I know probably almost everyone has had to record a drum with only 2 mics some time or another so... Is there a way to record drums with just two mics that might sound good? If it is possible, what kind of microphones would you use and in what position? I have been doing it for the last year (I only have two mics, an Oktava MK319 and a Shure SM58) and depend severely upon processing and editing and then it all becomes blurred. Thank you.

In most modest recording situations I've been in, a two mic set-up usually entails using them as left and right overheads.

Although you are using two different mics, one of them being a 58.

Maybe throw the 58 on a boom and place it 8-12 inches above the bass drum, pointing at the drummer. Maybe the other mic would then be the overhead, or straight bass mic. This has worked for me in a pinch.

Just my amateur advice. Beware, I am a drummer, not a recording eng.

Well, there's a little bit of difference between how good a job you can do with two mics and how good a job you can do with those two mics.

Advice from a cheerful non-pro-
As I teach myself how to record drums, I've gotten two matched omni mics that are well suited for drum recording. I've put the drum set in my live room and then spent a lot of time doing two things -
1. Treating the room to make the drums sound more pleasing in the room.
2. Moving the mics around the room (proximity to the drums, distance apart, etc.) while paying attention to phase effects.

So, I guess this isn't so much advice for you as it is - "here's what I've done, what do other people think?" I'm working under the premise that managing many mics on a full kit can get very complex, and it's better to understand environmental variables and simple placement before close micing everything and processing away.

= Justin

i'd start with the oktava and while someone;s playing the drums, wear headphones monitoring the channel - and walk around till it sounds best. i've had luck getting a good kit sound in what some people have referred to as underheads - about 3/4 feet back in about the same plane as your snare and bottom head of rack tom/top head of floor. just concentrate on getting an even image and blend of the snare and toms/cymbals. then use your 58 to fill in the bass drum definition.

trust your ears and with limited resources think of the kit as 1 instrument not 4 drums and cymbals. hope that helps!

Thank you all! I was thinking of maybe getting an AKG d112 for the kick. I have been doing more or less what you suggested, that is, using the SM58 for the kick and the Oktava as a mixture of overheard and proximity combined with different rates of compression and EQ. The sound is what we might call "expressionist" -nothing like the real sound but still suitable for some kinds of playing.
I heard the Flaming Lips used just two mics to record the drums in their last two albums but I don't know how much credit can I give to such assertion after having listend to them.

Here's what I've done... and liked.

1. One mic in front of the kick about 2-6 feet back and about the height of the top of the bass drum hoop. Second mic by the drummers right ear if he's right handed (because I don't like blaring hi hats). If you want more hat, try the left ear. Revers this if the drummer sets up backward.

2. Mic one in same position as above. Mic two about 10 feet back. the sound of the room is of great importance.

3. If you want a more metal/hard rock kick drum sound put one mic in the bass drum and the second mic in one of the two above positions.

4. dude, who cares. throw the mics up one way, record a minute or two, listen. Repeat. Do this for like an hour and pick your favorite sounding technique.

Have fun,
Ben Adrian

If you spend $70 on a SM57 or similar microphone, you will make your life a whole lot easier. You can then have the essentials- kick, snare, and overhead/room. Typically 58 would be best for kick (play with distances), 57 on snare, and the Oktava as an overhead. Obviously toy around with the arrangement and distances to suit your needs.
It is possible to get a good sound with 2 mics especially when the drummer plays well. I would use the mk319 as a kit mic (belt to chest high in front of the drums 2-3 feet) and your other mic on whatever you wanted to here more of.
It will be worth it to just get one more mic though

For rehearsal / songwriting recording purposes I've been using a 57 or 58 (it varies) right in the center of the kit (I've seen it referred to as the "heart mic"), with interesting results, a bit attack-heavy, but a natural balance between the drums (except, maybe, for the floor tom). I've been wondering if the "heart mic", coupled with a relatively distant room mic (probably a condenser, for depth and cymbals), wouldn't give me a fairly complete center-panned drum sound. Any tips on this? The occasion to use it hasn't appeared yet.

hi,

here are a few options for a two-mike drum recording;

a: matched pairs as overheads; either x/y or a/b

i use this technique for the clearer and realistic sound: try balancing your drums perfectly and keep the mikes quite high; otherwise the cymbals wil start ringin' like hell!

b: bass and snare: a condensor mic pointing down from aprox. 3 a 2ft. above the high hat towards the snare with a omnidirectional or figure of eight pattern (preferably a large diafragm such as a AKG-414 although something like a C-1000 is fine too!(
combined with any mike for the bassdrum ( another condensor in front of the drums front-skin or a dynamic one inside the drum (the SM-58 works well when it's tweaked afterwards with a little distortion (ahhhh

c: baffled stereo or fake-binaural technique with matched pairs:
just depend on great acoustics for a different sound

d: if you have the possibility, try overdubbing yr drums using first a and then b!

good luck

Oscar,

Your post is an old one, and no doubt you’ve moved on since then but I’ve recently had to experiment with a two-mic set-up using a pair of Rode NT5’s so thought I’d share what’s worked for me.

Mic one pointing at the air vent in the snare, horizontal with the floor and positioned under the hi hat, about 3-4 inches out from the snare. Usually the mic is slightly off axis to avoid air coming through the vent hitting the diaphragm directly. This does a nice job of picking up the hi hat, snare, and a little bit of the cymbals.

Mic two looking over the floor tom at the kick, positioned next to the drummers elbow. This captures the kick, toms and cymbals, and the balance can be varied depending on how the exact positioning is done.

The final image is in mono, but it sounded better than an XY configuration either in-front or behind the kit.

bdp