Vance Powell explains how he sets up room microphones when recording a live band, using a simple but precise method to keep drum bleed from becoming a phase problem across the mix.
The approach centers on identifying the loudest instrument in the room - almost always the drums - and using a cable as a measuring stick to mark out an arc at equal distance from that source. Mic positions for the other instruments are then placed along that arc, so every microphone sits at the same distance from the kit.
Because all mics share the same distance to the drums, any bleed that spills into them arrives in phase. That coherence means the bleed adds body and glue rather than comb filtering and phase smear, and Powell can keep more of it in the mix without fighting it.