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#41910 by lanzar13
Mon Sep 22, 2008 2:23 am
i have a tascam dp-02. this a 8 track 2 channel recorder.. i am trying to record my drums to get the best sound possible... could i buy a 4 or 6 channel mixer and some mics and mike my drum set using the mixer and then rum the mixer to the 2 channels on the digital recorder to get a good even drum sound...if not what would be the best way to get a good even drum sound with only 2 channels and 2 mics.. what kind of mics should i use.. i am kind on a budget so i am trying to find the cheaper way around this problem... if anyone knows of a good way to record let me know.. you can hear what i have recorded so far on my profile.. i wanna get a better drum sound than what i have recorder so far..

#41969 by Starfish Scott
Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:45 pm
I am not the right person to ask about this, but we just used a Sampson co1usb, a condenser mike and it really did well.

#45157 by Chippy
Fri Oct 31, 2008 11:48 am
You'll probably need several mics to do this. Have you got a few? The only way I can see you getting what you want as regards Snare/Cymbals/Kick drum. Is to record your kit as best you can piece by piece like they do in studios.

Usually a mic overhead (Cymbals), one in or in front of the kickdrum, Snare and the other perhaps for general sound capture.

If this is analog then after you have adjusted you could ask a friend who has some studio software to mix it down to one track, pipe it back to your tascam and record the rest.

Could get messy if you don't have a guide guitar though, do you?

Probably doesn't help at all does it. :roll:
#47273 by Pro Drums
Sun Nov 23, 2008 12:13 am
I HAVE A TASACM 788 RECORDER FOR SALE THAT WILL SOLVE THAT PROBLEM.........

DAN
#48034 by Mark Phillips
Sun Nov 30, 2008 4:14 pm
lanzar13 wrote:i have a tascam dp-02. this a 8 track 2 channel recorder.. i am trying to record my drums to get the best sound possible... could i buy a 4 or 6 channel mixer and some mics and mike my drum set using the mixer and then rum the mixer to the 2 channels on the digital recorder to get a good even drum sound...if not what would be the best way to get a good even drum sound with only 2 channels and 2 mics.. what kind of mics should i use.. i am kind on a budget so i am trying to find the cheaper way around this problem... if anyone knows of a good way to record let me know.. you can hear what i have recorded so far on my profile.. i wanna get a better drum sound than what i have recorder so far..


Hello Lanzar,
From Sussex in England: I listened to 'Last Stand' and found it interesting and enjoyable; the drums to me sounded not at all bad with perhaps the only noticeable weakness in the recording balance being what seemed a fairly weak kick drum in the overall mix.

I am trying to set up a recording set up at one end of my workshop in the garden; I just aquired an electric drum kit yaesterday... micing up an acoustic kit here would never work because my workshop has the acoustic damping of an aircraft hangar.
My friend dumped the drumkit with me but left me no sticks... not that I can play it much, but will start trying soon, and I have a bass guitar combo amp for the kickdrum and toms, and a lead guitar combo for the snare and cymbals... it is the type of kit with full sized mesh heads.

Good luck with sorting your drums Lanzar,
Mark Phillips...............

#48276 by blindalbert
Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:28 pm
hey lanzar
i grew up in the sixties recording on two stereo reel to reel recorders-------got the job done but sounded terrible----lotsa tape hiss-----keep in mind that the beatles recorded some of their greatest albums on 4 track machines----you can get 4 mics----a mixer and record your drums onto 2 tracks --- mic the kick drum - two overhead mics and a snare mic --4 mics total----run those into your mixer -- plug some headphones into your mixer headphone output --have some one play the drums and adjust each mic input on your mixer until you get a reasonable balanced overall drum sound--- a few test recordings will help-----as far as a guide track--ex. guitar-you can plug the guitar into the mixer and play along without recording it---go back and record the guitar after the drums have been recorded----and start adding instruments---vocals etc. an inexpensive behringer mixer with at least 5 or six xlr inputs should do the job---there are enough inexpensive mics on the market that you should be able to come up with 4 without selling everything you own to finance them----behringer - mxl -- samson---and more--a shure sm 57 on snare - etc.--hope this helps----feel free to drop me a line if i can be of any assistance---peace ---blind albert

