. If you're recording live drums, microphone placement is key. If you're only using one mic to record a whole kit and decide later that the cymbals are too loud or the kick drum too quiet, it's a little too late. Your options are experimentation with mic placement or use multiple microphones to record one drum kit and experiment some more with overhead microphones, for example. Using multiple microphones on multiple tracks allows you to control the levels between kick, snare, and cymbals.