Drum kits can seem one of the simplest instruments to mike and at the same time it is also one of the hardest. Over the years and even still to this day it has been possible to pull a decent drum sound using only 2-3 microphones (usually kick and room/overheads). This technique is still regularly employed to make vintage sounding recordings. However in a live situation this is less than ideal. In a best case scenario close miking each individual drum can achieve much more controlled results. Below is a list of suggested microphones for different drums/Cymbals. Kick:
Snare:
Toms:
Cymbals:
Next time I will talk about microphone placement on a drumkit. Also if you have and sound/hi tech or drumming questions feel free to email me : joshg.mmc@gmail.com