Interesting article. I always thought (my mistake for "always" thinking) that you wanted the drum kit panning to reflect what the listener would hear - I guess that is appropriate for only some genres though. I'm curious: what kind of image does one get if using this ORTF technique with a close mic on the snare, for example, but panned slightly more to the center? Does it sound like a wide or big drum, or does it have a poor spatial image?
Also, in the picture of the drummer, what is that "thing" in front of the kick drum?
Clarification to the above post: what I meant to say is what does it sound like using the ORFT technique with a close mic on the snare with the close mic snare drum panned slightly more to the center?