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SLy_drums · 19th October 2005

I'm going to record an experimental metal/hxc project in Switzerland next week, and I need an advice on the drum placement into the room.
We are going to work in a small studio in Geneva :

http://sylvain.raulin.free.fr/studio...ture%20133.jpg

The drum booth does not have a real acoustic treatment for the moment, and I wondered where to place the drumkit into the room.

At home, I use to record drums into a big room and it sounds incredibly agressive with strong attack and an unbearable general volume (If I didn't use ear protection, I would become deaf in a few seconds lol) . That has good points but it's quite a problem when it comes to gate the snare, toms and bass drum tracks. It also colors the drum sound a lot : big amount of projection and attack, but lack of meat, and also room sound into the mics. It's great for metal music, interesting, but it's finally too strong.

I already recorded drums in that studio once, the drums were placed at the center of the room :

http://sylvain.raulin.free.fr/studio...ture%20156.jpg

Bass drum, snare and toms sounded good, a bit meaty (not enough) with projection (maybe too much), but cymbals sounded too metallic and agressive.
In my room at home, I placed the drumkit in a corner of the room to partially solve the problem, facing the opposite corner, to get more meat and it worked good !

The drums sound too agressive.

Several questions :

Do you think to place the drumkit into a corner would be the right thing to do in the studio room ?

How can I gain meat else?

What is the right philosophy for the music i'm going to record ? To record drums into a room which gives a real meaty sound (a bit of projection but drums sounding real, as you hear on CDs, not a "dead" sound...), or to record into a big room which allows great projection ?

If you have answers/advices to give, this is welcome !

Thanks !

19th October 2005	#1
SLy_drums Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 760 Thread Starter	Drum placement into the room I'm going to record an experimental metal/hxc project in Switzerland next week, and I need an advice on the drum placement into the room. We are going to work in a small studio in Geneva : http://sylvain.raulin.free.fr/studio...ture%20133.jpg The drum booth does not have a real acoustic treatment for the moment, and I wondered where to place the drumkit into the room. At home, I use to record drums into a big room and it sounds incredibly agressive with strong attack and an unbearable general volume (If I didn't use ear protection, I would become deaf in a few seconds lol) . That has good points but it's quite a problem when it comes to gate the snare, toms and bass drum tracks. It also colors the drum sound a lot : big amount of projection and attack, but lack of meat, and also room sound into the mics. It's great for metal music, interesting, but it's finally too strong. I already recorded drums in that studio once, the drums were placed at the center of the room : http://sylvain.raulin.free.fr/studio...ture%20156.jpg Bass drum, snare and toms sounded good, a bit meaty (not enough) with projection (maybe too much), but cymbals sounded too metallic and agressive. In my room at home, I placed the drumkit in a corner of the room to partially solve the problem, facing the opposite corner, to get more meat and it worked good ! The drums sound too agressive. Several questions : Do you think to place the drumkit into a corner would be the right thing to do in the studio room ? How can I gain meat else? What is the right philosophy for the music i'm going to record ? To record drums into a room which gives a real meaty sound (a bit of projection but drums sounding real, as you hear on CDs, not a "dead" sound...), or to record into a big room which allows great projection ? If you have answers/advices to give, this is welcome ! Thanks !