If you’re a drummer on a budget who is passionate about recording their music that they worked hard on, you’re in the right place. Recording drums with just one microphone can be a daunting task, but with the right techniques and some creativity, you can definitely record a great sounding drum track with one mic. In this expert guide, we’ll explore some budget-friendly strategies to record drums with one mic.
Whether you’re a DIY musician, a home studio enthusiast, or a beginner just starting out in the world of recording, this guide will give you all the information you need to capture professional-sounding drum tracks without breaking the bank.
So let’s dive in and explore the best tips and strategies for successful one-mic drum recording!
3 Steps to Record Drums with One Mic
You can record drums with one mic without spending much using the following 3 steps:
- Choosing The Right Microphone to Record Drums
- Key Principles of Mic Placement for One Mic Drum Recording
- Enhancing the One Mic Drum Recording with Post-Processing and Mixing
We have outlined every step carefully in the following guide and made sure to limit the cost as much as possible, so you can record drums with one mic in a budget-friendly way.
First Step: Choosing The Right Microphone to Record Drums
Assuming you already have a drum kit, I recommend that the first step you take is to buy a microphone. This is going to be your only required purchase, meaning you will not have to spend much in total.
Still, to keep it as budget-friendly as possible, I reviewed these cheap microphones for music. If you’re a kid who is reading this guide, here are some budget microphone options for you.
However, the microphones above are not specifically designed for recording drums. Therefore, keep reading to learn more about different types of drum recording microphones and some things you should consider when choosing the right microphone.
Types of Microphones for Drummers
You’d be surprised to know how many different types of microphones there are in the world. These are the 5 best budget types of microphones that can be used for drum recording: dynamic mic, condenser mic, ribbon mic, boundary mic, shotgun mic.
I know. It’s truly a lot and can definitely get really confusing. But don’t worry.
Here’s a breakdown of each type of microphone mentioned above and the specific function that they serve.
Before we dive into the specifics, I just want to emphasize that all of these kick drum mics deliver a beautiful stereo image of the entire drum kit for a highly effective, minimalist drum kit recording technique.
What Are Dynamic Microphones?
Just like the name suggests, dynamic microphones are durable and can handle high sound pressure levels, making them ideal for recording drums.
Most importantly, due to their ability to handle loud sound without issue, dynamic mics are used to mic up kicks, snares, and toms in many genres and recording styles.
Additionally, they are typically relatively inexpensive, which makes them a popular choice for budget-friendly recording setups.
What Are Condenser Microphones?
Condenser microphones are known for their sensitivity and ability to capture high-frequency sound. Therefore, most professional drummers primarily use them for overhead drums, such as cymbals and other high-end percussion instruments.
Furthermore, condenser mics are considered to be the most versatile recording studio microphones and can be used to record essentially any instrument.
If you want more information on what condenser mics are and how they work, we recommend reading this article.
What Are Ribbon Microphones?
Ribbon microphones are most commonly used because they produce warm and natural sound.
Drummers use ribbon mics for recording drums in a vintage or classic rock style, as they can help to capture the sound of drums in a more organic and natural way.
Moreover, ribbon mics are great for drum overheads, capturing cymbals without the tizzy hype.
What Are Boundary Microphones?
Boundary microphones are designed to capture the sound of kick drums or other low-end percussion, for they effectively capture low-frequency vibrations.
Therefore, if you have drums that produce more bass and low-frequency audio, then a boundary mic is probably the best option for you.
What Are Shotgun Microphones?
Shotgun microphones are typically a great budget option that are used when recording a single drum.
For instance, if you are just recording a snare drum in isolation, then a shotgun microphone would be perfect. However, if you have a drum set that you wish to record, then I suggest buying one of the other affordable microphones
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Mic for Drum Recording
As outlined above, different types of mics are suited for different purposes. Therefore, when choosing which cheap drum mic to buy, you need to consider a few important factors so that you can make the best purchase.
Overall, choosing the right mic for drum recording requires a balance of technical knowledge an personal preference, which is why you need to consider each of the factors below before deciding which mic to use.
