Miking methods holding percussion back

Are we percussionists being held back by a consensus way of miking percussion that does not fit a modern sound ideal? Let’s discuss!

How does it happen that instruments that get the same treatment in the studio are treated radically different on stage? Think about it; recording hi-hats and recording cabasa.

Two instruments that live in the same world, rhythmically and frequency-wise. Both of them are most often recorded by putting a condenser, ribbon or dynamic microphone very close to the sound source, to achieve a "close”, detailed and grid-wise super specific tone. Every little detail is expected to come through since it’s a tight sound that often make little to no sense if indistinct.

When we get on stage, the hihat is miked in the exact same way it was in the studio, while the cabasa is often expected to be picked up by a open condenser waaay further away, the reasoning being “This is a natural sounding microphone that’ll pick up all the handheld percussion that might be used during the show”.

I don’t get it, and I don’t like it!

Suffering from the somewhat established view that percussion in western pop music is something “extra”, glittery stuff that is barely audible over the drums, we don’t have a chance to affect the groove and change the feel the way we should. Too many percussionists have been ok with this, either because they’re indifferent or ignorant, for too long.

To Make Percussion Great Again, we need to make sure we have the same audio privileges as the drumset player does. Why even practice playing perfect 16ths on the grid with a great sound if everything on stage is bleeding into our mics?

Nah, screw it.

Make sure the way your hand percussion is miked matches your intention of how you want to sound! Don’t fool yourself into believing that your rhythmic embellishments will cut through the mix with the same clarity as the hi-hat always will if it’s miked in a completely different way!