Brainwave: Overheads

Hi all, just a short post on some thoughts pertaining drum overheads.

I had the distinct pleasure of recording one of Norways best session drummers (in my oppinion) this weekend and we talked a bit about recoring techniques for drums.

One thing I touched upon, which is really useful and effective when recording in a great recording space is getting the overall sound from the overheads. Alot of people will EQ out all the low and mid from the overheads so that you just get the cymbals, and while this can be very effective and sometimes necessary, I feel it can be detrimental to the feel of the recording.

At the studio where I do most of my engineering, Urban Sound Studios in Oslo we have a fantastic 80sqm live room. The first thing I do when doing the sound check for drums is solo the overheads, and I know I have positioned them right when the whole kit sounds balanced, both in the stereo image and the sound between the different drums. Ideally you should be able to get a good, balanced sound from just the overheads and perhaps a kick drum microphone.

Play around with different stereo techniques as well, as each one has their own distinct stereo character.