• Techniques
  • Recording Drum Overheads - Mono or Stereo?
2015/12/15 07:46:45
patm300e
When you track drums live do you use two mono signals or one stereo for the overheads?  Why do you choose this?  I have always used the two mono tracks and panning.  But this article: https://www.cakewalk.com/Support/Knowledge-Base/2007013269/Selecting-Stereo-versus-Mono-Inputs-for-Audio-Tracks suggests using a stereo input.
 
Thoughts?
2015/12/15 08:34:38
Voda La Void
I don't think that article disagrees with two mono's using panning.  You're obviously choosing the correct inputs on those mono channels so you get the left and right, correctly.  I think the point was more about avoiding stereo inputs for single channel recording. 
 
I would think you would have less control over the stereo effect if you use one stereo track instead of two mono's using panning.  And besides, what if you want to put an effect on one side, and a slightly altered one on the other, or some such alchemy.  
 
As an aside, I don't have the equipment to separate all of my mic signals from my drum set to unique compressor inputs so I have to route all 7 drum mics, and both overheads from the mixer to the stereo compressor onto a left mono and right mono track, just as you describe. 
2015/12/15 08:38:22
patm300e
Thanks, that was my take on that as well.  It does make sense to me to go mono...
 
My Mackie allows for 16 tracks so I can go straight in with all my drum mikes.  I tend to over do it with each drum individually miked, 2 on snare, hihat mike, room mikes.  It ends up being about 12 channels all told.  Typically though since my space is small with a low ceiling, I usually end up using the 2 overheads and the kick mikes with maybe a little room mikes sprinkled in.
2015/12/15 09:55:17
Lord Tim
Back when I first started tracking live drums, I'd previously come from a drum machine background and it seemed natural to record the overheads in stereo because a drum machine would output the cymbals etc. in stereo, already panned properly, and it seemed easier to manage as a single track.
 
Fast forward to a couple of releases later, I definitely realised how much flexibility you lose with panning or track EQ doing it that way. Sure, you can split channels, or run into a bus/aux track and split things there, but it's just easier to do them as discrete channels in the first place, IMO.
 
For what we do, I usually tend to close(ish)-mic each cymbal anyway so I have ultimate control over everything. If you have the mics and channels, and your DAW is up to it, why not, I say? 
2015/12/15 10:27:05
AT
Yea, mono.  Control always comes in handy.
2015/12/15 13:09:10
Rimshot
Mono - each o/h mic gets its own track. 
Make sure to check carefully for phase cancellation!
Also remember that it is a good practice to keep each mic the exact same distance from the snare drum which can help eliminate time-align issues.
 
2015/12/15 21:35:51
gswitz
I do sometimes use a stereo track for output from a stereo synth. That's pretty much the only case though.
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