# Drum Recording: Dynamics & Impact - Audio Examples of Different Mic Types & Placement



## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

*Drum Recording: Dynamics & Impact - Audio Examples of Different Mic Types & Placement*

I was inspired to post these links and YouTube videos after a discussion in another thread about _Why to use Large 10"-12" Midbass Speakers in an HLCD install?_

I didn't want to clutter up that thread with Off-Topic information, but I thought that it might be interesting to some of us here that are interested in recreating realistic Drum Kit & Percussion Impact and Dynamics in their car audio system.

Here is a Link to the original thread (my personal inspiration to start the thread here came from the posts starting on PAGE 3 of the _HLCD_ thread)...

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/hlcd/241793-why-10s-12s-midbass.html


This was also inspired by the reference to _Michael Jackson's *Billie Jean*_ track from the _Thriller_ album with its excellent overall production and amazing snare and kick drum impact. Here are a few links to posts by the Audio Engineer, Bruce Swedien about the recording/mixing of that track...


The REAL Story on "Billie Jean"...

and another good one...

Critical listening with Bruce Swedien



My preference for using larger mid-bass drivers (larger than 6.5"-8") stems from the comparison of the overall diameter or actual size of the drums that we are trying to recreate. Think of the Pistonic Area or "Cone Area" of a 14" Snare Drum or an 18"-24" Bass Drum, and how much air would need to be displaced at those frequencies to realistically duplicate the dynamics and impact of a live drum kit?! And also consider what amount of linear excursion would be required by smaller drivers (without producing audible distortion) at realistic levels?

Even though these videos and the audio from them are compressed via YouTube Internet streaming, they are good overall examples of raw drum sounds and how the different qualities of the drum kit are captured with various microphones and through various recording techniques.

They also demonstrate several aspects of the Physics of Sound, and the same principles often apply to speakers that are used to play back audio. Microphones are basically a "speaker in reverse" for lack of a better term. Watch in HD Video Mode for the best Audio Quality in YouTube.

A good demonstration of Phase using Two Shure SM57 Dynamic Mics on an electric guitar cabinet. (There is a link to the Drum Kit Phase Demo in this video)...







Basic 2 microphone drum recording technique...











You can continue to watch the rest of the series above if you'd like by following the Links in the YouTube videos.


A video demonstrating excellent snare drum and kick drum impact, much like Michael Jackson's _*Billie Jean*_ track that also inspired this thread.








Another very interesting video about how different "Rooms" affect the overall sound of a Drum Kit recording. The examples in the second half of the video shown below are using just the Neumann KU100 Binaural Dummy Head (photo below) in a consistent placement in relation to the drum kit to capture the audio in each room. These recordings are very revealing and might demonstrate why we need EQ and other DSP to adjust the response in our vehicles, and why "every vehicle is different".










Neumann KU 100 Dummy Head Microphone @ B&H Photo Video Pro-Audio

I'd like to make the point that if you had placed a pair of Speakers in each room instead of microphones, and then listened to a particular music track from a consistent listening position relative to the speakers, that the sound or acoustics would most likely change in similar ways.... i.e. the size, shape, and reflective or absorptive properties of our "room" (or our vehicle's cabin) and the placement of those speakers in "the room" can have a large effect on what we hear...Perhaps not as large of a difference as these actual rooms, but different all the same...








Below, a comparison of 3 different types of Microphones. A cardioid polar pattern Large Diaphragm Condenser mic, a hyper-cardioid polar pattern Dynamic mic, and figure-of-8 polar pattern Ribbon mic, each placed in roughly the same position while recording a drum kit...








And finally, One Large Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Mic placed in the front/center of a Drum Kit using Placement (Height) as EQ...







Here you can Download Drum Samples for Logic Pro...

http://www.logic-cafe.com/lc/index.php/download-linndrum-lm2-exs24-instrument-for-logic-pro


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## mitchyz250f (May 14, 2005)

*Re: Drum Recording: Dynamics & Impact - Audio Examples of Different Mic Types & Place*

Very interesting. Thanks


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## Lycancatt (Apr 11, 2010)

*Re: Drum Recording: Dynamics & Impact - Audio Examples of Different Mic Types & Place*

as both a drummer and an x studio engineer who still does live work quite often, this is a subject very dear to me.

phase is imo the most important thing in any system, this is also why its hard for me to create big eq cuts as they will add phase error. many say time alinement in car audio can help with phase, and it obviously can, but getting close with crossover points and slopes and placement will really help in the long run.


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## Justin Zazzi (May 28, 2012)

*Re: Drum Recording: Dynamics & Impact - Audio Examples of Different Mic Types & Place*

This is great, and I enjoyed the videos. Thank you for sharing!


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

*Re: Drum Recording: Dynamics & Impact - Audio Examples of Different Mic Types & Place*

Thanks gentlemen!



Lycancatt said:


> as both a drummer and an x studio engineer who still does live work quite often, this is a subject very dear to me.
> 
> phase is imo the most important thing in any system, this is also why its hard for me to create big EQ cuts as they will add phase error. many say time alignment in car audio can help with phase, and it obviously can, but getting close with crossover points and slopes and placement will really help in the long run.


Mike, I agree. Phase is extremely important. For my drum Over-Head mics I will typically use a pair of the Samar VL37A Ribbon mics in a Blumlein Pair, or the Lewitt LCT-550 or CAD E100S LDC's in ORTF. I try to get a complete and balanced "picture" of the entire drum kit with just those overhead mics, and then maybe supplement just a bit with a close mic on the snare and kick drum if needed, or a single mic out in front/center of the drum kit that's at the same distance to the snare as the overheads. Of course it is fairly easy to "Time Align" the transient peaks of any close mics to the OH's in the DAW (I use Presonus Studio One Pro 3) as long as the close mics don't have too much bleed.

Here's some examples (not mine) of some of the mics I use as Drum OverHeads in ORTF (I have the entire _Lewitt DTP Beat Kit Pro 7_ drum mic package) and substitute the LCT-640 overheads they use in these videos with my LCT-550 mics that I like better and have lower self noise. The first video starts at 15 seconds in, and is only the Cymbals recorded with just the ORTF overhead mics, no reverb or processing. The other two videos are the entire drum kit using a combination of the overhead mics and close mics...

















I also found another YouTube video to post and also am sharing a Link to some Drum Recordings that I like. Be forewarned, my background is in Jazz Drumming and Saxophone, so I tend to lean towards that genre.

Look for these tracks:

*Nothing But Swing Trio - NBS Trio Plays Komeda - 04. Kolysanka Lullaby (Drum Solo 4m35s)*

and

*Nothing But Swing Trio - NBS Trio Plays Komeda - 07. My Ballad*

I also like the Kick Drum (and the entire recording) of the 24/176.4 HDtracks _*Vanessa Fernandez - Use Me - 10. Here But I'm Gone*_

bbfoto Drum Demo Tracks - OneDrive Cloud


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