For each factor, I also provided some helpful tips and recommendations to guide you towards choosing the right mic.
Deduce the Unique Qualities of Your Drum Kit Setup
Instruments slightly vary in the sound that they produce. As a result, you need to figure out the unique sound characteristics of your drums and cymbals.
For instance, if you have a snare drum that produces a slightly higher sound, you would need to buy a microphone that is better at capturing higher frequency audio.
I know what you’re asking: “how do I figure out the unique sound qualities of my drum kit setup?”
For starters, look at the model and brand of your instruments and do some research on it. Watch videos on what expert musicians have to say about your particular instrument model.
You can also find a lot of useful information from the website you bought it from. Look at the product specifications or its reviews. There’s a good chance a musician who knows what they’re talking about may have commented.
However, if you’ve done all of the above to no avail, then the best way to deduce the unique qualities is by looking at the size and type of your instruments.
For instance, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I have overhead drums?
- Do I have snare drums?
- Do I have a bass drum?
Answering these will allow you to figure out the overall sound that your drums produce. In turn, you can make a more accurate decision about which kick drum mic to get.
Analyze the Recording Room You Will Record In
Consider the environment of your recording space and the characteristics of your room. If you are recording in a small room that has not been treated for acoustics, I recommend that you choose a microphone with a tighter polar pattern.
A tighter polar pattern means that the mic picks up more sound from right in front of it rather than around it. Therefore, it reduces the amount of room ambience, allowing your drum recording to sound much more professional.
What Is Room Treating and How To Save Money on Room Treating?
If you don’t know what room treating is, it’s simply a process that reduces room identity. In other words, it makes your music sound purer, reduces any external sound effects that your room may make, such as echo.
However, treating your room for improved acoustics can get really expensive and I know you don’t want that. Therefore, the best way to get a high-quality drum recording without acoustically treating your room is to use a microphone with a tighter polar pattern.
Doing so will save you thousands of dollars, allowing you to record drums in a much more budget-friendly way.
Determine the Sound You Want to Achieve in Your Drumming
As you may have guessed from our descriptions of each of the microphones above, different drum mics produce different sounds.
Consequently, you need to determine the type of sound you want to achieve in your drum recordings so that you can buy a microphone that takes you closer to those goals.
For example, if you are looking for a bright and punchy snare sound, you should choose a mic with a high-frequency boost. Meanwhile, if you want a more natural and organic sound, you should choose a mic that produces a flat frequency response.
Refer back to our descriptions of each microphone above to determine which mic best meets your goals.
Recommendations for Budget-Friendly Kick Drum Mics
I have reviewed various types of budget mics that you should look at and take inspiration from.
For instance, here is our complete review of the best cheap microphones in general. Some of these affordable microphones can also serve as drum mics, as described above. Therefore, you can save a lot of money on your only purchase needed to record drums with one mic.
Furthermore, although this is may or may not be too interesting for you, here is our ultimate review of the best budget karaoke systems for kids that you can also take inspiration from.
Or, you may also be looking for some budget karaoke options to gift to your kids.
Anyways, here are some great options for budget microphones for drum recording. I have not reviewed these products yet; however, an ultimate review guide of the best cheap drum microphones is coming out soon.
Stay tuned or bookmark this page so you don’t miss out.
- GLS Audio Instrument Microphone ES-57 – Dynamic Cardioid Mike Unidirectional ($23.58)
- Nady DM70 Drum and Instrument Microphone ($32.99)
- Heimu Bass Drum Microphone – Big Drum Mic ($33.99)
- Wired Microphone Kit for Drums ($109.99)
- Shure PGA52 Dynamic Microphone with Cardioid Pickup Pattern – Dynamic Kick Drum Microphone ($125)
- XTUGA DI7 Wired Dynamic Drum Mic Kit for Kick Bass, Tom, Snare, & Cymbals ($129)
To save even more money, don’t buy mic stands for these room mics. Instead, I recommend that you simply place the mic on a table.
Keep reading to learn more about how you can place your mic.
