A very common method of overhead mic placement. Basically, you’ve got one mic for the left side, and one mic over the right.
This technique uses a pair of mics spaced apart to cover different areas of the drum kit. Try to use 2 identical microphones, although it is not absolutely necessary.
Each mic picks up one side of the kit so the center image is not usually strong and both sides of the kit often sound different. One way to avoid this is to ensure that the distance from the snare to each mic is exactly the same, and that the angle of the mic relative to the snare is the same as well.
Pros of this approach:
- A very wide stereo kit sound. The further the mics are apart, you’ll naturally get a wider sound and significantly different areas of the kit picked up.
- Very good option for more “in your face” drum sound—think hard rock/metal or other genres where you need pushing drums.
Cons:
- As mentioned before, you’ll have to work to ensure mono compatibility (AKA: no phasing issues). Start by making sure the microphones are equidistant from the snare. You can move the reference point to the center of the kit—instead of the snare—if you want, but centering is very important.
- The easiest (and most reliable way) of confirming is by getting out a measuring tape. Put one end of the tape in the center of the snare drum, and stretch it out to both mics. If the distance is the same, you’re in business.
- Make sure you’re getting a balanced sound when setting the distance from your kit. You’ll get a lot more cymbals with this method, so you might wanna go easier on those crashes.
- If you want clearer crashes (why wouldn't you want that?), point the mics to the cymbal edges, not the center (bell).
- But if you’re looking for a more overall sound, point the mic on your left at the snare. The right one between the bass drum and the floor tom.
- Your toms might be louder on one side and the snare and hi-hat louder on the other side. This is to be expected; it’s how you hear them with your ears! If you don’t like that type of sound, then this approach might not be what you’re looking for.
- The higher above the drum kit you go, the more room sound you’ll get. More room = less definition.
