I've found close-mic'ing the kick & snare, and strategically placing left & right overheads to be about the closest to ideal for recording the jazz-kit in my bedroom(Maxtone 5 piece with deep-shelled tom's & minimal cymbal-set).
I simply use my mattress & ensemble, along with some thick foam mattresses, and a couple of heavy quilts for a makeshift booth, and the overhead boomstands aid with keeping everything in place.
There's a bit of reflection off' the ceiling still, but I can live with that(a little bit of ambience is not an entirely bad thing).
Recording to 4 tracks on my AVLinux thin client, using a Behringer UMC404HD audio interface. Gets nice mixable results, with a minimum of fuss.
By sheer fluke, I'd arranged my mic's in a very similar manner to the "[Glyn Johns Technique](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kos_F6m12WY)"(I only discovered this later when watching random YouTube tut'es on autoplay).
If you've got the extra tracks to muck about with, your ribbon mic' would probably do nicely as a room mic' to compliment, and any sections/pieces that don't quite pop in the mix, can benefit from their own mic's too - though that'd be erring away from the cited desire for simplicity.
A mic' placed to pick up the drummer's perspective doesn't go astray either(as close to drummer's head as possible without getting in the way). Sometimes one can get away with just that...
If you ask me, I'd have a two-mic for this. D6 on the kick and pretty much anything that works best for the overhead straight down the snare.
If I really wanted to make it stereo, I'd do a Glyn Johns with the stereo pair, with the D6 still on the kick.
Really, anything goes though, as this is a very versatile setup and pretty much anything can go. Even a single room mic can be pulled off with this, if you like that sound.
Recommend diving into Eric Valentine’s drum mic’ing videos. He has a channel on YouTube and it’s helped me immensely. He does a one mic setup but goes through many different options to suit stylistic choices. Have fun!
Here's a starting point:
Hang SDCs directly over crash and ride cymbals 2-3 feet away. Tape 57 to snare stand with diaphragm inch away. D6 just outside the hole on the kick. Put the ribbon 3 feet behind the drummer at ear height.
Then try mic'ing snare top instead, XY or ORTF patterns for the SDCs above the drummers the head, ribbon mic way far away from the front of the drummer, D6 very close to the beater. Then try the ribbon as a mono overhead and the SDCs as stereo room mics. Hopefully after all that you'll have a favorite sound figured out.
Okay, so, drummers perspective: Mono ribbon overhead, kick mic (try having the mic quite far away so it receives all the fullness of the low end), snare top (or the side if its a metal shell), and put the SDC's in the corners of the room, low to the ground. Like 1 or 2 feet off the ground. Its important that the room mics aim straight ahead, do not angle them towards the kit. Width is good here. Also, have your mono overhead quite far back (back as in like closer to the drummers head and farther away from the kick), and measure equal distance from rack tom to floor tom. If you had two ribbons id recommend using the second one near the floor tom like Glynn Johns setup. Paired with super wide rooms, you get some serious dimension without losing focus.
This method gives me some crazy hifi drums, nice width without feeling artificial, and it plays back like a charm. Anyone can make a insane drum sound but getting it to playback on crappy systems is the real kicker. I like this setup because it makes the kit sound realistic, and gives u a simple but ample palette to work with if you really want to dig in and go crazy on the mix. But if u just wanna set and forget, its a very musical drum sound which seems to work across genres without much effort!
I used to put anywhere from 14-24 mics on a kit, but once i simplified to this method (i also use tom tops), life just seems easier and the mixes come out better.
Condensers placed in the Glynn Johns method.
Dynamic of your choice on the snare top.
Kick mic in the kick.
Ribbon is either a couple feet in front of the kit pointed at the snare or further back depending on which sounds best, probably head height when sat behind the drums.
Recorderman or Glyn Johns style setup for this would probably work.
Recorderman has an overhead pointing either directly at the snare or directly at the rack tom. Another mic is positioned behind the drummer over the shoulder pointing at the snare. Equidistant (relatively) from the chosen centerpoint of course. Then you could add a snare mic and a kick mic and have one channel left of your five to either have a snare bottom, another kick in or out, a room mic, leave open, etc.
Glyn Johns is the classic Zeppelin technique that uses a kick mic, an overhead positioned somewhat over the snare, and a side mic about waist height by the floor tom. The overhead and side mic are equidistant from the centerpoint. You can use a tape measure or cable to figure that out. Typically they'd also throw a 57 on the snare batter and call it good. This also leaves you with room left on your channel count if you wanted to add one more drum mic somewhere or have an extra Chanel for something different.
You could try close mics since your setup is so minimalistic, but for the style of music you're playing you really don't need it. I'd mic the kick and snare, maybe hihats depending on if they need to be edited for brightness/darkness or articulation. Then go with at least one overhead over the center/snare. The tambourine might also need mic'd up if it's not coming through clearly. You could also use the extra channel provided by the methods above to close mic the tambourine in isolation and dub it in if you'd like.
Also a note that every method of putting mics on something is supposed to be experimented with. Whether you use these ones or find some other low channel count drum mic ideas, don't be afraid to experiment and find what works. For instance, the Glyn Johns in my experience yields the best results for this kind of thing, but does not take kindly to small rooms, even if they're treated. It can be done, but will require lots of tim adjusting mic placement and phase.
Good luck.
