General Music Chat

First I would start with a good mic for your kick and two condensors overhead. Many a pro recording done with just that.
We've been playing with the mics directly into the PA. With carefull set up and EQ we get a good sound without the gates. The tighter the venue the more carefull the set up.

Map out where you want to go with your set up on paper.
It will keep you from buying stuff you really dont need right up front.

I have G.A.S. bad, and am always planning for future growth.
Champagne taste on a beer budget.

Ok so I understand Noise gate.
Do you put a seperate gate on each mic?

Yes or at least on the kick and toms.

Damn that could get expensive in our case.
I have considered a small 8 input mixer just for the drummer, Mix his sound down and send it into on input on the PA, some mixers have noise gates, or at least I would only need gate the final mix ahead of the PA.

You can get a Behringer XR4400 Multigate Pro 4 channel for less than 100 bucks.

I have an old Peavey monitor mixer and each channel has a "Phase Reverse" switch on it. I didn't know what that was for but a friend who has gone through the Recording Workshop school told me that, in close mic'ing, especially on drums, you can reverse the phase on every other mic and it will cancel a lot of the bleed over. You could do the same thing cheaper by taking a few mic cables and reverse the two positive wires on one end of each cable. Be sure and mark these cables to keep them apart from the rest. Then you can just use those cables on every other drum mic.
Anyone know any more on this? It's just theory to me, since I've never actually done it yet.

Some really good info going around here. Thats worth the price of admission right there.
I been looking at the little PEVEY and YAMAHA mixers with an eye towards using one on the percussion set up.
Looking is a key word here, Went into the music shop today for a while to look around (still a poor selection of amps )
Man if I tried to even buy some pics Jeanette'd put a combat boot in my butt.
Though she does make noise about picking up her flute again.

The Behringer units look ok on paper too. Though some of the reviews are not so good on durability.

When people ask me what kind of mixer to buy this is my advice. I don't care what kind you buy or how much or little you pay for it. Just make sure it has insert jacks.

Not sends or returns " you need those too" but


(INSERT JACKS)

I have found every mixer with these jacks is worth every penny!


Did I say INSERT JACK

If you have a mixer now without the insert jacks...sell it....sell your mother....sell your dog.....get a mixer with insert jacks.

You will feel better in the morning knowing you got the inserts.

OK
Now specify and clarify "insert Jacks".
Why is that so important?

OK
Now specify and clarify "insert Jacks".
Why is that so important?

The Insert Jack on your mixer exists to enable you to send all of the signal out of the mixer, through an external effect "noise gate", and back into the mixer. Unlike the effects send and return abilities of your mixer, using the insert jack mandates that all of the signal is affected, you cannot mix it. However, you can insert on a channel by channel basis.

I'm just sayin' that every mixer I have run across that has inserts is a step above in quality and sound of other mixers. Its not that you can't get buy without it, but it does make life a little easier for who ever is running sound.

The nice thing about running a gate through the mixer insert, is when you have it set, your good to go from gig to gig and its one less thing to worry about.

Ah. I have switchable channel independant inserts on my PA.
As well as pre EQ inserts on the back pannel.
The directions show how to place an effect (such as compressor) on the channel. You have to depress a button to change it from a "line in" to a TRS insert. It leaves XLR input on the same channel as a "line in".
But I have never used the feature.

Again thanks for the input and information.

If your on a really tight budget use a Audio Technia ATR-55 Shotgun Mic and a Shure SM-57. Place the shotgun behind the drummer on the snare side about 6 feet in the air and angle it towards the toms and put the Shure in the kick. Works really good in a pinch.

We use an SM 57 on the snare and a SM 57 on the high hat. Im not sure the number but its a Shure Bullet looking mic that we lay in the kick drum, then I bought 2 CAD condensor mics that we just hang over the top of every thing. Its a nice setup. The condensors need phantom power to operate. Unless you are really really into this and are going to have a soundman, I would suggest leaving the gate out. Live I want to hear the kick, snare and hi-hat clear. You guys that put mics on all your drums are jsut overkill to me.

Keep It Simple Stupid, this is the KISS principle.

Good Luck

The best drum sound I have gotten and industry standard for live application. An Audix D6 inside the kick Drum about 2 inches from where the kick mallet strikes the head with a 4 to 1 compression, Sennheiser e604s on the toms compressed 3 or 4 to 1, SM57's on the snare and highhat with similar compression. One thing I would like to stress when mixing sound live, The drums NEED to be dampened. Most drummers like to play with a very open drum sound (this CAUSES FEEDBACK) the drummer should be using those gels or I think they are called deadringers but you want the drums with a closed sound. Good luck getting your drummer to do this but try to convince them to trust you and do this. once you get their sound set tell them to go in the audience at sound check and play their drums so they can hear them and that will convince them. You can get a three pack of Electro-Voice PL35 Tom mics. for $99.00 at G.C. and a Audix D6 kickdrum mic for $200.00 those with a coupl of 57's and of coarse you will want compressors for alll of these this biz can get exspensive