Overheads

The most important microphones in our whole setup are the two overheads, which basically record the whole kit sound. Ideally, you'll have a pair of large diaphragm condenser mics on tall stands two or three feet above the kit and about four feet apart. These are a ‘spaced pair' of omni-directionals or cardioids. Omnis will give you more of the room sound, while cardioids achieve more focus.

Although this setup is common practice and can sound great, it's not actually the easiest to get right, and it can also sound terrible. The main problem is phase – you need to ensure that the sounds from your drums get to all of the overheads at roughly the same time. The more mics you use, the more complicated the phase relationships get and the less focused the sound can become, leading to a loss of punch and low frequencies in the recording. Google the XY,

ORTF and MS overhead miking techniques, all of which give very different sounding results – and all with just two condenser mics. Experiment to find out which suits your kit and room.

The Glyn Johns method

Mega-producer/engineer Glyn Johns has recorded many of the greats. Here's his quick and economical kit miking method, which has become something of a standard over the years: Overhead 1 (cardioid condenser, panned left) is about 4-6" above the floor tom, facing the hi-hats across the snare.

Overhead 2 (cardioid condenser, panned right) is about 2-3' above the kit, pointing down between the toms and snare.

Snare spot mic.

Kick spot mic.

Room mics, bottom snare mic and second kick mic are all optional. This method does depend on having a great-sounding kit and room, though, so it could be a bit unflattering to a home setup.

Below we're going to use the two-mic overhead technique that's become known as the ‘Recorderman'. It involves quite a close mic placement, and minimises the room sound in the overheads. Here's how it's done…