User Manual

Drums

Drums are usually mic’d using one close-up cardioid pattern mic

for each drum plus a pair of overhead mics to capture the

cymbals and overall kit sound. A separate hi-hat mic can be

used if the hi-hat isn’t loud enough. Capacitor mics are the usual

choice for overheads though ribbon mics are sometimes chosen

in this role. Any of the Aston models will work well as drum

overheads. The close mics can be either dynamic or capacitor

but must be small enough not to get in the drummer’s way.

A high SPL handling is necessary because the mics are so close

to the drums so use the pad switch on your Aston microphone.

The Spirit is particularly useful for drums as it has both 10 and

20dB pads. Use a capacitor mic, such as the Starlight, for the

hi-hat if you need a separate hi-hat mic.

If you don’t have enough mics or fancy trying a simpler approach,

use a mic on the kick drum, a pair of overheads to pick up the

rest of the kit and perhaps a separate snare mic. You might also

want to try bringing the overheads forward so they are a metre

or so in front of the kit. The trick is to nd the place that gives

the best balance of drums and cymbals.

Close drum mics are set up typically 30 to 60mm from the drum

heads, usually ‘looking’ over the rim and aimed down towards

the centre of the head. Just make sure that they are placed

where the drummer isn’t likely to hit them! Rim clip mounts save

cluttering up the area with mic stands.

You can mic the hi-hat from the side at a distance of 150mm or

so, but place the mic above or below the plane of the cymbals

to avoid it receiving a blast of air when the hi-hats are closed

suddenly. Also try to aim it where it will pick up the least spill

from the other drums. The voicing options of the Starlight come

into play when using as a hi-hat or under-snare mic where the

Modern setting can liven up the sound with the options of the

Vintage or Hybrid voicings to add weight.

For the kick drum, using a front head with a hole cut into it is

very common as this allows the mic to be positioned just inside

the drum shell, 100 to 150mm from the inside of the shell and

aimed towards the beater impact point. Most engineers choose

a moving coil microphone with an extended bass response,

though you can try pretty much any capacitor microphone

that can tolerate SPLs of 135dB or more. If there’s no hole in

The Art of Performance

Starlight