Your drum sounds, recording/mixing technique vs. set choice

[ev33]

Originally Posted by andersmv

I've kept up with your older thread about your technique for using underheads and other similar approaches. It's been really helpful for me this year as I've been trying a bunch of weird experiments to come up with something unique and powerful for drum recordings. One thing I'm starting to notice (Not only with the stuff you record but other engineers that I study) is that a lot of the sounds I like come from drum sets that are just big, like John Bonham big! Even for the new TBS album, I've seen some pictures of large kick drums being used.

Do you find you have a tendency to use larger sets when you record bands? I'm actually considering buy an old slingerland set this week with a 30x16 kick, 20x18 and 16x16 tom. I don't think I've ever seen a 30 inch kick!

Wow! 30 inch kick drum, that sound really fun! i am a hopeless John Bonham fanatic so I do tend to like larger drums for rock stuff. I have 2 24" kick drums (A Sonor (QOTSA) and A Vistalite (Slash - "By The Sword") that I like a lot. I have a 26" ludwig (TBS - "Faith"), a 28" slingerland (Good Charlotte - "Lifestyles"). I have a very old Leedy 28" kick drum that has calf skin heads on it. That was used on QOTSA "God Is On The Radio". For some weird reason I have had very little luck with 22" kick drums. I used to own a Yamaha Recording series 22" kick and I think it literally never made it onto a single recording. I ended up selling it. The other thing I am not a fan of is really deep kick drums. They don;t seem to have enough attack in the sound for me. i am usually not very concerned about getting lots of low end from the kick. That is easy to get with EQ or NS10s. i am always looking for a cool very audible attack or midrangy knock in the sound. thats the part that is very hard to recreate with EQ.

I do really like 20" kick drums. I have a 20" chapagne 60s ludwig that is great (on the entire P's Bees record). I also have a Trixon 20" thats great as well.

Ultimately, i try to pick things that will compliment the music and if the drummer has a kit they are comfortable playing on I will always start with that and only swap stuff if I have to.

EV

[andersmv]

I used to listen to Good Charlotte a lot in high school, I can totally hear that big kick drum in my head right now! I'll have to go back and listen to that song again, it's been years since I've put that album on. I actually purchased that slingerland kit this afternoon, take a look at this video if you have a chance (Sorry the playing is poor. I'm not much of a drummer and having two floor toms is new to me!):

Vintage Slingerland Kit, 30 inch kick, 20 and 16 inch toms. on Vimeo

That was me playing it today after loosening all the heads and starting from scratch on the tuning. I thought that 30 inch was going to be a lot harder to tune, and had some pillows standing by. Surprisingly, it tuned up pretty easily and sounded just like I wanted it too. I can't wait to play around with a D112 and subkick combo on that sucker! I placed the audio from the mics in the video, it's just two cloud ribbon mics placed in the room with a little bit of overhead added from some royer 121's. I have NEVER heard a kick drum fill up a room that large before!

I think it's interesting that you don't have much luck with 22" kicks, I feel the same way... Unfortunately, everyone seems to bring one in to record!