Since I had to mic the second bass drum, I had to be content with a single overhead condenser positioned a couple of feet above the drummer. This will capture the cymbals and some tom sounds. If you close-mic the toms like I do, just dial-out the lows in the EQ to minimize spill or phasing problems. But an overhead mic, when used to complement the other drum mics is a good way to capture the balance of the kit because it gets the drum sounds the way the drummer hears them. It will tell you how good the drummer is, how well the drums are tuned, and the over-all dynamic of the sound the player is producing.
