Sorry for the neglect... I hadn't seen this.
I would definitely recommend using more than one microphone for your drums. At the very least, 2 directional condensers (overheads L/R) are going to give you a stereo drum track that should pick up most of the drum kit.
The problem with that, though, is you won't have individual control of each element of the kit, so you have to get the mic positions at their optimal best to provide an even sound-stage.
The better route is to mic each important piece. Obviously, the more microphones you use, the more inputs you'll need on your interface if you wish to retain separation for post-tracking mixing.
A typical, basic setup would be:
- 2 directional condenser microphones for overheads L/R.
- 1 dynamic mic for snare.
- 1 large diaphragm dynamic mic for kick drum (needs to be large diaphragm if you want it to pick up any low frequencies)
- 1 dynamic mic per every 2 toms. (can be used between toms to pick up signal from both)
So you're looking at maybe needing 6 microphones for your average kit.
Lucky for us, music stores sell drum microphone kits that usually include up to 8 microphones (all the right ones) and for very low prices.
The usual problem is that the microphones in those kits are sometimes not the best quality in terms of sound, so you have to investigate and weigh the price versus quality. Reviews usually help a lot. I buy all my equipment from Musiciansfriend.com and their user reviews are invaluable.
Take a cruise to the site and search for drum microphone packages and get a feel for what's available and compare user reviews.
When you have an idea of how many microphones you're willing to settle with, that's when you have the information you'll need in order to buy the correct audio interface.
The main thing you need to keep in mind is that larger audio interfaces that feature many inputs are usually Firewire based because of the high bandwidth required. If you do not have a Firewire card on your computer, you may have to buy one.
So that's another possible expense if you can't find a USB interface with the appropriate amount of inputs.
There are many different interfaces that combine features and quality at reasonable prices. Musiciansfriend.com carries a large selection of them as well, and you have the advantage of the reviews to help you decide.
If you need any advice on selecting any of the things I went over, let me know.
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