Properly miking a drum kit is very important for good overall sound. A general rule of thumb is to use as few microphones as possible to get the sound the engineer is after.
Kick Drum
The kick drum is the foundation of most modern rock music. Try placing a microphone on a boom stand and placing it about 1/3 of the way into the kick drum near the beater head, either through the hole in the front of the drum or by removing the front head. Use a pillow on the bottom of the drum or against the beater head to lessen echo coming from the kick drum and give it more punch. Good kick drum microphones include the Shure SM91 and Audix D6. Some engineers will use two microphones on the kick, one inside near the beater head and one near the front hole.
Toms and Snare
The toms and snare should be miked with more directional microphones, usually cardioid or hyper-cardioid patterns. For the snare, a microphone that can handle a lot of sound is needed, so try a dynamic microphone such as the Shure SM57 or Sennheiser E602. Try to place the microphone close to the snare; an engineer can also use one microphone for both the snare and high-hat.
For toms, the best sound would be from using one microphone on each tom, either near the rim or just inside the tom. One microphone can also be used split between the two drums.
Overheads
Many microphones have been used for overheads to capture the cymbals, including the Audio-Technica AT4050, the Neumann KM184 and the Shure KSM32. A tighter sound can be achieved by using a crossed XY pattern, with the two microphone diaphragms pointed at each other. The number of cymbals in the drum kit will also affect microphone placement. For a drummer who likes to use four or five cymbals, two pairs of overheads may be necessary to properly capture the sound.
Tags: beater head, kick drum, near beater, near beater head
