Can I get away with 1 overhead mic/ AT3035?

Was wondering if one could get away with one overhead mic the AT3035 because I already own one for my vocal tracks.  instead of 2 overheads like most traditional home studios have? And the other dinamic mics would go in their respective places, kick, snare etc.

Thanks friend, I'll look into that article.

I was refering to the string method of locating your mic so that  both the kick and snare are equidistant.

You can use that method with either 1 mic or 2 mics.

The string method is intended to help keep the kick and snare aligned in the OH when you blend it with the tracks of the direct mics that are placed near the respective kick and snare heads.

It is a way to predict that you will find a good natural sound... and you can use the string method while moving the mics around a bit to find something by ear... because it doesn't direct to an exact place but rather a range of locations that you can choose from.

Have fun.

best regards,
mike

Thanks guys!!!

Moving a good quality (mono) condenser over the top of the drum kit is a good idea. Think of it like this. When the OH is directly over the top, it is a thinner sound and has a slight snare focus. It is a toppier sound there. Adding close miked snare parts in will have a strong effect when you start reversing phase of the close snare mike. (and varying level of course)

The OH out front of the kit up slightly high and looking down at the kick has this more rounded sound that has a deeper feel because you are starting to hear the kick now. Also the snare is fading a bit out there. Close miked kick tracks will react now more with phase reversals etc. More room sound around the drums now too.

As a drummer we get a bit of the kick (acoustically) because we are sitting back a bit and can see the kick head so we hear it a bit more. Overheads that are directly over the snare are not always ideal because that sound is missing a bit of the kick wollop as it is going out front and back horizontally a bit more.

When miking out front and little further away take note of that distance as it is important. It may translate to 6ms or more and you may want to shift the OH track back by that amount and have a listen to see how it compares with all the close sounds. (try moving it the other way too) If you have got a nice room then the outfront kit sound will most often be good.

Jeff Evans


Moving a good quality (mono) condenser over the top of the drum kit is a good idea. Think of it like this. When the OH is directly over the top, it is a thinner sound and has a slight snare focus. It is a toppier sound there. Adding close miked snare parts in will have a strong effect when you start reversing phase of the close snare mike. (and varying level of course)

The OH out front of the kit up slightly high and looking down at the kick has this more rounded sound that has a deeper feel because you are starting to hear the kick now. Also the snare is fading a bit out there. Close miked kick tracks will react now more with phase reversals etc. More room sound around the drums now too.

As a drummer we get a bit of the kick (acoustically) because we are sitting back a bit and can see the kick head so we hear it a bit more. Overheads that are directly over the snare are not always ideal because that sound is missing a bit of the kick wollop as it is going out front and back horizontally a bit more.




When miking out front and little further away take note of that distance as it is important. It may translate to 6ms or more and you may want to shift the OH track back by that amount and have a listen to see how it compares with all the close sounds. (try moving it the other way too) If you have got a nice room then the outfront kit sound will most often be good.


It's funny
I was having problems with my single overhead only to realize it was too far away, it took me about a week to realize it was picking up a few milliseconds later almost causing a reverb effect. I actually use a single overhead choir mic(don't laugh) it actually works quite well....at least for me. I use it to tighten up the low end and add snare brightness

I got kinda curious after reading some of the post and started experimenting a little with different single overhead setups. I've used a single overhead live for years but for recording I've always used a matched pair, usually a XY pattern.  One setup that I liked was sort of a recordermans method ( didn't measure the kick drum distance ) with a single condenser In front,  kind of like what Jeff was talking about except lower and far enough back to point at the kick and snare. Almost like a single room mic but not as far back. It has the delay effect Ghostnotes mentioned but sounds pretty cool if you compress it and just mix in a little with the rest of the kit. You can always nudge it back some.

jimmyrage


I got kinda curious after reading some of the post and started experimenting a little with different single overhead setups. I've used a single overhead live for years but for recording I've always used a matched pair, usually a XY pattern.  One setup that I liked was sort of a recordermans method ( didn't measure the kick drum distance ) with a single condenser In front,  kind of like what Jeff was talking about except lower and far enough back to point at the kick and snare. Almost like a single room mic but not as far back. It has the delay effect Ghostnotes mentioned but sounds pretty cool if you compress it and just mix in a little with the rest of the kit. You can always nudge it back some.

I might try that this weekend