#49679 by massfusionstudio
Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:41 pm
Hey buddy Another alternative to buying expensive stuff is called PZM. It is A ( Pressure Zone Microphone. It comes both mono and stereo. It works differently from a conventional mic inwhich relies on sound vibrations ( air) PZM's Rely on sound pressure rather than moving air with sound. Kinda like how a decibel meter reads sound pressure levels. PZM Works like that. It will blow your mind out for just one unit. Just find the spot in your drum room that has the best sound sweet spot and you will get great drum tracks without a doubt. If ya need some more help Email me at [email protected]

#49681 by blindalbert
Mon Dec 15, 2008 8:06 pm
i'll second that motion on the pzm idea ---i've used them myself many times---it pretty much records exactly what it hears with next to no coloration---ya experiment with placement---i use two older radioshack/realistic pzms ---replaced the 1/4 inch plugs with xlr plugs------try setting up your drums about three feet or so from a wall and mount one pzm in back of the drummer about cymbal high-- one to the left and one to the right of the drummer----move em around ----raise and lower the pzms----like i said ---experiment with the placement-------years ago no one really took the radio shack pzms serious until someone gave this a try and bingo------now these little beauties have found a home in more than a few studios---check ebay for them-------and of course you can always buy em new ---many mic companies make them----crown ---radio shack etc.---peace ---blind albert
www.myspace.com/blindalbert

#49812 by Andragon
Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:46 pm
Interesting. Even as a non-drummer, this is good to know :D

#61244 by NearlySurrounded
Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:13 pm
From my experiences so far, anytime you record drums with "open mics" you will get bleed over. I'm interested in these PZM mics, they sound like the eliminate the bleed over... Recently I've tried recording drums using an electric kit over MIDI, and the sound and editing possibilities are endless. I'm sure most of you will cuss me for not using a real drum kit to record from, but with the way Cubase 5 works, I challenge anyone to recognize it's not a drum real kit, especially once all the other tracks are done.

#61251 by blindalbert
Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:35 pm
hey ''--what ever works for ya----i use addictive drums and toontrack ez drummer------that way i can lay down some pretty damn real sounding drum tracks and not have to wait for a drummer to show up----(nothing against drummers----i play with a 3 piece rock and blues band -----bass -drums and guitar--- all great guys --we've been playing together for 30 years)---but when the creative juices are flowing at 2 am------your drummers not gonna hoof it over to your house and lay down some drum tracks in the wee---wee hours---and the neighbors ain't goin for it either.so for me the software drum programs work'''-i'm not at the mercy of anyone elses schedule----my studio is all self contained------i play guitar and bass so i have the stringed instruments covered and with the drum software i can get most all my songs written without waiting for anyone to get over to my studio.i'm also a singer------lay down the vocals and some harmonies and it's on to the next song----so ---electronic drums-------addictive drums-----etc. ----it all makes songwriting a lot easier----i'm an old rock and roller from the 60s so i grew up with analog recording equipment-----you can use a combination of old and new technology to get the job done----it's whatever works for ya-----the important thing is that your able to create your music--regardless of how you do it'''-----who'd a thought that those old radio shack pzms would actually be usefull in a recording studio situation-----goes to show you that you should never stop experimenting when it comes to the creative process---never let anyone tell you that you can't do something or use something that's never been tried before'''''''-if you get a chance buzz over to my myspace site and listen to the top three songs on the list----1.life isn't meant to be lonely----2------well listen to all of em-------i was the only one in my studio when they were recorded------no other musicians ------aaahhhh --"i love the smell of technology in the morning"-----peace to all------- 8)
#294606 by massfusionstudio
Fri May 17, 2019 2:35 pm
Wow! I can't believe this post is still here from years ago lol. Actually I use electronic drums. Nowadays it's real drum samples And you can't tell the difference.
As for this original post question? 11 years later? I would've recommended ez drummer virtual instrument and a decent trigger kit. Alesis dm series electronic drum kits. They're cheap and get the job done. In your situation i would've recommended keeping the kick drum only on one channel either left or right in a 2 track stereo recording. Then you can control the kick independently from the rest of the kit.
#294608 by schmedidiah
Sun May 19, 2019 3:22 pm
point mic(s), hit record and play zee drums. don't over think it.

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