Many musicians start their home recording pursuits with a two-channel usb or firewire interface. My first interface was a Tascam US-122. As a drummer, this interface was limiting, but it’s what I had. What I didn’t have was the knowledge of how to mic drums that I could have used to produce better drum tracks sooner than later.
This guide is about how to best use your microphones to get good drum sounds on your tracks or in live settings. It will explore 2-mic setups, 3- and 4-mic setups, and close mic techniques to ensure that your drums are captured as they sound.
Whether it’s Glyn Johns, Recorderman, or any other combination of close and room mic techniques, I want to make sure that you have the information that I needed decades ago.
Getting Your Priorities In Order
Capturing drums as they sound is about honoring the drum sounds that the player brings to the session. This means that the drums need to sound good in the room to max out the potential for the tracks. Then, you can record good sounds with some of the techniques explained below.
The drums also have to be performed well before the sounds will even matter.
This may seem obvious, but I still feel the need to remind players about the fact that sound engineers cannot tune and play the drums for them. Those are priorities that must be in order before the sounds we capture ever have a chance on the tracks.
Here are some things to consider long before the recording or live session.
- Replace old heads that lack attack or resonance.
- Tune your drums for the style of music. Toms for jazz sessions are often more resonant than the dead sounds you may want to achieve for rock or fusion musical forms.
- Warm up and use consistent technique. The way you hold the stick will impact the resonance of the cymbal or drum head. More importantly, the way you move the sticks will determine the sound and feel of the rhythms. If you move erratically, your tracks will sound erratic.
- Practice with a metronome. Don’t just turn it on when you practice. Internalize the time to the extent that it disappears because the sounds you produce have swallowed the time completely. Okay .. that got a little weird, but you know what I mean. Try practicing with a metronome everyday for a month and let us know in the comments below how that changed your sense of time.
- Know the songs. Even if you are doing a session in your own home or performing for a backyard barbecue, know the songs. I can’t think of anything worse than a band with a drummer who doesn’t know the tunes. It’s a disaster.
- Develop your dynamic control and balance around the drum set. It’s important to be able to play the hi hats softer and the kick or snare louder. The more subtle you can be on the cymbals, without losing energy, the easier it can be to record or amplify good drum sounds.
- Don’t be too concerned with perfection. You are a musician – an artist. Let your music be what it is today, and be proud of it. You will capture it better tomorrow, but that’s never a reason to not record it today.
Level up you drumming and recording at home by doing it as often as possible. If you do that and consider the points I have made above, you will get better. Let the results speak for themselves.
Best Mic Choices for Drums
The best drum mics are the ones you have. I have never met a studio or front-of-house engineer who didn’t want another microphone for one reason or another. But I have seen some of my favorite engineers pass over the more expensive mic to choose a budget mic because it fit the situation.
Think of the drum mics in terms of dynamic mics and condenser mics.
- Dynamic mics work when sound waves vibrate a diaphragm (where the sound first contacts the mic) connected to a coil and a magnet. The signal is then converted into audio. Almost all dynamic mics have a cardioid response pattern, which means it will pick up sound in front of the mic and slightly to the sides.
- Condenser mics use an electric current to make a capacitor between a fixed plate and the diaphragm, which is movable. When the diaphragm vibrates from the contact with the sound waves, the changes are reflected in the current and turned into a signal that can be processed into audio. This electrical current is the reason you’ll need to turn on phantom power on your recording interface or the mixer.
It’s also important to consider the size of the diaphragm for a condenser mic. Large diaphragm mics are great for capturing the low end of the drums, while the small diaphragm mics are good for the high frequencies of the cymbals. I will elaborate on these issues later in this article when it gets into mic placement and overhead mic setups like Glyn Johns or Recorderman.
I have my favorite mics that I’ve used over the years and will share a medium budget list for this guide. You can spend anywhere from $150 to $350 on a low budget setup. The setup I’m focussing on is about $1,200. But the information in this article will help you acquire the mics in stages, so you won’t have to shell out that much cash to get good drum sounds, today!
Snare Drum Mics
Snare drum mics have the best return on investment. For about $100, you can have a great mic that delivers professional results. I use the Shure SM57 on the bottom and the Audix i5 on top.
Check out this article that compares both snare drum microphones.
- Shure SM57 – You can never go wrong with an SM57. It’s great for snare and toms, and I’ve seen it successfully used as an overhead and kick mic. It’s durable for the road – and the occasional wack from a stick – and the frequency response is fair for the price.
