Drum Secrets...Elrond and the Elven word for "Killer Drum Tracks"

[HeavyG]

Most savvy engineers will admit...capturing a good drum sound can be a real challenge. What are some of your keys for success? What are some of your stealth tricks that may be a bit unorthodox but deliver tone that is balls deluxe? Don't forget mixing, plugins, head / tuning, mic configs and types...lay it down for us. Leave no stone unturned...the battle for middle earth and the fat bottomed houses of the holy are depending on you.

Cheers...stike

Oh yeah...some of mine from the vault:

1. Snare: Audix I5 pointed sideways / parallel to the batter head (about 1.5" above). Do not use a resonant head / under mic
2. Bass Drum: Crown PZM inside the kick on a pillow or blanket, Shure Beta on the outside
3. Record in a big, open, untreated room with a LOT of hard surfaces (wood, concrete, etc)...Oktava MK319s or similar LDCs as room mics covering some of the remote sweet spots.
4. Experiment with odd tunings, creative drum configs (no cymbals, just big drums, etc) rimshots, to create a unique tone
5. Have the drummer focus on dynamics as the main performance objective...the groove will KILL

More to come...

[svart]

I like the M201 on snare with a SDC closer to the rim.

I like the D6 inside the kick, 3-5 inches from the batter at a 45deg angle. the batter HAS to have a kevlar kick pad and the head HAS to be an EQ2 with the muffle ring. I will load clothes/blankets/etc into the kick until I get the thump I want.

I prefer a totally dead room.

I do like the idea of using a dark LDC like the 219 to bring down the high end when I compress the daylights out of the room mics. I will adjust these mics to give the room space instead of relying on the acoustics of the room.

Toms need to be tuned low using emperor heads, mics are atm125s pointed directly at the head, aiming for the sweet spot about 2 inches in from the rim, about 2-4 inches from the head. NEVER use rim mounts on tom mics in the studio..

OH are always tracked with 1176s inline.

Tune the toms a lot lower than usual, tune the snare a little higher than usual and try to tune them to the song.

[The Chemist]

Pinstriped heads.


Usually, I run a D112 and 421 on the bass,

Snare is the old 57 on top, through an ART Tubepre, and an Oktava 012 on bottom, through an HHb Radium 50.

Toms are 421s or, if I can get them, TD-25s.

Overheads are some 451s, 10 feet up, spaced 3 feet apart on the center line of the kit, and a set of LDC (I like MK319s), ORTF, into a Stereo Tube pre.

[staudio]

Keep the snare strainers pretty loose. SM57 parallel with top head and about an inch overhanging and inch off the head.

Kick, use a front head for more fullness, two mic technique, dynamic inside, LDC outside.

Hi Hat, angle SDC away from kit to minimize leakage.

ORTF overheads just behind drummer and above his head looking down at and across kit.

Use a mono overhead (U67 please) in combination with spaced overheads/cymbal mics.

[zooligist]

Originally Posted by staudio

Keep the snare strainers pretty loose. SM57 parallel with top head and about an inch overhanging and inch off the head.

Kick, use a front head for more fullness, two mic technique, dynamic inside, LDC outside.

Hi Hat, angle SDC away from kit to minimize leakage.

ORTF overheads just behind drummer and above his head looking down at and across kit.

Use a mono overhead (U67 please) in combination with spaced overheads/cymbal mics.

I like this response.

My usual setup that i am really looking for a better solution for is:

Subkick on the front of the kick drum 5 o'clock
EV RE-20 on the beater head 3 o'clock
421's on toms about an inch and 1/4
SM57s parallel on the snare (loosen the strainers! duh! god i'm an idiot)
SP 414's for overheads

I'm having trouble with this setup in post. I'm looking for a decent template to go in any direction (rock, country, blues, metal). Yes i know it won't be as good as configuring PER project, but i right now i have a lot of clients that are local and kind of amateur bands and we don't have time to spend on making shit sound right, if you know what i mean.

[cortisol]

Originally Posted by zooligist

I like this response.

My usual setup that i am really looking for a better solution for is:

Subkick on the front of the kick drum 5 o'clock
EV RE-20 on the beater head 3 o'clock
421's on toms about an inch and 1/4
SM57s parallel on the snare (loosen the strainers! duh! god i'm an idiot)
SP 414's for overheads

I'm having trouble with this setup in post. I'm looking for a decent template to go in any direction (rock, country, blues, metal). Yes i know it won't be as good as configuring PER project, but i right now i have a lot of clients that are local and kind of amateur bands and we don't have time to spend on making shit sound right, if you know what i mean.

You should try different stereo techniques with your overheads.

Try both an LDC and a dedicated kick mic such as a D112 on the resonant head of your kick and go with your preference. You can try those mics any where from almost touching the drumhead to backed off by 2 ft! If you require more isolation then build a kick tunnel.

For snare you really should try some experiments to see what options sound like placement wise. This way you can assess the position quickly that suits how the drummer plays. Albini says drummers who hit soft and cause splatty sounds point mic at point of stick contact with the drum. Drummers who hit hard and excite shell resonance aim the mic across the drum between contact point and the rim.

I gotta say that I love 414's for overheads and 421's on toms and RE 20 on the beater side of the kick batter head and SM57's on snare! You whole set up rules!

Here is what I think you should do... find the stereo image you like from the different overhead micing techniques Bluemlein, ORFT, XY, Recorderman (which I prefere to the Glyn Johns because Glyns method is too ambient for my taste). Then align the snare to the overheads either by nudging the track or IBP device etc just check the phase before recording to save time. Same with kick and toms. Main thing is assessing the players technique and making small adjustments to placing based on that but quickly.

The most set and forget mic for overheads I've come across is the Royer SF12. Magic mic and just beautiful.

Peace,
cortisol

[Piranhadrum]

Originally Posted by HeavyG

1. Snare: Audix I5 pointed sideways / parallel to the batter head (about 1.5" above). Do not use a resonant head / under mic

Yes sir! +1