Second Step: Key Principles of Mic Placement for One Mic Drum Recording
If you want the audio of your drum recording to sound clear and melodious, you need to position your mic correctly. Since you are likely not spending too much money on buying professional mics worth thousands of dollars with mic stands, this step is crucial.
Since you will only use one mic to record, you need to make sure that that one mic does the work of enough mics to produce a good recording.
Here are some techniques that you could use depending on the type of drums and mic that you have. These techniques are proven to produce a successful recording process.
When using any of these techniques, I advise that you experiment with the placement of the microphone to find the sweet spot where the drum sounds are balanced and natural. Remember, even an inch makes a huge difference in the audio clarity.
Overhead Mic Placement
The I purpose of overhead mic placement is to capture the overall sound of the drums and cymbals, providing a sense of space and depth in your recording.
The key to overhead mic placement is that you place the microphone above your drum kit, aiming it down towards the center. of the drum setup.
Additionally, make sure to position the mic slightly above the cymbals to remove emphasis from the rest of the kit. If you want a more balanced sound, you can position them at a higher elevation as well.
If you have a microphone stand, then that makes your job much easier. However, if you do not have a microphone stand, then here are some alternatives I devised.
Foremost, if you have a cabinet above you, you can place the mic on that cabinet, but don’t forget to make it point down towards the drum kit.
But I know most people don’t have a cabinet in their recording room. Therefore, another alternative is that you can put the mic on top of a ladder.
Here are some more tips that you should follow to master overhead drum miking placement.
Front-of-Kit Placement (Snare Drum Technique)
This placement is primarily intended for people who have an entire drum setup, such as a snare drum, percussion, bass drum, and kick drum.
You want to execute this by placing the microphone in front of your drum kit. Here’s the trick, though. Aim the mic towards the center of the snare drum.
Doing so will provide a more focused sound, putting emphasis on the snare and kick drum.
Executing this technique is much easier than executing the overhead placement because you can place the mic on virtually anything.
Even in small rooms, the cheapest and easiest way is to put a chair, table, or stool in front of your drum setup and position the mic on there. You won’t need to spend any money at all.
Just don’t forget to aim it towards the snare drum.
Kick Drum Placement
Before I tell you what the kick drum placement is, I want you to know its purpose and the type of recording that it will produce. This technique is ideal for recording a deep and punchy kick drum sound, while limiting bleed from other instruments.
So how do you position your mic in the kick drum placement? Well, the key is to place the mic inside the kick drum, facing toward the beater.
Using this placement is the easiest and cheapest because you don’t need anything else. No need for a table, chair, or mic stand.
You can just place the mic on the floor because the kick drum is also on the floor.
Moreover, just like all the other miking techniques that I described above, the kick drum mic placement also only requires one mic. While using more than one mic will certainly enhance your audio, one mic is still sufficient for a high-quality drum recording.
Third Step: Enhancing the One Mic Drum Recording with Post-Processing and Mixing
Once you are done recording, you will need to begin editing and processing the audio.
Achieving a polished and professional sound is certainly possible with only one mic, but it will also require you to do more work on the mixing part.
Let me guess what this makes you think: “Time to spend a lot of money on expensive audio interface.”
Wrong.To ease your work and keep it budget-friendly, I devised some useful tips and strategies to generate a high quality recording without using expensive pro tools, such as audio interface or mixer.
While you will need recording software to execute the following mixing strategies, there are many free services available. Here are some free recording softwares that you can use:
- iMovie
- Filmora
- Lightworks
- Open Shot
- Shotcut
- VideoPad
- Avid Media Composer
Additionally, although it is not required, using studio headphones will make this step much smoother and allow you to edit your recording perfectly.
I reviewed some budget studio headphones options for you that I highly recommend you consider buying for flawless music production.
Mixing with Equalization (EQ)
One of the most important tools in mixing is equalization because it allows you to boost or cut out specific frequencies from your recording.
As a result, your drums will sound more balanced and natural because no singular sound will be too prominent, unless of course you want it to.
