sound, how can you appropriately record them? Preferably this should be done before the band comes into the studio. Listen to other recordings they’ve made, or check out a gig or rehearsal. If neither of those are possible, and even if they have already been done, you can’t really decide what mics and mic techniques to use until you’ve carefully listened to the instruments in the studio. Every instrument is different, and the sonic goals of each project are different – “this is how I always mic it” doesn’t guarantee the best results and is an inexcusably lazy approach to recording.