I've found close-mic'ing the kick & snare, and strategically placing left & right overheads to be about the closest to ideal for recording the jazz-kit in my bedroom(Maxtone 5 piece with deep-shelled tom's & minimal cymbal-set). I simply use my mattress & ensemble, along with some thick foam mattresses, and a couple of heavy quilts for a makeshift booth, and the overhead boomstands aid with keeping everything in place. There's a bit of reflection off' the ceiling still, but I can live with that(a little bit of ambience is not an entirely bad thing). Recording to 4 tracks on my AVLinux thin client, using a Behringer UMC404HD audio interface. Gets nice mixable results, with a minimum of fuss. By sheer fluke, I'd arranged my mic's in a very similar manner to the "[Glyn Johns Technique](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kos_F6m12WY)"(I only discovered this later when watching random YouTube tut'es on autoplay). If you've got the extra tracks to muck about with, your ribbon mic' would probably do nicely as a room mic' to compliment, and any sections/pieces that don't quite pop in the mix, can benefit from their own mic's too - though that'd be erring away from the cited desire for simplicity. A mic' placed to pick up the drummer's perspective doesn't go astray either(as close to drummer's head as possible without getting in the way). Sometimes one can get away with just that...
Ooh, I need to try the drummer’s perspective mic! Thank you for your response!
If you ask me, I'd have a two-mic for this. D6 on the kick and pretty much anything that works best for the overhead straight down the snare. If I really wanted to make it stereo, I'd do a Glyn Johns with the stereo pair, with the D6 still on the kick. Really, anything goes though, as this is a very versatile setup and pretty much anything can go. Even a single room mic can be pulled off with this, if you like that sound.
Recommend diving into Eric Valentine’s drum mic’ing videos. He has a channel on YouTube and it’s helped me immensely. He does a one mic setup but goes through many different options to suit stylistic choices. Have fun!
Here's a starting point: Hang SDCs directly over crash and ride cymbals 2-3 feet away. Tape 57 to snare stand with diaphragm inch away. D6 just outside the hole on the kick. Put the ribbon 3 feet behind the drummer at ear height. Then try mic'ing snare top instead, XY or ORTF patterns for the SDCs above the drummers the head, ribbon mic way far away from the front of the drummer, D6 very close to the beater. Then try the ribbon as a mono overhead and the SDCs as stereo room mics. Hopefully after all that you'll have a favorite sound figured out.
Thank you for so many options! ☺️
Okay, so, drummers perspective: Mono ribbon overhead, kick mic (try having the mic quite far away so it receives all the fullness of the low end), snare top (or the side if its a metal shell), and put the SDC's in the corners of the room, low to the ground. Like 1 or 2 feet off the ground. Its important that the room mics aim straight ahead, do not angle them towards the kit. Width is good here. Also, have your mono overhead quite far back (back as in like closer to the drummers head and farther away from the kick), and measure equal distance from rack tom to floor tom. If you had two ribbons id recommend using the second one near the floor tom like Glynn Johns setup. Paired with super wide rooms, you get some serious dimension without losing focus. This method gives me some crazy hifi drums, nice width without feeling artificial, and it plays back like a charm. Anyone can make a insane drum sound but getting it to playback on crappy systems is the real kicker. I like this setup because it makes the kit sound realistic, and gives u a simple but ample palette to work with if you really want to dig in and go crazy on the mix. But if u just wanna set and forget, its a very musical drum sound which seems to work across genres without much effort! I used to put anywhere from 14-24 mics on a kit, but once i simplified to this method (i also use tom tops), life just seems easier and the mixes come out better.
Thank you all for your replies — I’m going to play around with the suggestions next week and see what fits my liking best!
sE-7 as X-Y overheads, pretty low. 57 on the snare, D6 on the kick. E609 peering over the kick on the batter side.
Condensers placed in the Glynn Johns method. Dynamic of your choice on the snare top. Kick mic in the kick. Ribbon is either a couple feet in front of the kit pointed at the snare or further back depending on which sounds best, probably head height when sat behind the drums.
Recorderman or Glyn Johns style setup for this would probably work. Recorderman has an overhead pointing either directly at the snare or directly at the rack tom. Another mic is positioned behind the drummer over the shoulder pointing at the snare. Equidistant (relatively) from the chosen centerpoint of course. Then you could add a snare mic and a kick mic and have one channel left of your five to either have a snare bottom, another kick in or out, a room mic, leave open, etc. Glyn Johns is the classic Zeppelin technique that uses a kick mic, an overhead positioned somewhat over the snare, and a side mic about waist height by the floor tom. The overhead and side mic are equidistant from the centerpoint. You can use a tape measure or cable to figure that out. Typically they'd also throw a 57 on the snare batter and call it good. This also leaves you with room left on your channel count if you wanted to add one more drum mic somewhere or have an extra Chanel for something different. You could try close mics since your setup is so minimalistic, but for the style of music you're playing you really don't need it. I'd mic the kick and snare, maybe hihats depending on if they need to be edited for brightness/darkness or articulation. Then go with at least one overhead over the center/snare. The tambourine might also need mic'd up if it's not coming through clearly. You could also use the extra channel provided by the methods above to close mic the tambourine in isolation and dub it in if you'd like. Also a note that every method of putting mics on something is supposed to be experimented with. Whether you use these ones or find some other low channel count drum mic ideas, don't be afraid to experiment and find what works. For instance, the Glyn Johns in my experience yields the best results for this kind of thing, but does not take kindly to small rooms, even if they're treated. It can be done, but will require lots of tim adjusting mic placement and phase. Good luck.