PSA: Recording drums with just one mic changed my whole sound

I've been chasing that big roomy drum sound for years in my basement studio. I tried the whole Glyn Johns setup with three mics, even spent $200 on a matched pair of overheads. But everything came out thin and phasey, and I couldn't figure out why. Then a buddy told me to try just one dynamic mic placed about 6 feet back from the kit, pointed at the kick drum but level with the snare. I thought he was crazy, but I gave it a shot on a punk demo last month. The result was this raw, gritty punch that actually sounded like a real band in a room, not a sterile recording. Has anyone else found that less gear actually made your home recordings better?

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nancy_owens13d ago

Man, exactly this. I tried the whole Glyn Johns thing too and gave up after getting nothing but phase issues. My Tascam recorder has a built in mic, I literally just set it on a chair 5 feet from the kick and hit record. Got this huge garage rock sound that blew away anything I did with my SM57 setup. That raw room tone is better than polished garbage any day.