This step is especially important to successfully record drums with one mic. Why?
Since you only have one mic capturing all the sound, the mic may pick up sound from one drum more than it does from all the other drums. Therefore, one drum may cover the sound of all the other drums.
Equalizing can easily fix this by allowing you to neutralize the sounds.
For example, if you can hardly hear your cymbals, you can boost the high end to bring out their sound.
Meanwhile, if your mic was too close to your kick or bass drum, you can cut out the low end to reduce the noise of the kick or bass drum.
The Role of Compression in Mixing
Compression is another important tool in mixing that can help to even out the levels of the drums and make them sound more cohesive. Furthermore, compression also allows you to reduce the dynamic range of the recording and bring out the quieter details.
In simpler terms, compression narrows the difference between the loudest and softest parts of a track so that it’s more consistent in level.
Click here to learn more about what compression is, what it sounds like, and how you can use this.
Adding Reverb to the Drum Track
Reverb is a really useful mixing strategy that creates a sense of space and depth in your recording.
Many mic placement strategies require you to have a spaced pair of mics. However, in this guide I my goal is to tell you how to record drums with one mic; therefore, I highly recommend experimenting with reverb.
Despite only using one mic, reverb allows you to record drums in a way that sounds professional.
If you want to know what reverb sounds like, go to YouTube and search up any song name with “reverb” after it. Pay attention to the sense of space and depth in the music.
Record Drums using Panning
Panning is a tool that allows you to create a stereo image of your drums and moving specific drum sounds to anywhere you want in that stereo field.
In other words, with panning, you can place sound sources in a way so that that they are perceived as coming from the left speaker, the right speaker, or from anywhere in between.
Doing so makes your music sound much better and even though you are only using one mic, the final recording will sound as if multiple mics were used.
Consequently, it is always a good idea to have some level of panning in your music, but make sure to not overdo it.
Frequently Asked Questions (PAA)
When learning how to record drums with one mic in a budget friendly manner, people often ask the following questions. And here are our expert answers.
Can you record drums with one mic?
Yes, you can record drums with one mic. As explained in this guide, there are multiple strategies to record drums with one mic in a budget-friendly way.
Focus primarily on choosing a budget microphone, placing the mic correctly, optimizing your drum kit and room, and learning key recording techniques to enhance your audio.
Why go through the effort of recording drums?
Drum recording is important because it is the backbone of music production. Producing quality music is essentially impossible without drums because you need a rhythm and tempo that the other components of the song follow along with.
Additionally, drum recording adds dynamics and emotions that enhances the mood of the song. It also serves well to add an emotional-depth to the song, making it more appealing for listeners.
As a result, drum recording shapes the overall sound of any music genre.
Are studio headphones necessary to record drums with one mic?
No, studio headphones are not necessary to record drums. However, using them will definitely contribute to your music production positively.
Furthermore, studio headphones can provide a closed and isolated listening environment, which allows you to hear the drums in detail without being distracted by outside noises or other instruments.
Ultimately, the choice between using studio headphones when recording drums depends on your personal preference and how accurate you want your post-processing procedure to be.
Here are some budget studio headphones options if you choose to use them to record drums with one mic.
How many mics needed to record drums?
One. You only need one mic to record drums. However, if you have more mics, then that will allow you to pick up different variations of sound produced by your drums, ultimately producing a higher quality final production.
Regardless, spending a lot of money on mics is unnecessary because the strategies in this guide allow you to get the same effect while using only one mic to record drums. Therefore, you save money without compromising the quality and clarity of your music.
Conclusion
Ultimately, you can easily record drums with one mic using the strategies and tips outlined above.
We developed these strategies so that you can get more out of your tech gadgets (microphone) without spending money. After all, managing your money in a budget-friendly manner is more important than anything.
If you found this article to be helpful, check out related articles for more money saving reviews and strategies. Remember: the key to financial success is saving money, especially on expensive purchases such as electronics and machines.
As a result, always remember to browse our collection of reviews to find a cheaper alternative first or learn about new budget ways to get more out of your gadgets.