In the future I will be recording with live drums, I need help.

[Larcher]

Ok, so alot of bands/people I've talked to rather much more record with live drums because you know, they're the ones playing, not a computer. And I completely understand that, so eventually I want to get something that has alot of XLR inputs so I can record drums. Right now I've got the presonus firestudio with 8 inputs, I doub't this is enough, because I count: 2x overheads, 1 snare, 1 for each tom (max of 5) 1 for kick, 1 for ride, 1 for hi hat. Though I'm sure I could get away with just 8 inputs by sacrificing the ride and hi-hat and just using them in the OH mic, I'd like to have more control over those 2 cymbals so I can mix them by themselves.

Would 2 presonus firestudios work? Or would my DAW only be able to use one of the presonus' at one time(silly question). If not, what are my options?

 

[KingAenarion]

Which firestudio have you got?

The Firestudios can be Firewire linked.

However, it all depends on how much you want to spend between Mics, preamps and decent stands (don't forget that decent stands will cost you good few hundred $$$)

 

[Larcher]

Which firestudio have you got?

The Firestudios can be Firewire linked.

However, it all depends on how much you want to spend between Mics, preamps and decent stands (don't forget that decent stands will cost you good few hundred $$$)

I've got this one PreSonus | FireStudio Project

I'm willing to spend a decent amount over the coming months and years to hopefully get a good studio going, I'm aware this will be costly.

 

[jdinop]

If i'm correct in saying, the Presonus Firestudio has ADAT digital I/O. so you could just buy an external mic pre and hook it in via digital connection.

I'm planning on upgrading from my Fast Track Pro soon, and have been researching my butt off.
I'm gonna go with the new Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 coupled with a Focusrite Octopre, just to make sure the preamps sound the same.

I promise i don't work for Focusrite.





...buy focusrite products. FOCUSRITE.

 

[palebluedot]

I've been looking at the MAudio Profire 2626. My buddy has been using one for years and getting great results. to the Op, you really plan on ever miking up 5 toms? thats a hell of alot of toms!

 

[Larcher]

I've been looking at the MAudio Profire 2626. My buddy has been using one for years and getting great results. to the Op, you really plan on ever miking up 5 toms? thats a hell of alot of toms!

some drummers have alot of toms

 

[TheDepthsWillRise]

If you have solid samples already you could look into triggers and a cheap brain. Use the triggers and midi for shell hits, and use mics for the ambients/ride/hats/etc. In that case 8 would be more than enough.

 

[Larcher]

If you have solid samples already you could look into triggers and a cheap brain. Use the triggers and midi for shell hits, and use mics for the ambients/ride/hats/etc. In that case 8 would be more than enough.

I was definitely going to get triggers for the kick and snare, but they would still take up 2 slots on my interface, unless they would be plugged in somewhere else?

 

[TheDepthsWillRise]

Get something like this (Alesis Trigger iO Trigger/Midi at zZounds) and a midi interface to go along with your presonus. You plug your triggers into the IO, IO to midi and your shells are covered. Mic up to the Presonus and wreck shop. For the mics, we try to do 2 overs, hats, ride, and a mid/side up front. If the room is nice, I always like the spot behind the drummer about 5 feet as well, but of course the more mics you put up, the more time you get to spend fighting with phase issues. It's a trade off, but often a lot of fun with a good drummer.

 

[TheDepthsWillRise]

I don't know about you, but I prefer to trigger the toms as well. IMHO the toms are the hardest to get to sound right. Especially metal drummers, barely enough room for a 609, much less a 421.

 

[Larcher]

Get something like this (Alesis Trigger iO Trigger/Midi at zZounds) and a midi interface to go along with your presonus. You plug your triggers into the IO, IO to midi and your shells are covered. Mic up to the Presonus and wreck shop. For the mics, we try to do 2 overs, hats, ride, and a mid/side up front. If the room is nice, I always like the spot behind the drummer about 5 feet as well, but of course the more mics you put up, the more time you get to spend fighting with phase issues. It's a trade off, but often a lot of fun with a good drummer.

I don't know about you, but I prefer to trigger the toms as well. IMHO the toms are the hardest to get to sound right. Especially metal drummers, barely enough room for a 609, much less a 421.

Very insightful stuff! I'll think about triggering toms aswell, so that would mean that the trigger module would only use up one slot (which is the IO) so that would leave me with 8 mics, I like this idea very much

 

[TheDepthsWillRise]

Cool man, I hope it helps. We just started doing it in our room for the exact same reason. We run into an Ensemble with 8 ins and trying to get everything in at practice meant skimping too much on the drum sound. At best we had 1 over, 1 between two rack toms, floor tom, kick, 2 guitars and bass. No chance at catching a live vocal performance. Now we do 2 overs, 2 guitar, bass and vocals and midi and we have two more inputs just in case(for shits and giggles?). On ebay right now you could get 5 triggers and an IO for under $300. Not too bad really.

 

[Larcher]

nice, I'll be looking into that, though I'll have to sound-proof my drum room, and I don't know how much that would cost

 

[jrg828]

you could trigger the set, and get a someone usable room/overhead sound to mix with the samples

i think the close miced samples would be easier to work with, rather than having a tit load of mics and endless tweaking

 

[TheDepthsWillRise]

nice, I'll be looking into that, though I'll have to sound-proof my drum room, and I don't know how much that would cost

That part sucks, although it seems to suck less the more room you have. I think I ended up spending a few hundred on that, and I'm still not sure it helped that much. I think the best value I got sound wise was probably the bass traps and the treatment on the ceiling above the drums. With short ceilings those waves can reflect back to the overs and create phase hell. The treatment in front of the kick helped a bit too. As I sit here and type it out, I'm thinking about going upstairs and pulling the crap off the side walls and putting more up in front and on the ceiling lol.

 

[Larcher]

Oh no, I've already got bass traps and such, I want to sound-proof the room, so my brother won't hear it (we're roomates)

 

[MrMcSick]

I have a focusrite saffire pro 40 which has 8 xlrs and I also have a behringer ultragain pro ADA8000 which adds another 8 xlrs buy pluggin it into the pro 40 through the adat. If your firestudio has adat def pick up an external pre like that behringer or the focusrite octopre mentioned above and you'll get 16 xlr in's then. The behringer is only $250 new and doesn't have the best mic pre's but it gets the job done and has been reliable for me.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Behringer-ADA8000-Ultragain-Pro-8-A-D-A-Converter-/130848540830?pt=US_Preamps_Channel_Strips&hash=item1e772e489e

 

[Larcher]

sweet^ I'll look into this

 

[Solodini]

I've had good drum sounds from 6 mics, while admittedly not for metal. Hats, snare bottom, kick x2, coincident overheads aimed toward the centre of each group of hats, snare, rack 1 and group of rack, ride, floor. Nicely balanced, I found and that was just recording in a practise studio.