I dug up this songwriting demo I did last year and thought that something here might be of interest to you guys, since I occasionally see questions on other boards about recording drums with two mics.

At the time I did this, I was listening to a lot of early Roxy Music. Those records almost always have the drums in mono and panned straight up the middle. I decided to try and lift some vibe from those records for this demo, so I just put a D12 on the kick and a U47 from the front directly centered above the kick, angled slightly towards the drummer maybe 5 degrees, if I recall. I ran them both through Neve 1073s and EQ'd both. I think EQ was crucial in getting things to sound like this. I also compressed the U47 a good deal on an 1176. I don't remember the settings.

Anyway, as is often the case, on its own, it's not the prettiest sound. The thing I like about it is the way it sits in the track. I love that, in fact. So, here's an mp3 with 15 secs of the drums solo'd and the same piece with the other instruments so you can hear how it fits together.

Enjoy!

mono drums.zip

Yes...I really dig how it sits in the mix!

Curious...
Did you use that mic approach in the past, and so you knew what to expect with the mix...or was it an experiment that just work out well?

I've been working my M/S overhead pair with a spot mic on snare and one in the kick...for awhile now...and I like the bigger kit sound, with the non-obtrusive left/right spread...
...but sometimes I want to try out other approaches, but without getting into that whole "mic on everything" approach.

I'll have to try your two-mic setup.
How high up and far away was the U47?
And the kick mic...up close....or back a few feet?

I get a bit concerned sometimes about sticking the whole kit dead-center in the mix...so that it's not fighting with the vocals too much...
...but I can see where for some stuff it would work.
With my M/S pair...I get the snare just off-center at about 1-2 o’clock...and the kick at about 10-11...which still keeps things tight, but leaves that hole in the middle.
And then with the toms and cymbals...the image can really open up if the drummer works the whole kit...assuming it's a good sized kit.
I got a nice 10-piece...so the M/S stereo pair does it justice.

It was just a hunch that worked out well. I'd never used it like this.

The kick mic was just an inch outise the edge of the hole in the front head, just where I usually put it. I'm going to say, althought I can't be certain, that the U47 was above the center of the kick, about 48" up, angled towards the drummer a bit, like I said.

J.J. - Just want to say thanks for the info (specifically referring to your detailed explination of the Glynn Johns drum mic recording layout - with pictures). I have been using spaced overheads (large or small dia. cond.) for years now and have gotten usable & decent results. However, since i recently tried the Glynn Johns method you so specifically described, my overall drum sound has improved 300%.

I am using Studio Project B1 mics for overhead and above floor tom. all toms are close miced with senn. 421's and my front of kit mic is a 4033(well smashed with compression). kick mic is a D112. snare has 57's top & bottom.

overall sound "picture" is far better than i was getting. any phase issues i had in the past with toms are gone... front of kit mic really lets the ride shine through the mix.

for the first time i feel as though my drum sound is nearing pro-quality (albeit small studio pro quality). sure, my room sound still leaves a lot to be desired... but what a difference this mic technique has made. thanks!

ohh yea.. forgot to mention... sweet avatar.

bags, I'm happy to hear that what little I know and have passed along has made a positive difference. Thanks for letting me know.

That sounds awesome, JJ.

I haven't the courage to do drums (or whole mixes) in mono. I need to work on that. The stereo field is a bit of a crutch for me.

This is the only time I've ever done drums with two mics:

http://www.danielfarris.com/sounds/25.mp3

KM84's, one near, one far. Compressed a lot. And 30ms added to the far mic.

DF

Unless in a great room, I've always had less than stellar results from two mics.