I’ve recently been inspired to record my drum kit.
Welcome to my microphone family, vintage MD421. Photo by coreanscribe.
My drum set isn’t fancy; it’s actually kind of a mess. It’s a Frankenstein kit; a strange-looking collection of various drum and percussion pieces. If you were looking at it right now, you’d see a mismatch of Gretsch floor toms, a 1970s Supraphonic snare, some custom Yamaha rack toms, a classic Ludwig maple kick, some Paiste Signatures and Zildjian Dark Ks, among other pieces.
My favorite snare drum. Photo by coreanscribe.
This odd assortment is the result of years of rummaging through local music store clearance sales, trading orphaned parts with fellow drummers, and habitually hunting for and finding must-have-or-I’m-going-to-die musical accessories on craigslist and ebay. It’s a hobby and a process that never seems to cease. It’s a lot of fun, too.
Shimmery crash cymbal. Photo by coreanscribe.
My favorite rack tom. Photo by coreanscribe.
When I’m not building or taking my kit apart, I’m actually playing it. Despite what it looks like, it sounds okay. So, I’d really like to start recording my drums to see how good I can get them to sound.
My dark side. Photo by coreanscribe.
I’ve always wanted and planned to record my drumming, not that it’s anything special; I’m not John Bonham. But, for me, just getting to play and record a steady well executed beat is great fun. I’m a member of a part-time band and I get a great sense of satisfaction whenever we get to record some of our songs.
But recording my drumming will allow me to do something else besides just having some fun: it’ll give me the chance to concentrate more closely on my playing. I should be able to hear my strengths and weaknesses more clearly. It’ll give me a better idea of how I can improve as a drummer. Do I need really expensive mics to do this? No. Do I want good quality sounding mics I can depend on for a long time? Of course. Am I a gadget hound and audio snob? Absolutely.
The always reliable SM57.
Finding a good deal for good equipment takes patience, some times a lot of patience. For the last several years while I’ve been slowly acquiring drum pieces here and there, I’ve also been saving up in order to collect audio equipment, mostly microphones. And these, too, like my drum kit pieces, have been part of an ongoing exchange program where things constantly come and go. But, now, I’ve come to a point where I think I’d like to slow down on the collecting and actually start working with the collection to see how well or not-so-well things are coming together.
The recent acquisition of a pair of vintage Sennheiser MD421s has really shifted my desires from acquiring to recording. I’ve coveted these for a long time, and now that I have them, I really want to put them to work.
The old MD421 at rest. Photo by coreanscribe.
The plan for my mic set-up on the drum kit is straightforward: a couple Shure SM57s for the snare, a Shure Beta 52 on the kick, these Sennheisers on the toms, a Shure Beta 181 on the hi-hats, and a couple Shure KSM32s for overheads. I’m still looking for room microphones — the next part of my plan — and have targeted the AKG 414 as a possibility. For now, I’ll do without a room mic or use an SM57.
I’ll be powering up the Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 as my interface, Logic Pro as my DAW on an Apple MacBook Pro to record. That’s a lot of ‘pros’ for someone who is not.
One of the overheads, a Shure KSM32. Photo by coreanscribe.
Equipment is obviously important but so is the recording room. There’s a professional rehearsal space nearby where I frequently practice. The rooms are small and I’m not sure exactly how my drums will sound but I’m curious to find out.
I’ve done some research and a little reading into home drum recording and even watched some tutorials on Youtube to prepare.
I think I’m ready to record. I hope to upload some recording samples soon. Stay tuned.