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. A drum set can be miked with anything from a single mono microphone, to 20 or more mics. Natural sounds tend to be preferred for jazz and acoustic styles, whereas huge, studio-crafted, power-house sounds provide the basis of rock music. Many general purpose instrument mics sound great on kick drums, but there are also low frequency instrument mics specifically designed for kick drums. The snare drum is usually one of the most used, and most important instruments the overheads will pick up, whether the snare is individually miked or not.
