The older I get the more I get frustrated at current recording studio art, or the lack thereof. Got me to thinking of how to tell you guys about my techniques for miking drums. It has more to do with mic placement than it does brand and model of mic. Lets start off with assuming you have each individual drum instrument sounding in solo the way you want it. Mute every channel except the snare and the floor tom. Have the drummer repeatedly hit the snare (this will take several minutes)By doing an A-B alternate listening to the direct snare versus the leakage of the snare through the floor tom mic. Reduce the direct level of the snare (temporarily only) until the leakage through the floor tom and the snare direct is about the same level. Now, have an assistant take the floor tom mic and make a slow arc around the outside of the Floor tom head. There will be a place where the leakage of the snare, and the direct of the snare will fatten up. Tell your assistant to stop the arc, and mark that position on the tom head with a Sharpie. Start on the other side of the tom and begin the slow mic arc again. YOu should by listening only, stop him in the same place every time. Mute the floor tom and unmute the next tom in sequence. Do each tom, high hat and overheads like this, and you will have the entire kit phase aligned (frequency dependent but basicaly the meat of the snare)and the leakage will not hurt your drum sound, but will make it sound even better. It works like a charm, but it takes patience, and three people to do it. An engineer listening, a drummer playing the snare, and an assistant moving the mics. I used to do a complete kit in about 20 minutes, sometimes less. I made Larri London a believer in this method several years ago. He was a great drummer, maybe the best that has ever been.