The drum kit is one of the most complicated instruments to record. Although there are many different methods, some common techniques and principles should be understood. Since the different parts of the drum kit have widely varying sound they should be considered as individual instruments, or at least a small group of instrument types: Bass, Snare, Toms, Cymbals, and Percussion.
During the microphone placement you need to not only consider finding the “sweet spot” but also to avoid picking up the other instruments at the same time. Supercardioid microphones are ideal for this application.
The bass drum’s energy is primarily focused in two areas: very low-end timbre and “attack”. Typically the microphone is placed inside the bass drum with a boom arm a few inches away from the beater head. The closer the microphone is placed to the beater head the more attack you will get, and therefore the further away the less.
Placing the mic closer to the edge makes the sound less bassy but more differentiated. Specialized microphones are recommended for miking a bass drum. Their frequency response and the big size are optimized for the low frequencies of a bass drum. They have a good response in the low frequencies, a boost in the attack range and above 6 kHz (approximately) frequencies are cut off substantially.
The snare drum is typically miked on the top head at the edge of the drum, approximately 2 – 7 cm above the drum head with a dynamic cardioid or supercardioid microphone. If you are using a supercardioid microphone be aware not to pickup the hi-hat from the back.
Toms can be miked with dynamic or condenser microphones in the same way as the snare drum. An advantage of small condenser microphones with goosenecks is that they can be directly attached to the rim of the tom and no separate stands are needed. Additionally condenser mics usually provide more attack.
Overhead microphones are typically a stereo pair. Not only to record a stereo image but also to capture all the cymbals with a consistent level. Flat frequency response condenser microphones will capture an accurate reproduction of the high frequencies. The mics are placed above the drum kit aiming to the cymbals. The closer they are moved towards the cymbals the less is picked up from the rest of the drum kit.
Many times the overhead mics will provide enough response to the hi-hat to eliminate the need for a separate hi-hat microphone. If necessary, a small diaphragm condenser mic placed away from the puff of air that happens when hi-hats close and within four inches to the cymbals should be a good starting point. Simpler methods of drum miking are used for jazz and any application where open, natural kit sounds are desired.
Using fewer mics over sections of the drums is common. Also, one high quality mic placed at a distance facing the whole kit may capture the sounds of kit and room acoustics in an enjoyable balance. Additional mics may be added to reinforce certain parts of the kit that are used more frequently (typically snare and bass drum).
Typically, a small diaphragm condenser microphone is used to mike an acoustic guitar – nevertheless a large diaphragm mic can also provide very good results. Aiming the microphone directly at the sound hole creates a bassy, boomy and full sound. Is the mic too close to the sound hole, hand movements are audible and therefore an adequate distance should be created. Moving the mic towards the neck adds harmonics and brightness but also fret noise.
Depending on personal taste this may be desirable but it is not very common. A balanced sound provides the placement of the microphone between the sound hole and the tailpiece. To achieve an open, well-balanced and natural sound two microphones are needed. One is aimed at the body and the other one is aimed towards the neck (at the 12th fret). The microphone aimed at the body can be a large diaphragm mic to best reproduce the low frequencies. Depending on the room acoustics this microphone can also be placed one meter away from the guitar.
Even though miking an electric guitar or bass does not mean placing the mic directly at the instrument but at the speaker, still it is defined as picking up the instrument. Before placing the mic at the cabinet you should make sure you know exactly where the speakers are located. Very often two or four speakers are mounted in a cabinet.
Moving the mic towards the edge of the speaker cone results in a duller sound. At the centre of the speaker cone the sound is more balanced and has most “bite”. The proximity effect increases the low frequencies when a unidirectional microphone is placed very close to the speaker. Placing the mic further away reduces the bass and the mic picks up more room ambience.
A critical point with miking electric guitars and basses is the high sound pressure level and therefore dynamic microphones are mainly used for this application. If you prefer a condenser microphone make sure it is capable of handling the high volume.
Picking up the sound of a piano is very challenging. On the one hand it is acoustically the widest instrument – the frequencies range from 27.5 to 4,200 Hz; with harmonics up to 12,000 Hz. On the other hand there are countless possibilities to place the microphones.
A lot of articles and books are available that describe many ways to mike a piano and in this guide only a few basics can be touched upon. The only common thing with all ways to mike a piano is the type of microphone used. Typically, a small diaphragm condenser microphone is the best choice, at best a pair to get a stereo-image. Low frequencies are positioned to the left and the high frequencies to the right; this is also how the pianist would hear it. The lid should be open to get the best results. Instead of only using cardioid microphones, experimenting with omnidirectional microphones that generally sound more natural, will also lead to a better outcome.
A standard way to mike a piano is to place the microphones approximately 30 to 60 cm above the strings. One is aimed at the low strings, the other at the high strings. The closer the microphones move towards the hammers, the more attack and brightness is added to the sound; but also mechanical noise such as hammer and damper noise increases. In any way, finding the “sweet spot” and keeping the microphones placed on this spot is most critical, because moving the mic just a few centimeters can change the sound dramatically.
The most common instruments for home recording have been briefly described. With this short guide it is not possible to explain miking techniques for every single instrument in detail. Small diaphragm condenser microphones are in general a good choice for further instruments. Nevertheless the placement of the microphone differs for most instruments and therefore testing and experimenting leads you to what sounds best to your ears.
Recording a whole band means having individual tracks and microphones for every instrument or voice. To get the best result the single instrument and vocal tracks should be recorded one after the other. With this you can best avoid scenarios such as the drums being too audible on the guitar track. Miking the whole band with only one or two microphones will not result in good sound quality, but can be considered for capturing ideas.
