Minimilist miking is good for some things, but most engineers today use a number of mics on the kit and at least a pair of mics in the room. Here we'll look at miking the drums on a more individual basis and show you how a number of engineers use their Royers. Overheads A great place to start is with the overheads, as they establish the imaging and the natural balance of the kit. Your overhead mics can be spaced closely or spread out for a wider stereo image. The R-122 is excellent for drum overheads - engineer Bruce Swedien's favorite overhead mic setup is a pair of R-122 phantom powered ribbons. For Omar Hakim's kit, Bruce used a pair of R-122's for overheads, an R-122 on the ride cymbal and an R-121 on high hat. Elliot Scheiner also uses R-122's for drum overheads. This pic of the kit was taken during a Jane Monheit session. 

Mono overhead miking can be very effective. To capture a "cannibal vibe" in Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Alan Meyerson put one R-122V tube ribbon mic over each of three kits on the Sony scoring stage in LA. The drummers - Vinnie Colaiuta, JR Robinson and Abe Laboriel Jr. - played together simultaneously.

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The stereo SF-12 and SF-24 are perfect for single point X-Y stereo miking, capturing the kit in perfect stereo without any phase cancellation. Pointing the microphone's logo at the snare drum centers the snare in the stereo image. Moving the mic higher and lower can make a lot of difference, giving the kit an immediate, punchy sound (close) or a more open ambient sound (further).

 

SF-12 for drum overheads on The Dirty Dozen  

SF-24 for overheads on Train, being recorded by Don Gilmore. Notice the high ceiling at NRG Studios, which allowed for higher placement of the microphone without ceiling reflections.