This is a stereo technique that predicates on using two different kinds of mics.
- A directional mic (cardioid) pointing at the drum set.
- A bi-directional (or figure-eight) mic facing the sides.
The capsules must be vertically aligned to maintain an accurate and phase-coherent image. Because you are breaking up the stereo sound into two, it is not necessary for the two mics to sound the same.
So basically, 2 mics:
- The first one is a front-facing mic (cardioid), placed in front of the drums (at around 4 feet or further) pointing straight at the drum set.
- The second one is either directly on top or below the previous one, at a 90° angle, with a figure-eight (or bi-directional) configuration (captures both sides), which means it’s capturing the sound perpendicular to the drums. Ambience. Room. Call it as you will.
Pros of this approach:
- You get a clear sound (from the front-facing mic) and ambience from the side-facing mic with only 2 mics and very little phase issues.
- You get 3 channels out of 2 mics: given that the figure-eight (bi-directional) mic’s signal can be split to 2 (one for each side), you can get a stereo sound, while having a very clear sound reference from the front-facing mic—which only makes sense in 1 channel, since it’s mono.
- You can get a very good overall sound of the drums. Don't go too high or you’ll miss the low-frequencies. A little higher than the kit’s height is OK.
Cons:
- You have to reverse the polarity on one of the channels of the figure-eight sides (channels). The difference is that what enters the front of the mic is in-phase and what enters the back of the mic is out-of-phase, so you have to take care of that.
- The side channels tend to sound a bit hollow when you listen to them individually. Usually it only makes sense when you add the front-facing mic.
- The side channels tend to pick up a lot of ambience, so be mindful of the room you’re in and take necessary measures to not have overtones and harmonics flying all over the place.
