Mastering the Art of Recording Drums without

Samples - Part 1 Three Steps for Placing

Overheads
Why are Overheads So Important?
● Overhead microphones record more than just the cymbals ­ They determine how the
stereo image of your drum sound will be arranged.
● Overhead microphones capture full range sound, and add together with your close
microphones.
● Overheads that are not arranged well may have phasing issues, that are very difficult
to cover up or fix. The human ear is very sensitive to phasing issues that occur in the
high frequencies.
● Overhead microphones add depth and 3D qualities to your drums. It is what makes
them sound more real, while the close mics make the drums sound thicker and more
powerful.

The Three Steps for Placing Overhead Microphones

❏ 1. Divide the drums​ . A common way to divide the drum kit is by drawing a line from
the middle of the kick drum (where the toms plug in) to the middle of the snare drum
head. This creates a line that keeps the most important elements centered, or close to
center.
❏ 2. Decide on the height​ . If your room isn’t acoustically treated, use a lower height. If
your room sounds great for drums, then you can use a higher height that allows some
room sound into the microphones. This could be favorable over adding additional room
microphones in some cases because less microphones usually provides a more
cohesive sound. This also is cheaper as you don’t need two extra microphones and
channels. Having room mics is great, but this is a cheap alternative.
❏ 3. Choose the technique​ . There are four general approaches:
❏ Coincident (XY, Blumlein, MS)
❏ Near Coincident (ORTF, NOS)
❏ Spaced Pair

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 ❏ Asymmetric Pair (Glyn Johns, Recorderman, McTear)

Quick Guide to Overhead Techniques

Coincident
❏ XY: 90 Degrees, 0 cm apart, Cardiod
❏ Blumlien: 90 Degrees, 0 cm apart, Figure 8
❏ MS: 90 Degrees, Cardiod/Figure 8 in Center, Figure 8 to Sides
Near Coincident
❏ ORFT: 110 Degrees, 17 cm apart, Cardiod
❏ NOS: 90 Degrees, 30 cm apart, Cardiod
❏ RAI: 100 Degrees, 21 cm apart, Cardiod
❏ DIN: 90 Degrees, 20 cm apart, Cardiod
❏ OLSON: 135 Degrees, 20 cm apart, Cardiod
❏ EBS: 90 Degrees, 25 cm apart, Cardiod
Spaced Pair
❏ A­B Stereo: 0 Degrees, 40­60 cm apart, Omni. This technique is used for
acoustic guitar, piano and many other stereo recording applications.
❏ Drum Set Up: Use string to space microphones equal from snare. Microphones
can be wider than the width of the drum kit.
❏ Ultra Wide ­ 50% of room width: Used for room microphones at live orchestral
concerts or rock venues. Random phasing and timing issues between the two
microphones create a very pleasurable “reverb” sound that sounds as if it’s
wrapping around the listener.
Asymmetric Pair
❏ Glyn Johns: Anchoring mic over Hi Tom/Snare, Low side Mic 8 inches higher
than rim of Low Floor Tom. Mics are about the same distance from snare. Mix
halfway panned out and compress with hot pre amps by 10 dB.
❏ Recorderman: Create an “A” with a string comming from middle of kick head,
and middle of snare. Mic 1 is at the top of the “A”. Mic 2 is over the drummers
right shoulder and also at the top of the “A”. Halfway pan when mixing.
❏ McTear: Create the “A” with the string as in Recorderman, but do not pinch the
top of the “A”. The sum of the two distances (To the Snare, and to the Kick) are
equal in both mics. Room mics are also measured in the same way to kick and
snare.

Copyright 2015 Lumen Audio, LLC