Can large diaphragm condenser mic be damaged recording drums?
I have a large diaphragm condenser mic (sterling audio condenser mic st55) I was wondering if it could be used as an overhead for the drums for recording. Would it be to loud and damage the mic? I know I shouldn't to mic up a kick drum. But is that the same story if it acted as an overhead? For snare cymbals and toms. It also has a switch were it can lower the dB by 15 if the level came in to strong. would that help?
i just don't want to break my 300 dollar microphone.
no I don't have a mixer that can simultaneously record separate tracks nor I do I have a drum mic collection.
Phillip - That mic will work great for overhead on drums. It will not hurt it one bit.
It can handle 134 -144 DB which is WAY louder than a drum set.
Kick Drum Mic Techniques Part 1 with Tim 'Spag' Speight
Mobile DJ Training Guide
So there are a lot of people interested in being a Mobile DJ. Why wouldn't they? You can travel about your city seeing nice venues and rooms full of people and energy and if you live in metro area you can make a LOT of money doing it! If you are building your DJ business or simply a hobby DJ that needs to train someone up to relieve your work load, then there are some important steps that you should follow in training your DJ.
There are a lot of issues when you train a DJ to be a mobile DJ working under your business name because of the great deal of responsibility that you are giving them by loaning them equipment, not standing over there shoulder as a supervisor, and being around alcohol while "working". There are also a lot of bad habit and characteristics that DJ could gain early on that could be avoided with proper training and explanations for training.
First off, you want to make sure that the DJ you are training is comfortable speaking into a microphone and comfortable with being in front of people; the center of attention. You can easily train a nice person to DJ that is a complete hermit and doesn't actually want to speak on the microphone or Emcee the event they are going to be DJ'ing.
Make sure they are confident and comfortable with this situation. One of the most under-rated things that a DJ and Emcee should be doing, is speaking on the microphone. When you speak to an audience, you are separating yourself from being a jukebox and a DJ. Something as simple as "Ladies and gentlemen we have this song up by request", not only let's the audience know that you are accepting requests, but on a subconscious level they are receiving some of the energy you are creating when speaking on the microphone.
More experienced DJ's and Emcee's will not only make announcement comfortably to the audience but will often have a way of sounding like they are in a room PACKED with energy even when they are not. A slight escalation of tone and intensity as the evening goes on, will almost inject energy into the audience keeping them entertained and dancing throughout the evening. Be sure that the DJ you are training understands the importance of building his microphone skills from the beginning, or the DJ will never amount to a professional or favored DJ and Emcee.
Secondly, be sure to speak to the trainee about tempos and BPM. Beats Per Minute is a number used to calculate the tempo of a song, which is used in beat matching and mixing and plays a very important role. When on the dance floor if you were to have a very upbeat song that is in the 120 BPM range where a lot of disco and new hip-hop is and then you were to fade right into a song in the low 70 range, you are going to kill your dance floor.
The tempo should be either a gradual increase or a gradual decrease throughout the evening. Sometimes you will find yourself stuck and there won't be many hits in a certain range of tempo and your dance floor will already be dying. A good way to fix this is by opening the dance floor back up with a special dance or group dance song. There are many slides like the "Cha Cha Slide" or "Electric Slide" that are certain to get people back interested in dancing and on the dance floor.
Third, the difference between a decent DJ and a great DJ is understanding and using EQ. It is important for a DJ to know the difference between the different frequency knobs and what sounds tend to fall into them. For example, low end or bass is typically where the kick drum and bass guitar will be found and by turning this knob up, you can increase JUST the beat without all of the high pitch sounds and cymbals. High end or treble, is actually the frequency range that can cause damage to ones hearing.
If you need more volume to get people dancing and into the music, but you don't want to blast their hearing, you can turn up ONLY the bass and mid's. Sometimes you can simply turn down the treble and bring your overall volume up to get a good sound. Many songs are mixed differently, so you are going to want to listen to each song and make sure that their is an appropriate level of bass and mid's to dance to. This skill can take years, but you must start off the trainee in the right direction.
Last, make sure that the DJ is having a good time and enjoys his job. People will pick up on whether or not the DJ is having a good time and if they aren't enjoying this job, they shouldn't be doing it. It isn't for everyone and it is important that you strive for excellence.
About the Author
Matt Phipps is a San Diego DJ who specializes as a Wedding DJ in San Diego. . His company, Choice Entertainment, offers innovative customer service with class and professionalism.
