Recording Drums 10 - The 3 Mic Nashville Setup

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Recording Drums, Percussion - & Dealing with People Who Like to Hit Things 10. 

Here at The Coolest Recording Studio in London Town we got a lot of faith in abstract thought.

So ...... there are general ways of doing things - & there are less common practices, which some folks might be a tad nervous about trying - for WHY???? Aint audio capture in a music studio supposed to be part of the creative process?

Here - we have a few methods of capturing drums developed a ways back in some Nashville studios. 

Both are only concerned with ambient miking techniques using only 3 microphones. 

 The first has two microphones (no.s 2 & 3 - preferably ribbons) placed behind & to the side of the drummers shoulders - facing slightly down (experiment with your angles - deeper angle = more kick drum) & towards the third microphone (no. 1) which is placed approx 6 -8 feet in front of the kick drum. So your stereo field is generated by the two reverse mics - & your mono centre by the out front centre mic. This setup gives a very good centre image, & a really nice stereo spread. 
mics 2 & 3 Must be equidistant ( the same distance) from mic 1.

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The second has one microphone ( mic 3) behind the drummers head facing strait through the kick drum  to a point between the two front mics (1 & 2). 
The two front mics are placed approx 6-8 feet in front & to each side of the kick - how far to each side is open to taste - but each front mic must be the same distance from the mono back mic. 
This setup gives a wider more open, spaced feeling to the recording, so excellent for jazz, classical or ambient music. 
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 This last setup is using two mics set up out front of the drum kit - approx the height of the kick drum (higher for less kick in the mix) & around 6 feet away. The mics should be angled slightly out away from the centre of the stereo bar. This is all about the room sound as there are no close mics - so for softer more ambient material it's great - & also for gentler parts of songs.
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 See the studio Here. 
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