# Overhead microphone

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{{Short description|Microphone placement technique}}
300px|thumb|right|This photograph of a drum kit shows the overhead microphones in a "spaced pair" arrangement
{{Listen
| filename     = Overheads.ogg
| title        = Drum recording using just overhead microphones
| alt          = Sound recording of a drum kit through just two microphones positioned above the kit
| description  = On this recording of a drum kit, the overhead microphones provide a clear stereo image of the kit as a whole
| filename2    = No overheads.ogg
| title2       = Drum recording using microphones on each drum, but no overhead microphones
| alt2         = Sound recording of a drum kit with microphones placed on each individual drum, but no overhead microphones to gel the recording or provide ambience
| description2 = On this recording of a drum kit, the lack of overhead microphones leaves the recording without much ambience, as the sound is only provided by the close microphones
| filename3    = Drum beat.ogg
| title3       = A full drum kit recording
| alt3         = Sound recording of a drum kit
| description3 = On this recording of a drum kit, overhead microphones are balanced with the close microphones to blend the stereo sound of the kit and ambience together
}}

'''Overhead microphones''' are those used in [sound recording](/source/sound_recording) and [live sound reproduction](/source/live_sound_reproduction) to pick up ambient sounds, [transient](/source/transient_(acoustics))s and the overall blend of instruments.<ref name="Huber 2005 165">{{harvtxt|Huber|2005|p=165}}</ref> They are used in drum recording to achieve a [stereo image](/source/stereo_imaging) of the full [drum kit](/source/drum_kit),<ref name="Huber 2005 166">{{harvtxt|Huber|2005|p=166}}</ref> as well as orchestral recording to create a balanced stereo recording of full [orchestra](/source/orchestra)s.

== Overhead positioning ==
There are multiple arrangements for drum overheads, which are often based on personal preference of the musician, [engineer](/source/audio_engineer), or [producer](/source/record_producer).<ref name="Huber 2005 165" /> These include "A-B" [spaced pair](/source/spaced_pair)s (where two [directional microphones](/source/Microphone) are suspended above the left and right clusters of cymbals),<ref name="Huber 2005 165" /> "X-Y" [coincident pair](/source/coincident_pair)s, where the two directional microphones are centred on the drum kit with their [capsule](/source/Microphone) are very close without touching, and angled across each other at 90°.<ref name="Bartlett 2006">{{harvtxt|Bartlett|2006}}</ref> Coincident placement give a wider stereo image than spaced pairs, and some engineers prefer it for this reason.<ref name="Eargle 2004 220">{{harvtxt|Eargle|2004|p=220}}</ref>

Other drum overhead positions include the Recorderman Technique (where the distance between both microphones and the [snare drum](/source/snare_drum) is equal, as is the distance between both microphones and the [bass drum](/source/bass_drum)<ref name="McKinney 2007">{{harvtxt|McKinney|2007}}</ref>) and the [Glyn Johns method](/source/Glyn_Johns_method) (where one "overhead" is placed to the drummer's right, aiming across the [floor tom](/source/floor_tom) to the centre of the kit<ref name="Griffiths 2007 3">{{harvtxt|Griffiths|2007|p=3}}</ref>).

In orchestral recordings, particularly those for [film score recordings](/source/Film_score), the [Decca tree](/source/Decca_tree) is often used.<ref name="Streicher 2003 2">{{harvtxt|Streicher|2003|p=2}}</ref>

== Footnotes ==
{{reflist|2}}

== Sources ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{citation|last=Bartlett|first=Bruce|title=Stereo Microphone Techniques|year=2006|publisher=Delta Media|place=Guasti, CA|url=http://www.deltamedia.com/resource/stereo_microphone_techniques.html|accessdate=14 April 2011}}
* {{citation|last=Eargle|first=John|authorlink=John M. Eargle|title=The Microphone Book|year=2004|publisher=Focal Press|place=Kidlington, Oxfordshire|isbn=0-240-51961-2}}
* {{citation|last=Griffiths|first=Ed|title=The Glyn Johns Method &ndash; A Quick Primer for Recording Drums|year=2007|publisher=Blaxploitation|url=http://www.blaxploitation.com/drums/glynJohnsMethod.pdf|accessdate=14 April 2011}}
* {{citation|last=Huber|first=David Miles|title=Modern Recording Techniques (6th ed.)|year=2005|publisher=Focal Press|place=Kidlington, Oxfordshire|isbn=0-240-80625-5|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/modernrecordingt01hube}}
* {{citation|last=McKinney|first=Des|title=Recorderman Overhead Drum Mic Technique|year=2007|publisher=Hometracked|place=Toronto|url=http://www.hometracked.com/2007/05/12/recorderman-overhead-drum-mic-technique/|accessdate=14 April 2011}}
* {{citation|last=Streicher|first=Ron|title=The Decca Tree &ndash; It's Not Just for Stereo Any More|year=2003|publisher=Audio Engineering Associates|place=Pasadena, CA|url=http://www.wesdooley.com/pdf/surround_sound_decca_tree-urtext.pdf|accessdate=14 April 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719020728/http://www.wesdooley.com/pdf/Surround_Sound_Decca_Tree-urtext.pdf|archivedate=19 July 2011}}
{{refend}}

Category:Sound recording
Category:Microphone practices

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Overhead microphone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overhead_microphone) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overhead_microphone?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.