#964158 - 06/20/01 12:58 PM
3 Mic technique for drums examples
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popstalin
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Hey all-
I was just wondering if you all could give me some examples of recordings where the drums were recorded with the 3 mic approach. More recent than older if possible but all is welcome.
Thanks!
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Jen H.
Wondercrush
http://www.mp3.com/wondercrush
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#964159 - 06/21/01 12:02 AM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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Sir Bob
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Led Zepplin.
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#964160 - 06/21/01 03:01 AM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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d gauss
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not all zep, but you only need one: "when the levee breaks" ...for more recent? umm matthew sweet's first hit 'girlfriend' is probably only two room mics squashed. just remember the drummer is the main thing, then the kit, then the room, and finally the recording....
-d. gauss
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#964161 - 06/21/01 01:37 PM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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KenElevenShadows
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Actually, "When the Levee Breaks" didn't use the three-mic technique. This was actually simply a stereo microphone at the top of the stairs, while Bonham played his drums in the foyer. Andy Johns used the three-mic technique, so the thing to do would be to listen to the Led Zeppelin stuff with his name on the credits. Now, that said, I don't know how many times he used this technique, either...
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Ken/Eleven Shadows/d i t h er/Nectar
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#964162 - 06/21/01 01:45 PM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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ABECK
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I belive one of the Police albums used this technique. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure which one. Of course - Stuart Copeland is such a fantastic drummer, I'm sure he would sound good with a Mr. Microphone.
Andrew
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#964163 - 06/21/01 02:17 PM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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Lee Flier
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Andy Johns' older brother Glyn used the 3 mic technique too, that's where Andy copped it from. Glyn worked with the Who a lot, so the Who albums that he did (including Tommy and Who's Next) used this technique. And a good thing too - imagine trying to close-mic every drum in Keith Moon's kit! 
--Lee
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#964164 - 06/21/01 02:47 PM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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KenElevenShadows
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That's interesting. I didn't realize that Keith Moon was miced that way for those two albums!!!
BTW, I've tried the technique a couple of times. Now, so much of it is dependent on other things, such as having a really great drummer in a really great sounding room with a really great sounding kit with great sounding mics and mic preamps, but especially the first three...when I tried it, I didn't have the first three, and it failed miserably. It's really quite a testament to the drummer's sense of balance and skill, as well as the drum kit and the room that these recordings were done in.
With better drummers, I've had far better luck in using this, although everyone always opts out for the closer-miced sound, anyway. Oh, and lest we forget -- really high-quality compressors don't hurt, either.
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#964165 - 06/21/01 02:47 PM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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KenElevenShadows
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That's interesting. I didn't realize that Keith Moon was miced that way for those two albums!!!
BTW, I've tried the technique a couple of times. Now, so much of it is dependent on other things, such as having a really great drummer in a really great sounding room with a really great sounding kit with great sounding mics and mic preamps, but especially the first three...when I tried it, I didn't have the first three, and it failed miserably. It's really quite a testament to the drummer's sense of balance and skill, as well as the drum kit and the room that these recordings were done in.
With better drummers, I've had far better luck in using this, although everyone always opts out for the closer-miced sound, anyway. Oh, and lest we forget -- really high-quality compressors don't hurt, either.
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Ken/Eleven Shadows/d i t h er/Nectar
http://www.elevenshadows.com 4 music, travel, more!
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#964166 - 06/21/01 04:05 PM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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carne_de_res
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i'm curious...what is the three mic technique?
is it a stereo pair with a 3d mic in the centre?
sorry for my ignorance...
btw...i really love the sound of the drums on the first who records.
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#964167 - 06/21/01 05:00 PM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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jnorman
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as i remember, "levee" was done using a pair of coles 4038 ribbon mics. a typical 3-mic setup uses a pair of condensers as OH's and something like a 57 for the kick.
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#964168 - 06/22/01 04:14 AM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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Sir Bob
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I read somewhere that the three-mic setup is one overhead, one out in front of the bass drum and one on the snare.
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#964169 - 06/22/01 05:18 AM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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KenElevenShadows
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The key is to cue off the snare, and have everything the same distance from the snare. The first mic lines up at about four feet in front of the kit, 6-8' off the floor, angled slightly, and aiming at the kick. The second mic aims almost straight down at the snare, again, about four feet from the snare or so. A variation on this is to aim the mic over the drummer's shoulder, but still keeping it at about four feet. If you move one mic farther away, then you will most likely have to move all the mics the same distance. The third mic goes on the side of the kit that has the floor tom kit. This third mic faces the snare (all the mics face the snare), aiming right across the middle of the floor tom. This mic is of course also about four feet from the snare. Check in mono. If something doesn't sound quite right, move mics until it does (something you should always do anyway). I am not an expert at this kind of technique, having only done it two or three times. It really works well if you have a good drummer playing a good kit that is well-tuned in a good sounding room, but I suppose you could say that about most any mic technique on the drums!
The above of what I have described is the Glyn/Andy Johns method, or at least a relatively close approximation of it!
Other posts have suggested either one on the kick, one on the snare, and one on OH; or one on the kick and two on OH. Both these are perfectly valid and obviously use three mics. However, neither of these are the Glyn/Andy Johns three-mic setup.
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Ken/Eleven Shadows/d i t h er/Nectar
http://www.elevenshadows.com 4 music, travel, more!
http://www.cdbaby.com/elevenshadows
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#964170 - 06/26/01 04:12 AM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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Sir Bob
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I'm a little slow here but Ken would you explain how the first mic is "angled slightly aiming at the kick" when later you say all mics should aim at the snare. Secondly, is the second mic directly above the snare aimed straight down. Third, the third mic is also four feet from the snare but in front of the floor tom. This means it is right on top of the floor tom?
I like to try a more organic approach to micing the kit. The advice here seems to have a lot going for it in this direction.
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#964171 - 06/26/01 05:19 AM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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gtrmac
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Fletcher has some suggestions for this on the Mercenary website. He apparently uses it a lot. Here's the link: http://www.mercenary.com/3micdrumstuf.html
It's a good read as you would expect. There's a lot of other good articles in the Index and some funny stuff as well.
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Mac Bowne
G-Clef Acoustics Ltd.
Osaka, Japan
My Music: http://www.javamusic.com/freedomland
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#964172 - 06/26/01 09:30 AM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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popstalin
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I am pretty familiar with all the ways there are to use this particular micing technique, what I really wanted were some musical examples of the 3 mic technique.
It has been a hard sell to convince the others in the band that a drumset could sound full using only 3 mics (hence not close micing everything). I wasn't able to utilize the 3 mic technique but did par it down to 4 mics, which the only piece of the kit that is close miced is the snare...
Thanks!
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Jen H.
Wondercrush
http://www.mp3.com/wondercrush
info@wondercrush.com
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Jen H.
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#964173 - 07/10/01 03:24 PM
Re: 3 Mic technique for drums examples
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offramp
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ABECK: The album is probably 'Synchronicity'. From what I understand, there was one mic on/in the kick (don't know what but it was likely a 421), and two 421's in O-head; the kit was set up in the kitchen at Montserrat, and the O-heads had the shit compressed out of them.
My approach would be about the same, too; of course, the mic choice would depend on the kit, environs, and the song.
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