Most home recordists don’t have access to the huge 32-channel (or more) boards found in commercial recording facilities. We thought it would be interesting to delve into the basics of recording a full band using the limited number of inputs provided with common home recording interfaces such as the Digi 002 or MOTU 828mkII.
First, we’ll talk about ways to mic a drum kit effectively using four (or less) mics in order to free up the other four inputs available for other sound sources. The use of two overhead mics in either an XY Stereo pair or ORTF depending on the size and setup of the kit, a kick drum mic, and a bottom snare mic is a minimalist mic setup that can yield satisfactory results. It may not make sense to you to mic the bottom of the snare, but the overheads tend to capture the attack of the snare and a mic placed under the snare will capture the sound of the snares. It is a “snare” drum, after all.
Next time we will discuss another method for miking the drum kit using more mics and tracking the bass simultaneously, yet silently.