MAKE A PROFESSIONAL STUDIO

[Unaspected]

Initially for myself and then for business.

You probably want the obligatory yet redundant large form console just to impress clients then.

I can give a list of my favourite mics for tracking drums but it's always a case of millage varying - we all have different tastes and expectations.

Kick Drum: AKG D112
Kick Beater: Shure SM57
Snare Under: SE3
Snare Over: Shure SM57
Hi Hats: Shure Super 55
Toms: Shure KSM32
Overheads: AKG C480 Bs
Room: SE Gemini II

You might also want to consider drum damping to adjust the tone to taste.

[TIUNON80]

Ok, but in some lives he uses ksm141 mics.

[ghettosynth]

Ok, but in some lives he uses ksm141 mics.

Could be, I don't see them there.

[Unaspected]

Ok, but in some lives he uses ksm141 mics.

I'm not sure how many people use large diaphragm condensers on toms (though I have seen a few) and the small diaphragm 141s would certainly be less subject to any phase issues and probably better at capturing transients - which is why I like small diaphragms under snares as they really capture a crisp sizzle.

[TIUNON80]

What do you suggest me to buy for recording drums professionally?

[Unaspected]

Ok, but in some lives he uses ksm141 mics.

Could be, I don't see them there.

You had written out some very useful points. Not sure why you edited to remove them.

I particularly agreed with what you were saying about experience and that emulation will not arrive at the same sound - better to work on developing one's own through experimentation. This was why I thought it might be useful to list mics for tracking drums as it would give some ideas for direction.

Wasn't sure if TIUNON80 was replying to me or yourself - If the other then I would probably swap out my suggestion for using the 480s (or 460s if you can find some) with KSM 141s as overheads. Maybe use a cheaper PGA81 or SM137 for snares.

SM57s all over the place will get a good enough sound, of course.

What do you suggest me to buy for recording drums professionally?

I would suggest looking at lists of what other people use for recording drums and check out the spec sheets for those mics.

Mixing starts with mic choice and placement so you'll want to be matching microphones to the sound that you want to achieve. Using spec sheets will be a good way to whittle down results to a smaller selection that you might be able to hire/try out.

If you're recording jazz then you could consider ribbon mics - but be careful with their proximity to drums.

[ghettosynth]

Ok, but in some lives he uses ksm141 mics.

Could be, I don't see them there.

You had written out some very useful points. Not sure why you edited to remove them.

Thanks, I occasionally decide to check out of a post and if I'm not quoted yet then the posts get curtailed so that I'm not triggered to respond to further responses later.

Usually it's when I realize, in the moment, that I'm largely wasting my time to hear the sound of my own voice.

[Unaspected]

Ok, but in some lives he uses ksm141 mics.

Could be, I don't see them there.

You had written out some very useful points. Not sure why you edited to remove them.

Thanks, I occasionally decide to check out of a post and if I'm not quoted yet then the posts get curtailed so that I'm not triggered to respond to further responses later.

Usually it's when I realize, in the moment, that I'm largely wasting my time to hear the sound of my own voice.

Fair enough. Your points were definitely valid and thought out though.

[TIUNON80]

Ok, but in some lives he uses ksm141 mics.

Could be, I don't see them there.

You had written out some very useful points. Not sure why you edited to remove them.

I particularly agreed with what you were saying about experience and that emulation will not arrive at the same sound - better to work on developing one's own through experimentation. This was why I thought it might be useful to list mics for tracking drums as it would give some ideas for direction.

Wasn't sure if TIUNON80 was replying to me or yourself - If the other then I would probably swap out my suggestion for using the 480s (or 460s if you can find some) with KSM 141s as overheads. Maybe use a cheaper PGA81 or SM137 for snares.

SM57s all over the place will get a good enough sound, of course.

What do you suggest me to buy for recording drums professionally?

I would suggest looking at lists of what other people use for recording drums and check out the spec sheets for those mics.

Mixing starts with mic choice and placement so you'll want to be matching microphones to the sound that you want to achieve. Using spec sheets will be a good way to whittle down results to a smaller selection that you might be able to hire/try out.

If you're recording jazz then you could consider ribbon mics - but be careful with their proximity to drums.

I'd like to record all music genres.

[enroe]

Initially for myself and then for business.

That is of course a big big difference!

For "yourself" you really only need a PC, an audio interface,
various microphones and a monitoring system. You can put this
together almost dirt cheap today - even for highly professional
demands. The hurdle is more about acquiring the know-how to
record, arrange and mix really well. Because that takes years of
experience.

Setting up a studio for "customers" is something completely
different. Because the customer expects a technical aura, a kind
of science fiction room with flashing lights, in which a flash of
lightning wanders through the room and faders move miraculously
by themselves.

You should go to the musician flea market and see what else is
there. Small boxes with as many LEDs as possible are good.
You'll also need a big, huge mixer that fills the entire room
(although that should never be used).

[BertKoor]

Start small and slowly expand. Don't throw $50k into it blindly, take baby steps. Get bare essentials first, see how it goes and what's missing or what must be improved.

[TIUNON80]

For "yourself" you really only need a PC, an audio interface,
various microphones and a monitoring system. You can put this
together almost dirt cheap today - even for highly professional
demands. The hurdle is more about acquiring the know-how to
record, arrange and mix really well. Because that takes years of
experience.

What would you suggest to buy for this scope?

Setting up a studio for "customers" is something completely
different. Because the customer expects a technical aura, a kind
of science fiction room with flashing lights, in which a flash of
lightning wanders through the room and faders move miraculously
by themselves.

And what gear for this scope?

[BertKoor]

I did not write that. You misquoted.

Following purchase recommendations from random people on a random forum is a recipe for buyers regret.

Prioritize. Make a long-list, reduce to a short-list. If all home studios were the same, then the answer "what to buy" would be easy: same as everyone else. But this obviously is not the case. All prof studios are different. People find different stuff good or good enough.

Getting professional results is not guaranteed by good gear. A fool with a tool is still a fool.

Buy one thing. Learn to use it well. Then get the next thing, not earlier. Otherwise you will fail and have spent a fortune in vain.

I've made pretty good drum kit recordings with nothing else than some Shure SM-58 mics into a dinky mixer with two SoundBlaster cards, using hifi speakers someone else had thrown away. Four tracks, amateur gear.

Start simple like that. Learn how to use stuff, get the most out of nothing. Find the weak spot, address that. Often the weak spot is that bio blob holding the mouse. Much to learn. Too much to learn. Dose...

[vurt]

id study microphone techniques, especially in relation to drums.
especially if i was looking to start a business.
there may be music tech courses local?

it's far from putting a mic next to a drum...

[Unaspected]

id study microphone techniques, especially in relation to drums.
especially if i was looking to start a business.
there may be music tech courses local?

it's far from putting a mic next to a drum...

It's putting a mic next to a drum so the drummer doesn't hit it.