- Audix i5 – This mic has been my favorite mic for many years. I doubted it for a little while before doing a side-by-side comparison that ended my doubt completely. Like the other Audix drum mics, the i5 has a frequency response that’s pre-EQed for snare drum.
Kick Drum Mics
You can choose any of the industry standard kick drum mics and achieve great results. It comes down to the drum, the player, and your personal preference. My favorite is the Shure Beta 91a.
- AKG D112 – The D112 has been a popular kick drum mic for live and studio settings for decades. It’s an affordable industry standard that most studios have in their mic cabinet. At about $200, it’s the same price as the Audix D6 and gets the job done. Like the Shure Beta 52A, the D112 has a boost around 4k for some attack.
- Shure Beta 52a – This is the lowest priced mic on the list at about $180, but you won’t hear the $20 difference. I use the Beta 52 with the 91, and they work great together. The Beta 52 is a great 16” or 18” floor tom mic, as well, which can also be said for the D112. It’s frequency response is 20Hz to 10kHz with a boost at 4k.
- Shure Beta 91a – If I could only have one kick drum mic, this is it. It’s the most expensive mic on the list at about $240, and it delivers. It has a low-mid scoop switch that cuts the frequencies that often get removed through EQ, and it’s a cardioid pattern condenser. The frequency response is 20Hz to 20kHz, the widest range on the list.
- Audix D6 – The frequency response for the D6 is 30 Hz to 15kHz, but don’t let those numbers fool you. The great thing about Audix drum mics is how they are EQed for drums out of the box. The D6 has a boost around 40 to 60Hz, a scoop in the low mids, and another boost around 5k with plenty of opportunity to capture the attack on a variety of kick drums.
Check out this article that compares both the Beta 52 and 91 microphones.
Tom Mics
The best tom mics are usually about $300 to $400 each. The Sennheiser MD 421 II have been the industry standard for decades, but these days there are several options that are more friendly to mid- and entry-level budgets. The following range from about $70 to $170 each with bundle deals available when you purchase three mics, for example.
- Shure PGA-56 – This is the cheapest mic on this list. For under $100 it’s better than nothing. If you are buying tom mics, I assume you already have overheads. If you don’t have overheads, I would combine your overhead budget with what you spend on two or three of these mics to buy better overheads.
- Sennheiser e604 – These mics never let me down. I used them on tour for many years and now they are my go-to for home recording. They are the best mics on this list for the price and are great on snare drums and hand drums, too. If I need better tom mics than e604s, I’ll pay for time at the best studio.
- Audix D2 / D4 – The Audix mics have great frequency response for drums. I love the i5 for snare drum, and their D series for toms and kick are also choices you won’t regret. The quality and price of the D2 and D4 mics are comparable to the e604s.
Overhead Mics and Hi Hat
Microphones can be the most expensive investment for a drummer or home studio. My recommendation for overhead mics is to spend around $200 on your first set and to save enough to spend $1,000 or more on your second set.
As you will learn in this guide, overheads are, in my opinion, the microphones that make the most difference. The best studios will have great mics and the engineers to place them. Home studios don’t always have that luxury and need to make every dollar count, which is why I have a few recommendations.
- Rode M5 Compact Condenser – A set of two mics is about $200. These are the best for the price. I don’t think I would recommend spending less money on overheads.
- Shure PGA81 – I often use these mics in an XY configuration roughly above the center of my drums. They are solid budget options at about $130 each and have worked well every time with almost no trouble with interference of any kind.
- Shure SM137 – These mics are about $180 each, so they are a bit more than what I recommend for an aspiring recording studio. But if you just want a good pair of overheads and don’t want to ever spend $1,000 for a pair, these are a great deal. Knowing what I know now, I would have bought these over the PGA81s.
No microphone or budget will matter if you don’t know where to place them. The following few sections focus on mic set ups and placement.
Close Mic Setups
Microphones placed closely to the source of the sound are referred to as close mics. Ultimately, close mics for drums serve to balance the sound that the drummer cannot do on his / her own. The ideal mic setup (and room) would consist of really nice overhead and room mics. The close mics on the drums to achieve more stereo control when the drum setup, mic placement, or room are problematic.
