What is needed to record drums?

6 Steps for Recording Drums

1. Tune your drum kit. Any recording engineer will tell you that the most important element to a great-sounding recording is a great-sounding instrument.
2. Mic the kick drum.
3. Mic the snare drum.
4. Set up overhead microphones.
5. Mic more individual drums (optional).
6. Set a preamp and compression sound.

How many inputs do I need to record drums?

An 8 Input (or More) Audio Interface In order to record eight mics, you need to have an audio interface that can record eight mics. Many DIY musicians start with an audio interface with only one or two mic inputs. That won’t be enough to record drums.

Do you need a mixer to record drums?

If you plan to do all the mixing and processing ‘in the box’, you don’t really need a mixer at all: you just need an audio interface and sufficient mic preamps. Alternatively, you could choose an interface with eight line inputs and use external mic preamps — or, of course, a mixer.

How loud should you record drums?

If you want a modern loud recording, then don’t use compression on your recording. Set both RMS and peak levels between -6 dB and -3 dB, attack about 10-20 ms or even higher but make sure that it still sounds natural, and release between 50-200 ms. For recording drums, you can use a medium or low ratio.

Where do I plug my drum mic?

Put the mic between 1″–3″ off the outer head. Placing a boundary mic on a pillow inside the kick is the simplest option if you have a hole in the resonant head. It keeps the bleed from other drums and cymbals to a minimum and will give you lots of impact.

Can I use a condenser mic to record drums?

One of the more abstract microphone placements to record drums with one microphones involves placing the microphone approximately 10 feet in front of the kit. The microphone should also be pointing to the center of the kit for optimal results. From this far away, the only type of microphone I recommend is condenser.

What mic should you use for drums?

Beyond that, the SM57 has long been the go-to microphone for snare drums. For toms, Sennheiser 421 dynamics are extremely prevalent. And the Electro-Voice RE20, the AKG D12 and D112, and the Shure Beta 52A, all of which are dynamic mics, are common models for miking bass drums.