Recording Drums: 2 Microphone Setup

I want to show you one of my favorite 2 mic setups. This great setup captures a very organic, full sound with tons of vibe!
Mic Pres: Trident 88 console
Overhead: AT4047
Kit Front: AT4080 & AT4047 (for ribbon/condenser comparison)
Compressor for parallel compression: Warm Audio WA76
Guitars & Bass played by Tao Yang.
00:00 - Charlie's intro performance
00:36 - Charlie talks setup
01:04 - Charlie details the overhead
01:23 - Charlie talks about balancing the overhead
01:54 - Charlie details the kit front mics
02:31 - Mic setup details & song
03:09 - talks about versatility of setup
04:15 - Hao plays demo for each mic
05:14 - ribbon mic only demo
05:26 - Charlie explains why he likes ribbon mics
05:48 - ribbon/condenser comparison in front of kit
06:20 - Charlie discusses the difference of each mic
07:01 - Hao plays demo for each mic combination
07:46 - Charlie discusses the difference between the two setups
08:32 - Hao plays demo with track; ribbon/condenser combo
09:22 - Hao plays demo with track; condenser/condenser combo
09:50 - Charlie talks more. Are you really surprised?
10:18 - Charlie answers questions about gear/player/sound
11:39 - Charlie answers question about cymbals
12:10 - Hao demos playing cymbals quieter
12:53 - Charlie talks cymbal choice while Hao sets up different cymbals
13:33 - Charlie & Hao detail cymbals
14:16 - Hao plays demo with new cymbal setup
14:45 - Charlie talks more....about cymbals
15:34 - Hao plays while Charlie adds EQ to the ribbon mic
16:09 - Charlie talks about your options with the front kit mic
17:25 - EQ details for ribbon mic, with photo
18:00 - Ribbon only demo with and without eq
18:51 - Charlie talks about parallel compression while tracking
19:39 - Charlie details the patchby/mult for parallel compression
20:06 - Charlie shows how to use a splitter if you don't have a patchy
20:56 - Hao plays while Charlie turns compression on and off
21:16 - Compressor and setting walk through with photos
21:54 - Hao plays demo while P Comp is added
22:25 - Charlie talks compression philosophy
23:01 - Hao plays demo with track, including P Comp
23:33 - Charlie blah blah blah. More compression talk.
24:52 - Final performance with ribbon/condenser/p comp
25:21 - It's a wrap! Thank you all!

[@andrew74x]

Man I'm loving your videos!!! Keep em coming!

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

Thank you Andrew!

[@aeligzande]

Excellent video! I really liked the condenser in front! I think it sounds more aggressive and crisp, very neat for metal!

[@MrJoeydrms]

Really getting into your videos !! thanks for making them

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching!

[@piltrafelia]

i love all your videos, i have learned a lot from them, many many thanks

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

Hey Pipe! You're most welcome! Glad to help!

[@samuel.langhorne.clemens]

Great videos all around! Very helpful, informative, clearly explained, and to the point.

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@JoshuaWShanks]

This is too cool! I have a couple of large diaphragm condensers that I've upgraded the capsules and circuitry on that I'm gonna try this setup with. Sounds great!

[@GuiSchwertner]

Way to go Charlie. Love your work!

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

Thank you sir! Much appreciated!

[@TheLpluna]

What a nice video!!! Brilliant! Thanks a lot!

[@piltrafelia]

i am impressed with the 2 mics in the front, the sound of the ribbon is amazing, and the difference in the high end is enormous

[@presleydavisjr.1764]

Great video!! thanks so much for making this. I have a ribbon mic and had not thought to use it for the kick. I will be trying this on the weekend.

[@mattfenaroli1130]

Great video! It was incredibly helpful and informative. I like how you actually explain everything. I cant tell u how many Audio Engineers ive talked to who are too arrogant to go into detail on anything. Thanks for sharing some helpful techniques!!

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

I'm happy to hear the video was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@christianboddum8783]

Very nice!!

[@davonwav]

Well done!! We also use a single condenser top center and front mic, rarely stereo overheads. So the placement can suit the song. A blues swing for example, could be placed higher for more attack of snare, toms, kick & ride. Harder material could bring out mids and lows by lowering the front. So many options but worth the time finding what works in your particular drum space.

[@protegemoiproducciones2909]

very nice drums tune

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

Thank you!

[@itchie]

Nice feel with the groove

[@itchie]

Opening grove ..

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

Thank you!

[@itchie]

Ultimate Studios, Inc any tips on placement of over heads within a room that has a lower ceiling .?

[@thehowlingterror]

personally liking the cond-cond. Giving a little more of the hi-hat

[@anthonylopez7146]

muy bueno amigo,me explicas las conecciones de los compresores a la mixer para efectuar compresion paralela,en donde lo conectas en los subgrupos?y como controlas el porcentaje de compresion?saludos desde argentina

[@richardvancleaf469]

It'd be cool to see you guys do an open tuning Bonham style sound with 2-3 mics. Thanks

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

We've been talking about something like this so it will happen sometime soon.