Both the distance and the surrounding instruments that may bleed into the target source will often impact the success of these microphones. If you want to capture the snare drum, for example, the hi hat will likely find its way into your snare drum track. Try to position the mic aimed away from the hi hat. Although these issues can be addressed in mixing, moving the mic or selecting a different one is always preferred for recording good drum sounds.
The direction of the microphone is another factor to consider. Mics aimed at the center of the drum head typically send more attack and less sustain to the track. If the mic is aimed toward the edge of the drum head, the sound is likely to have more resonance. Positioning the mic closer to or farther from the rim also changes the sound. Experiment to find what works.
What Can a Drummer Do?
The best solution to the problems that come with close mics is for drummers to play the instrument with more balance and control. Practice playing the kick and snare louder and the cymbals quieter without losing the energy. I know that this sounds like I’m repeating myself on this point, but it’s because, as a drummer and producer, that’s the effort that yields the most impact on the product.
I still remember my first professional recording session because the engineer, who was also a drummer, told me over and over to be more subtle on the hi hats. He had to gate the snare, which made it sound nothing like I wanted. Check out this article on tips from Jeff Porcaro. Number 5 talks about effects and gating.
Two Mics. Three Mics. Four Mics.
The best two mic setup is one over the drums to get the high frequencies and one on the floor in front of the kick drum to get the lows. This would be necessary if you only have a two-channel audio interface. If that’s all you have, this two-mic setup would work great.
If you’re trying to do a Recorderman technique with two mics, you may find that it requires a mic on the kick and sometimes the snare. Contrary to what you may have read on the Internet or were told by someone you trust, Recorderman is not a two-mic setup. The setup explained below comes from an interview with the producer, Mixerman, who produced the first session with this drum mic concept.
If you have three mics, I would try the Recorderman or Glyn Johns overhead placement with a close mic on the kick. The mics you have should impact your decision. If you have one condenser, a kick drum mic, and a dynamic mic (i.e., SM57), try a close mic on the kick and snare, and place an overhead above the center of the kit to capture a balance of the cymbals and toms.
There’s no best way. Try them all and move mics as needed to find the sound you want. Listen for low end frequencies because they tend to get lost as a result of mic placement.
Four mics are my favorite. Any configuration of close mic on kick and snare with two overheads is usually going to work, especially if the drummer sounds balanced without mics. Check the Recorderman and Glyn Johns setups for more four-mic ideas.
Recorderman Technique
Drummers who can play well balanced do not need as many mics to balance the sound of the drum kit. The tones coming from these players are rich enough to not need much adjustment, and the volumes are smooth and musical. A couple of ribbon mics might be all you need, aside from, of course, a close mic on the batter or bottom snare head.
Most overhead configurations pull the snare to one side, so the close mic on the snare is used to center it. I like drum tracks with the snare right down the middle. Don’t be afraid to mix a parallel trigger track to mix with your room mics, especially if used sparingly.
The first microphone is placed directly above and pointing down at the snare.
- The mic should be about two drumsticks away, but that distance is not critical.
- The distance that sounds the best and can handle the ride and crash cymbals is the one to go with.
The second microphone is an over-the-shoulder mic.
- Position it right above the drummer’s right shoulder, aimed at the kick head.
- Pinch a piece of string (or a cable) with the kick drum beater against the head
- Hold the string up to the mic over the snare before continuing down to the batter head, pulling the strong tight to get an accurate measurement.
- Holding the strong on the snare and still pinching it with the kick drum beater, move the point of the strong to roughly over the drummer’s should to position the second mic. Match that distance to the other mic so it is relatively equidistant from the source. Experiment by moving the mic around. This does not need to be exact.
The mic placement is about achieving a phase relationship that sounds good. It’s not going to be perfect, but moving the mic is so much better than fixing it later in the mixing process. You’ll know there’s a phase problem if you’re not happy with the low frequencies. Switching the polarity in your DAW, for example, can fix the problem, but mic placement should be the primary means of addressing phasing issues.
The original session that created the Recorderman technique used close mics on the kick and snare. I have an 8-channel interface, so I would use two mics on the kick and two on the snare. Depending on the room and the style of sounds we’re trying to achieve, I would place one to two more mics in the room.
Glyn Johns Technique
Like the Recorderman technique, the Glyn Johns technique aims to solve phasing issues while still balancing the coverage of drums and cymbals. The technique was first used by legendary engineer Glyn Johns by accident.
The first microphone is placed over the snare / middle of the kit.
