Hi all.

I am purchasing a microphone set designed for recording drums. What I don't
understand is why none of the mic sets I looked at had anything specifically
for hihats. Is there a standard for miking hihats? I guess I've been spoilt
using sampled drums because there's always a seperate out for hihats (and
everything else for that matter) - I am sure however that in writeups I've
seen engineers talking about how they used a particular mic for the hihats.
I'm going for a 7 mic kit that includes kick mic, snare mic, tom mics and
two pencil condenser overheads. I' just a little worried how much
flexibility this will give me with my precious hihats!

Howard.

H wrote:

I am purchasing a microphone set designed for recording drums. What I don't
understand is why none of the mic sets I looked at had anything specifically
for hihats. Is there a standard for miking hihats? I guess I've been spoilt
using sampled drums because there's always a seperate out for hihats (and
everything else for that matter) - I am sure however that in writeups I've
seen engineers talking about how they used a particular mic for the hihats.
I'm going for a 7 mic kit that includes kick mic, snare mic, tom mics and
two pencil condenser overheads. I' just a little worried how much
flexibility this will give me with my precious hihats!

The hi-hats will be in everything. Your goal will be trying to figure
out how to keep them OUT of the submix rather than how to add more.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

What he said !

And i have it figured now!! :-)

It gets real intreasting when u cant get the snare level up no more...


Sidhu




Scott Dorsey wrote:
H wrote:

I am purchasing a microphone set designed for recording drums. What
I don't
understand is why none of the mic sets I looked at had anything
specifically
for hihats. Is there a standard for miking hihats? I guess I've been
spoilt
using sampled drums because there's always a seperate out for hihats
(and
everything else for that matter) - I am sure however that in
writeups I've
seen engineers talking about how they used a particular mic for the
hihats.
I'm going for a 7 mic kit that includes kick mic, snare mic, tom
mics and
two pencil condenser overheads. I' just a little worried how much
flexibility this will give me with my precious hihats!

The hi-hats will be in everything. Your goal will be trying to
figure
out how to keep them OUT of the submix rather than how to add more.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

In article writes:

I am purchasing a microphone set designed for recording drums. What I don't
understand is why none of the mic sets I looked at had anything specifically
for hihats.

Probably because hi-hats are always too loud anyway. The benefit to
putting a mic on the hi-hat is for "clarity" or "definition" and not
for volume or separation. I guess they figure that if you're buying a
kit of mics for the drums you're on a budget and you'll have plenty of
hi-hat in the snare and overhead mics.

I'm going for a 7 mic kit that includes kick mic, snare mic, tom mics and
two pencil condenser overheads. I' just a little worried how much
flexibility this will give me with my precious hihats!

If you can't get enough hi-hat with that setup, first clean your ears,
then if you're still not happy, pick up one of the Oktava small
condensers with a pad.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

On Wed, 30 Mar 2005 10:01:24 -0500, H wrote
(in article ):

Hi all.

I am purchasing a microphone set designed for recording drums. What I don't
understand is why none of the mic sets I looked at had anything specifically
for hihats. Is there a standard for miking hihats? I guess I've been spoilt
using sampled drums because there's always a seperate out for hihats (and
everything else for that matter) - I am sure however that in writeups I've
seen engineers talking about how they used a particular mic for the hihats.
I'm going for a 7 mic kit that includes kick mic, snare mic, tom mics and
two pencil condenser overheads. I' just a little worried how much
flexibility this will give me with my precious hihats!

Howard.


Howard,

Lot's of folks have found that starting with the overheads, you then fill in
with a few mics instead of micing everything. In that practice, there seldom
is a hi hat mic. Instead, HH is captured mostly by the overheads.

Regards,

Ty



-- Ty Ford's equipment reviews, audio samples, rates and other audiocentric
stuff are at www.tyford.com

Ty Ford:

HH is captured mostly by the overheads.

Yes, but in the case you didn't miked it, you will need it during
mixdown.
And if you miked it, you wouln't need it in the mix...

In article .com writes:

HH is captured mostly by the overheads.

Yes, but in the case you didn't miked it, you will need it during
mixdown.
And if you miked it, you wouln't need it in the mix...

The solution is to set up a mic on the hi-hat, attach a cable, and
don't connect it to anything. This will make the drummer think that
you've miked his hi-hat so he'll play it really well and you'll be
able to hear plenty of it in the main mics.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Mike Rivers wrote:

The solution is to set up a mic on the hi-hat, attach a cable, and
don't connect it to anything. This will make the drummer think that
you've miked his hi-hat so he'll play it really well and you'll be
able to hear plenty of it in the main mics.

What if you want to add an effect, to the high hat alone?

Joe Sensor wrote:
Mike Rivers wrote:

The solution is to set up a mic on the hi-hat, attach a cable, and
don't connect it to anything. This will make the drummer think that
you've miked his hi-hat so he'll play it really well and you'll be
able to hear plenty of it in the main mics.

What if you want to add an effect, to the high hat alone?

Then you'd better track it seperately because you'll never get enough
isolation to do that any other way.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

In article writes:

What if you want to add an effect, to the high hat alone?

You turn up any knob that you know you won't do anything and say to
the client (or producer) "Do you like that?"

If you want to add an effect to just the hi-hat, you're using it as
something other than a part of the drum kit and you should probably
consider recording it separately.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Joe Sensor wrote:

Mike Rivers wrote:

The solution is to set up a mic on the hi-hat, attach a cable, and
don't connect it to anything. This will make the drummer think that
you've miked his hi-hat so he'll play it really well and you'll be
able to hear plenty of it in the main mics.


What if you want to add an effect, to the high hat alone?

Is this a serious question?

Hat bleeds into everything. So if you want a seperable
hihat track, it should be tracked seperately.

"I could do that, but that would be wrong" - George the
handyman, on "Newhart".
--
Les Cargill

"Thomas Thiele" wrote in message
oups.com...
Ty Ford:

HH is captured mostly by the overheads.

Yes, but in the case you didn't miked it, you will need it during
mixdown.
And if you miked it, you wouln't need it in the mix...


Exactly !! LOL.

Not to mention if you want to ride the level for open hihat 'moments' during
grooves etc - it sounds lame doing it on the overheads!

Same with little flourishes here and there.

Or even if you just want to hear a little more 'stick' on the hat than you
generally get when its only coming out of the overheads.

Anyway, I suppose it depends on how detailed you want to get with the mix,
and whether nuances like that are important to you.....

Good luck!

Geoff

Geoff Duncan wrote:


Anyway, I suppose it depends on how detailed you want to get with the mix,
and whether nuances like that are important to you.....



And options are always good. No microphone, no options.

Ty Ford wrote:

Instead, HH is captured mostly by the overheads.

I beg to differ.

I find that each and every drum shows up in every single microphone as
well as the guitar and bass mics' if they are in the vicinity.

Listening to all the drums in ALL the microphones and coming up with the
perfect MIX of all these microphones is what elevates the true mix
'artist' from the 'follow the numbers' guys.

(but shhhh, don't tell anyone)

The only use I've ever found for hi hat mics is to high pass them at about
4K and add only the shimmer to the recording.