I have a drum kit in the corner of my living room. I want to record it
with two overhead mics and one for the bass. I may even put a mic on
the snare, I haven't decided. But here's my question:

Does it matter if the drums are facing into the wall as opposed to away
from the wall? As I understand it, the overhead mics are generally
placed BEHIND the kit pointing down toward the kit as opposed to being
in front of it. So this got me thinking that it might be more
convenient to just face the drums into the wall so I could just walk up
to them and sit down instead of climbing behind the kit. But I'm
wondering if the sound would be bouncing off the walls and maybe mess
up the recording. Do you think there would be a difference?

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wrote:
I have a drum kit in the corner of my living room. I want to record it
with two overhead mics and one for the bass. I may even put a mic on
the snare, I haven't decided. But here's my question:

Does it matter if the drums are facing into the wall as opposed to away
from the wall? As I understand it, the overhead mics are generally
placed BEHIND the kit pointing down toward the kit as opposed to being
in front of it. So this got me thinking that it might be more
convenient to just face the drums into the wall so I could just walk up
to them and sit down instead of climbing behind the kit. But I'm
wondering if the sound would be bouncing off the walls and maybe mess
up the recording. Do you think there would be a difference?

Yes, there will be a difference, both in the fact that you have standing
waves in the room and you're moving the mikes around, so the low end will
change, and in the fact that high frequencies will reflect off the wall.

Have someone play the drums, softly. Stick a finger in one ear, so you are
listening only with the other. Move around the room. Find a place where
the drums are balanced with one another, and there is enough room ambience
but not too much. Put the mike there.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

I'm wondering if the sound would be bouncing off the walls and maybe mess
up the recording.

Yes, ALL acoustic problems are caused by reflections. You might be able to
find a place in the room where comb filtering (that hollow boxy sound) is
less. But having the instruments OR microphones close to a reflecting wall
or ceiling will always give you problems. The answer is to treat the room
with absorption. In large studios this is not such a problem because all the
walls are far away and the ceiling is also high. Those rooms are also well
treated. But in a room the size you'll find in most homes, where everything
is closer, acoustic treatment is even more necessary.

--Ethan