recording drums

I am interested in doing home recording of an 8pc drumset. I’d like to eventually be able to save to an SD card to share with another musician.
I have used audacity long ago to convert analog vinyl songs to digital, so I am somewhat familiar…
can anyone give a fairly comprehensive list of items needed to record? and how best to utilize audacity?
at this point I only have the drums, and a PC running windows 10. But lots of ambition.
thanks in advance.



DW

home recording of an 8pc drumset.

The drumset and Audacity are not going to be the problem. The home is. Where were you planning on playing? The original owner of my home had a kid that played drums. They completely soundproofed the tiny third bedroom so the drum sound was crisp, clear, sharp and differentiated (and didn’t bother the neighbors).

If you don’t do that, the drum sound is going to be echoey, sloppy, mushy, and very playing in the bathroom, whether you’re actually in the bathroom or not.

Do you have a garage? There’s no shortage of bands that record in the garage. A peaked roof and lots of boxes and storage can make terrific sound treatment. That and you can get a mic far enough away from the drums to keep one sound from taking over the others.

Is there a budget?

Will you be working from a click track, or were you planning on being the rhythm reference for everybody else? Whoever is second in this process is going to need to set up for overdubbing right? Play your track in their ears while they’re performing live into a fresh track.

Koz

I didn’t ask if the 8 pieces were 8 impact pads and each one electronically producing the sound. One of my favorite groups did one song like that and it was pretty awful.

OK. SWAG Engineering. Scientific, Wild-Ass Guess. Shure SM-57 Dynamic microphone. Behringer UM2 mic preamp and USB interface. One XLR cable and I think the UM2 comes with its own USB cable.

My preference is the On-Stage-Stands boom stand. That’s it holding up a mic for an interview.

OnStageStands9701B. It folds up.

SM-57 is widely regarded as “The Drum Mic” and is the sister to the SM-58 vocal rock band mic. It’s a dynamic (moving coil) microphone and it’s almost impossible to overload or break it.

Make sure there is a mic clip in there somewhere to connect the microphone to the stand.

Forget the tiny recorder for a minute. That’s my stand with a clothespin mic clip.

The UM2 interface will do all the jobs needed for live headphone monitoring and overdubbing.

That leaves headphones. I’m going to quietly back away. They should be wired and close fitting around your head. Sennheiser makes terrific headphones. I’m pretty sure the ones I like are no longer made

Koz

I see a bundle with this microphone and a Shure X2U preamp and interface. I have an X2U. It’s in a box in the garage.

This bundle seems to have everything in it.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SM57Pack--shure-sm57-mic-pack-with-stand-and-cable

Koz

You can share* music on SoundCloud for free, e.g. …
https://soundcloud.com/smart-bass-academy/surf-drum-100bpm
[* can be via a unique private link sent to a specific person, rather than public].

Hi
I want to do the same but with an edrum set from yamaha DTX500.
Tried do connect “phones” with a 3.5 mm cable to pc Headset plug, also “Output L/Mono”.
My Laptop has no seperate “Line In”
But cannot hear anything in audacity.
Doesn’t matter what I choose in the device section.

I want to do the same

You want to do the same thing only different. You will not be using a microphone since your drumset already has electronic delivery.

Connect the two yamaha DTX500 Line-Outs with two of these…

Through a stereo RCA cable.

And into a stereo Line To USB adapter such as the Behringer UCA-202.

Doesn’t matter which computer you use. This works with both Windows and Macs.

Connect everything, let the computer settle down a bit and then start Audacity. Look for a recording connection labeled USB Audio CODEC. That’s the Behringer with your music on it.

You can get much cheaper “Stereo USB Adapters,” but most of them overload easily, distort, and don’t actually record stereo. They Play stereo which lets then advertise “Stereo.”

Koz

Some newer computers don’t have USB A any more. You need to sort which adapters you need.

Koz

My Laptop has no seperate “Line In”

The microphone connection will “work” but you won’t get good quality and it’s usually mono.

to pc Headset plug

If you have a single mic-headphone combo jack you need a 4-conductor [u]TRRS adapter[/u] to make the microphone connection. There is only one microphone contact so this kind of mic input is always mono. (A regular headphone plug will work if you’re just listening with headphones.)

The [u]Behringer UCA202 or UCA222[/u] is a (relatively) inexpensive USB audio interface with line inputs. Or, there are lots of higher-end audio interfaces with switchable mic*/line inputs. You’ll need the appropriate adapter/cables. The little Behringer interfaces have RCA connectors and most audio interfaces use separate left & right 1/4" TS/TRS or XLR connectors.



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  • Audio interfaces work with stage/studio mics. They are not compatible with “computer microphones”.

