George Massenburg emphasizes the importance of overhead microphone placement in achieving a balanced, full-bodied stereo image for drum recordings. He advocates for positioning the overheads equidistant from the kick and snare to ensure a strong center image, which is crucial for many genres.
To achieve this, Massenburg suggests visualizing a line running through the kick and snare, with the overhead microphones positioned perpendicular, or at a 90-degree angle, to this line. This setup ensures that the overheads capture a balanced stereo image, promoting a cohesive and dynamic drum sound.
Massenburg critiques the common practice of placing overheads directly over cymbals, suggesting that this approach often leads to an unbalanced mix. Instead, he advises engineers to rely on their ears rather than visual intuition, adjusting the mics in the control room to achieve the desired sound.
He highlights the technique popularized by Bill Schnee, which involves using the overheads to capture the full size and air of the drum kit, complementing close mics that focus on attack.