stairwell placement

[tombo]

i've got access to a stairwell at work
and i'm thinking about recording some drums there
but i wanted to get your feedback on it
because i'm no expert at mic'ing drums

any advice on drum placement, mic placement, do it, don't do it
would be great

[SorenP]

a good starting place for stuff like this (very cool by the way) put the mic(s) where it sounds good to your ear. Have the drummer play while you're walking around the area and if you find a sweet spot where something is ringin just right, slap a mic there. You might have some phasing or delay issues, but its all gonna depends on how far away the mics are from the kit, and how much of it you're trying to use in the mix. You can fix the delay stuff by moving the far away tracks ahead a few milliseconds in whatever software you're using. You might get some cool sounds, just be aware of where your mics are and be prepared to adjust them later. Good luck though let me know how it turns out sounds like it'd be fun.

[SorenP]

also... try not to point the drums straight at a wall so you are totally perpindicular to a flat surface. straight reflections = bad.

[dagosto]

carpeted floors might give you a veiled tone. Your carpeted stairs gives you less of an advantage.

[tombo]

thanks for the input y'all
unfortunately there's nothing i can do about the carpet at this point
but i'll give it a go and we'll see what happens

[neal79]

I'd say Soren has the right idea. Use your ears while someone is playing. As many mics as you can so you can pick and chose later probably wouldn't hurt either.

[Jared Kubokawa]

I agree that the carpet is unfortunate and will probably soak up a lot of the reflections/reverberation that is desired in a stair well recording.

Try it out, but def keep your eyes open for a concrete, boomy stairwell.

I great way to test it is to go there are literally yell and see what kind of sound you are getting back to your ear. Try high and low pitches/frequencies, different volumes and multiple stairwells to get a feel of what it will be like. You can try to find the resonant frequency too by humming loudly.

Good luck though, seems like a lot of fun.

[SorenP]

clapping your hands in different ways is a great way to check out how a room is going to respond to transients. Try soft claps, loud claps, cup your hands to get a "bassy" clap. Just to feel out how the room is acting.

[Jared Kubokawa]

Yes, actually clapping is better because you can hear the room without hearing yourself hum or yell inside your head. You get a more accurate response and don't sound like crazy person. Way to go Soren. I just like yelling though, it's more fun that way.

[neal79]

Clapping works great when doing live work to. Hopefully it doesn't sound like a flock of birds taking off.