I have now acquired a usb capable mixer, and have started with a 3 mic set up, two matched condenser overheads, and a dynamic kick. I am about to start recording, but I am apprehensive because audacity may not have the ability for separate tracks with what I have. does this sound right?
do I HAVE to have an audio interface??


DW

but I am apprehensive because audacity may not have the ability for separate tracks with what I have. does this sound right?

Most USB mixers send the stereo-mix to the USB bus so you probably can’t record the 3 mics on 3 different channels. There are some higher-end units that also work as a multi-channel interface.

And, Audacity seems to “have trouble” with multi-track recording, at least with Windows… It might work better with a Mac, but I don’t know.

do I HAVE to have an audio interface??

I’d say your mixer “doubles as a (probably stereo) audio interface.”

I guess I should now clarify my questions. I have obtained a Pyle PMXU83BT usb mixer, and enough mics for a basic three mic setup.
I am concerned that Audacity will only see two tracks coming in, left and right.
i want to be able to work on my three mic tracks separately in audacity.( i do have the capability to add more mics)
so, basic questions here, how do I enable the signal(s) from my mixer on the main screen, to see what it reads as the recording signal ‘in’. (i am connected from the mixer to PC via usb cable)
next, IF it only shows two tracks (left & right), how do I get to being able to have three separate (or more) tracks showing to work on? will I need a multiple input interface installed after the mixer to do this?
Im pretty much stuck at this point, moving forward, as I first need to see my mix feed on the screen…

anyone’s help with this would be greatly appreciated.



regards, DW

ok, I think I get the mixer as a ‘stereo interface’…
how do I select my mixers signal to show on the audacity screen?

thanks,

I am concerned that Audacity will only see two tracks coming in, left and right.
i want to be able to work on my three mic tracks separately in audacity.( i do have the capability to add more mics)

…ok, I think I get the mixer as a ‘stereo interface’…

Right. I found the user manual for your mixer online and it doesn’t say but multi-track capability is unusual from these “little mixers”.

next, IF it only shows two tracks (left & right), how do I get to being able to have three separate (or more) tracks showing to work on? will I need a multiple input interface installed after the mixer to do this?

You’d need to replace the mixer with a multi-channel interface. And you’d probably need to upgrade to a [u]DAW Application[/u]. Audacity can sometimes multi-track but lots of people have trouble with it.

how do I select my mixers signal to show on the audacity screen?

Select the USB device as your [u]Recording Device[/u].

…Apparently, your mixer can record directly to a USB thumb drive. (Then you can copy the files to your computer for editing.) There CAN be advantages to that because lots of things “go wrong” with computers. If I was recording a live performance I’d prefer to record with a “stand alone” recorder. Home studio recording usually isn’t so critical… There is usually time to find & fix problems and start-over.

If the USB interface supports multi-channel recording, the manufacturer will invariably state that in big bold letters, because it is a major selling point.
If the manual doesn’t explicitly say that multi-channel recording is supported, then it is a very safe bet that the USB output is stereo only.

thanks for being patient with me.
good news is, I’m able to see the recording now, and listen to playback.
bad news, I do only see a two track stereo mix in audacity. Not what I hoped for.
disappointing that Audacity might have a problem with multiple tracks, and, I may now have to get an interface… :unamused:
I will probably keep the mixer, if for nothing else, the usb recording feature. Now the challenge to find an

affordable

interface for 4 mics (or more) if there is such a thing

any suggestions? recommendations?


thanks again guys…

interface for 4 mics (or more) if there is such a thing

Sure… Check out the selection at [u]Musician’s Friend.com[/u]

Please note the instant the interface goes above two channels and into official multi-track, the price point goes into multiple hundreds. This is a similar problem to those eager to produce a multi-microphone podcast.

I can produce a mono or stereo mixdown from up to six microphones with parts I have in the credenza and under the bed. But I can’t produce six channels of independent performance files. That’s much more of a challenge.

We are warned about computer problems. Count the number of forum people having trouble recording simple voice tracks with clicking, ticking, and popping in the background. There is no clean, simple fix for that, either fixing the computer so it doesn’t do it, or fixing the performance in post production so you can’t hear it.

Just think of the fun you’ll have recording and cleaning up three tracks.

If you’re going to blow the bux on a multi-channel system, find one that records.

Koz

you know, I’m going to heed your cautions, and for now use what I have.
I have to be more realistic starting out here, and see what I can actually create, before jumping into what I’d LIKE to create… (eyes bigger than the stomach)…
I’m going mess with mic placement and settings before I make any more additions to the gear.

thanks for the help guys, I probably will have more questions about audacity functions as I get into this…






DW

Recording drums is one of the hardest things I think.