I'm almost dialed in to a good drum sound, in my opinion, but the toms just aren't doing it for me.  I really like a kit that's designed around metal and hard rock, busy tom work most of the time.  I am particularly fond of Danny Cary's tom sound (from Tool), and I know I can't compare to his studio set up, but I was hoping I could get close.  
 
Attached a link to a short sound file from a song I'm working on (please forgive the choppy percussion, I'm still trying knock the rust off and I'm not very fluid on this one yet).  Catatonia
 
Any ideas on what I need to tweak, EQ wise?  Or with the tom mics?  (I'm using a poor man's mic set up, a Sampson drum mic kit.)  They just sound a bit boomy to me, like too much shell and not quite enough attack.  But I'm just not sure.  I have zero experience recording drums, save for that song I posted on here last month. 

A transient designer might help if you've got one. 
 
Do you have bottom skins on those toms? If not, you could try miking from below.

Unfortunately I do not have a transient designer.  And yes, I do have bottom skins on my toms.  I wonder if I should tune them down a bit, back off on the resonance.  They just seemed a little dead before I tuned them up.  
 
Thanks for the suggestion, I may take the bottom heads off and try that if it comes to that.  

Voda La Void
experiments in disturbing frequencies...

As per your sig, what's the problem then?

bapu

Voda La Void
experiments in disturbing frequencies...

As per your sig, what's the problem then?

I guess I forgot my own mission statement... doh!  

The PX-64 contains a transient designer of sorts. You can use it to sculpt your drum sound and it comes with Sonar.
 
Regards,
Dan

dcumpian
The PX-64 contains a transient designer of sorts. You can use it to sculpt your drum sound and it comes with Sonar.
 
Regards,
Dan

I don't currently have Sonar, rather the old Home Studio 2.  I was going to check out Sonar's system requirements to see what I'd have to upgrade on my PC to use it, but it says "Page Not Found".  I'm fairly shocked since that would seem like a busy page since people need to know before they buy it.
 
I'm probably just going to have to play on the mixer some more, tune my toms more accurately.  I really want to get away from DAW processing to get the drum sound and stick with mixer settings, mic placements and etc..  Staring at my monitor and all the tedious audio processing is what has burned me out and kept me out of my studio.  Even if the sound is sacrificed, I can't do it anymore.  
 
Thanks for the suggestion.  Hopefully I can take the plunge and upgrade my DAW to Sonar before the end of the year.  

Here are the system requirements http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/Knowledge-Base/2007013383/SONAR-Platinum-Professional-Artist-System-Requirements
 
It appears the CW site is undergoing a little remodeling. I sent a PM to the staff about the bad link.
 
 
In addition to the PX-64 Percussion Strip, Platinum includes a dedicated Transient Shaper plug-in, the TS-64.

scook - much thanks.  
 
Ok so don't laugh...but I still use windows XP and archaic Home Studio software.  I have wrenched every bit of value out of that purchase, at this point, ha ha.  Sonar's requirement to upgrade windows and memory means building a whole new PC, in my case.  I can't do that any time soon.  
 
I was just hoping against hope that I wasn't EQ'ing something right - because minor EQ changes seem to really change the sound a lot.  I figured I'm doing something obviously wrong.  

when you are talking about capturing pro sounding live drums,
you are stepping out of the typical home studio,
and asking for a lot.
 
i love cary's drum sounds....
http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Danny_Carey.html
http://www.totaldrumsets.com/danny-carey.html
i haven't heard a bad sonor kit yet...
http://www.uberproaudio.com/who-plays-what/189-tool-danny-carey-drum-kit-gear-and-drum-set-equipment
 
 
Barresi tracked Carey's extensive drum kit at the now-defunct O'Henry using the studio's massive API console (more than 16 feet long!), which has 88 inputs fitted with enhanced API modules and traditional API-style 2520 amps. Barresi explains how he captured Carey's kit: “I used a lot of close miking since he has such a large kit. I used three overheads: left, center and right. Then I filled in the other cymbals with spot microphones. The toms were all miked top and bottom. Kick and snare, pretty normal stuff. I had a couple of different stages of room mics: fairly close, middle of the room and then very distant. It was the kind of room where you could use the distant mics fairly loud without getting too much delay. What a beautiful-sounding studio!”
The album is loaded with electronic and acoustic percussion, all played live by Carey. “When I first showed up to their rehearsal,” Barresi explains. “I thought there were eight guys inside playing. I was like, ‘Who's playing percussion in there?’ And it turns out that it's all Dan. He has Mandala electronic pads that his friend Vince De Franco designed for him. He plays the Mandala pads, and they trigger sounds that he has sampled himself. It sounds like he has eight limbs.”
- See more at: http://www.mixonline.com/...7#sthash.hts2z14o.dpuf
 
 
 
so i believe you really have to step up your game with dialing in drum sounds for recording....
but he also uses a LOT of electronic drums,
so you should read up on that quite a bit.
 
you'll need multiple compressors (external hardware) and a bunch of gates....
really good overheads, and a really good sounding room.