Place one cardioid condenser microphone 4 feet above the floor and around 1 feet in front of the kit, microphone facing the kit.
Pros to this technique:
- It doesn’t get any simpler than this.
- You’ll get a very decent holistic sound of the drums, with a sound boost of the cymbals, especially crash cymbals.
Cons:
- You might get a dry bass drum, given that it is a bit far away from it and not placed where the bass drum’s sound projection is.
- If you’re out of balance, especially if you’re laying too hard on your cymbals, sound definition and clarity will not come out.