[@Mangle_And_endo]

Nice it can help me on our upcoming church anniversary thanks man

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

Awesome! Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.

[@stillphil]

Drumming tasty like BBQ. Sounding good Charlie.

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

Thanks stillphil!

[@therichieconway]

I dig the tone of the crash cymbals (the ones you switched out)! What are you using here?

[@michaelashe5265]

The condenser in the front seems to pick up more snare than the ribbon, but not in a good way. Great video!

[@Guitarista129]

Sounds surprisingly good, but how much of a factor is the relatively large room and the baffles?

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

That definitely plays a roll in the overall sound. Live drums are more affected by the actual environment they are in more than other instruments. However, I have had really good luck with minimal miking setups in rooms that are not so nice. It just takes a bit more work. :) Thanks for watching!

[@MatthewParsonsDrumsAndAudio]

I still love this microphone technique. But I'm intrigued by the cymbal comment. I wonder what effect dry cymbals would have, like some of the Meinl Byzance or the Zildjian K Special Dry.

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

Probably a fairly big effect as it would change the high end completely. Could be neat though. I like some of the Byzance cymbals. Menial does the gritty, dirty, sound well. The only thing I don't like about those types of cymbals is if you need to ad some real high end it tends to get a little crunchy. However, that could be a cool thing too.

[@MatthewParsonsDrumsAndAudio]

Ultimate Studios, Inc I definitely agree, it's hard to give the dryer cymbals a nice "airy" sound, or shimmery. But in the right context it could work very well. I might even have to experiment with brighter cymbals using different sized gaff tape on different locations of the cymbal and see if I can get a sweet spot to keep a high end, air sound, but without overtaking the sound of the whole kit. But that is why I'm so drawn to mic'ing drum kits. There's so many things that you can do to achieve so many different sounds, and every position and microphone will have a different effect on how the kit sounds. It's basically a science in itself.

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

LOVE your second paragraph. I couldn't agree more! Let me know how your experiment goes. I'm interested in hearing how it goes.

[@MeTuLHeD]

You could try darker cymbals...like Sabian AAX Dark for example. Or maybe Zildjian A Thins. Something with a smoother character. I have a number of darker cymbals In my collection and I find that they work great for gigs in smaller spaces or in recording. When I'm looking for something smooth and glassy rather than cutting and bright.

[@sambrantdrums9622]

If I only have two condensers what would you suggest doing on the condenser on the kick?

[@cloudedleopardeffects5010]

Would you recommend this mic setup for say a thrash metal/hardcore punk band?

[@JasonWelchMusic]

Do you have any experience with a pair of e609 as overheads?

[@bonno666]

Can you use a dynamic microphone for the bass drum ?

[@gangofgreenhorns2672]

for sure.

[@samsungcochiloco]

Hello friend, I have been working for a long time, it is incredible, but I need your help. WHAT PLUGINS DO YOU USE TO MIX THE BATTERY WITH 2 MICS?

[@cantstopmike311]

My band and I have recorded a song, and have been in the process of mixing. We sorta came to a road block with the kick and bass. We already tried to get the fundamental frequencies different, but the kick still isn't cutting through enough. If i raise it any higher it clips. Any suggestions that might fix the issue? Much appreciated.

[@tuanngo8575]

trigger

[@martywhite1084]

Tuan Ngo Hoang Anh Good God.

[@drummerguy1989]

Condensor+condenser is a wee too bright for me.

[@g.willikers9072]

How do you make your bass drum so clicky and punchy without an inside-kick mic?

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

The trick is to not make your kick drum too dead. The resonant head needs to have some life to it and not be tuned to low. If it's too dead it will just be a low end thump and have now mid-range/attack.

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

Don't tune the kick too low in general either. Both front and back heads.

[@jonneville5295]

Using a self dampening head that is allowed to resonate will produce a much better sound than stuffing pillows and blankets inside any BD. Heads that have some sort of dampening in the collar, eg., Evans Emad etc., will produce a big sound with much more volume. And as mentioned, tune the drum a little tighter than you think is necessary.

[@dillonmoore8704]

How do I send you some stuff I recorded? I remembered a while back that you wanted to hear what the fans were recording, and I have something that's not quite finished but is my first ever project so any feedback would be sweet.

[@Ultimatestudiosinc]

Hey Dillon, send me a message: kzbin.infoabout?view_as=subscriber

[@hoozerob]

I keep going over this video to concentrate on the 2 mics and how they are applied. But just wished that the drummer dude would keep his head still. too many videos with drummers bobbing their heads one way or another. Sorry, OCD gets the best of me. It's all good. We all have our neurotic thing going on one way or another. I try to hide my little things. It's refining the drummer that you are. just sayin'. ;)