- Place it about 40” to 60” above the snare drum.
- Glyn Johns says that there’s no need to measure because it’s not an exact placement.
- You’ll need to listen back for a balance of the kit.
Experiment with placement by moving the mic over the front rim of the snare drum, moving it more to the right side of the drum, or over the drummers knee. Since these are not exact placements, so you’ll need to find what works for the kit, the player, and the goals of the session.
The second microphone is placed on the floor tom side of the kit.
- Place the mic above the rim of the floor tom and looking back at the snare drum.
- Make sure it is not on the horizon of the nearby cymbals. Place it above the horizon of the cymbal or below, keeping it above the rim of the floor tom.
The Glyn Johns technique also uses a mic on the kick and snare. Think of the snare mic as a way to use panning to pull the sound back to the center as needed. The kick mic can be placed inside the drum or in front. If you place it in front of the kick, find where the movement of air dies off, and place the kick mic there.
Glyn Johns also says that you should try turning up the gain about 10 dB more than you think it should be. The fader can be pulled back to account for the increased gain.
Fewer mics generally means that you have to listen and experiment more. This approach is better the more familiar you are with the mics, the room, and the drummer.
Bottom Snare Mic
The kick and snare on a track or live setting are the most important of all the drum sounds. I think the snare is the most important out of the two – at least it’s the harder of the two to achieve a good sound. The question I’ve recently explored is whether or not the snare bottom mic makes a difference.
A bottom snare mic is not a deal breaker because it always comes down to the tuning and setup of the instrument, as well as the performance. The mics are the next in a series of heroes of a great mix, and the bottom mic is definitely on my list of priorities. It gives your tracks some of the snare sound, literally, that the drum deserves.
Professional mixing engineers are often mixing the snare with room mics, overheads, batter mics, snare side mics, and drum replacement software or triggers. Once all of these signals are adjusted for phase issues, the leveling and equalizing of the sounds leaves you with a lot of options.
Personally, I like to keep triggers really low and prefer to not rely on them. The bottom snare mic opens doors for mixing the snare snare in such a way that pays respect to the instrument. In other words, a bottom snare mic helps to make a snare drum sound like a snare drum.
What’s the best snare bottom mic?
Typically a small diaphragm condenser or a dynamic mic works best. I use an SM57 on the bottom and an Audix i5 on the top. Depending on your budget, the following two mics work well for a bottom snare application.
- Shure SM57 (dynamic)
- AKG C 451 EB (condenser)
Where should it be placed?
The placement of the bottom snare mic should be aimed to avoid the thud of the drum and not be too far away that it picks up too many other nearby instruments.
How to Mix a Bottom Snare Mic
Mixing is a game of small improvements. If you start off with bad sounds, you will only have better sounding bad sounds after employing even the best mixing techniques. Small improvements to good sounds will amplify the good qualities of your drums when they are well captured. Some small improvements, however, can have a huge impact on the overall sound of the drum.
The snare bottom mic adds some of the dirt of the snare drum back to the sound. Since the batter-side mic is capturing the attack, rim, and top-head resonance, the snare-side head is left out of the top mic to a relatively slight degree.
Since the location of the bottom snare mic means it’s less likely to have as much interference from other instruments, it’s a good mic to use for triggering. For the same reason, it’s also a good mic to add effects like reverb, delay, or distortion. Try sending the bottom snare mic to an effects channel with reverb. Also consider EQing the effects channel to achieve the adjustments you want. Play with the fader on the effects channel to get the most out of the parallel channel.
Final Thoughts
I’ve said it several times in this article, but I’ll say it again. The performance and tuning of the drums is most of the work. The microphone choices and placement are the next most impactful, followed by preamps, analogue to digital converters (your interface), and mixing gear and techniques.
If you are only the engineer, you can only control your variables. But don’t be afraid of educating the drummer on the gear you’re using because s/he may be able make a quick change that better serves the music. Some drummers will not respond well to the issues you face, and there’s not much you can do about it.
Also, remember that there are very few rules to sound engineering. If your drums sound good, it’s right. If they sound bad, change one variable at a time. Try moving the mic before changing the mic. Change the mic before adding more mics.
The worst thing you can do is not have a plan for tracking drums. It’s a waste of time. But make sure your plan reflects what’s possible. The best mic you have is the one you have today. Tomorrow will come, and with it will come new ideas about recording good sounds.