Van Halen Drum sound!

[AMIEL]

Today i played after sooooo long the Van Halen "Balance " CD.

The Van Halen drum sound is so natural, real and amazing, beside of theSnare , toms, Bd, I just love the OH sounds! this ride is the clearest ride ever.
I know Alex is a great drummer but How they recorded that drums?

Really sounds amazing and after listening so many new stuff you just wonder how come drums don't sound as good anymore!

[James Lugo]

My old bass player was addicted to that record, he use to make me listen to it on 10 all the time. That is a killer sounding record!

[AMIEL]

Yes!! really sounds great ..in years I did not listen that record! and make you feel stupid how in these days we can not make a drum o a rock cd sound so alive, natural and big!
and I am not a metal head.

[vernier]

VH's drums sound electronic ..and I think the kick is a triggered electronic synth. For natural, try Earl Palmer, and John Bonham.

[AMIEL]

Honestly Bonham was a great drummer, but i dont think his sound is the best..was different and revolutionary for that time.
Why then Eddie Kramer is not at the top list of engineers now?

I think van halens drum sound is great!
Even if I love chad smith (red hot chilipeppers) I dont think his drum sound is as killer as VH. is good ...but not as clear as VH.

[AllAboutTone]

Alex's drum sound is org, but i don't think its something to cut cart wheels over even tho i sorta like it, its really not his drums thats giving that sound you hear but i can bet you he has some really wierd compressors on the OHs or his cymbals would not have all that air behind them...

they are better drums sounds out there like Trian, Rush and papa roach

[jonnyclueless]

Just add +12dB of 500 to the snare.

[Faderjockey]

Myself...and everyone I know including some amazing drummers look at the Alex Van Halen sound as one to avoid!!!!

[Alexi]

Originally Posted by AMIEL

Today i played after sooooo long the Van Halen "Balance " CD.

The Van Halen drum sound is so natural, real and amazing, beside of theSnare , toms, Bd, I just love the OH sounds! this ride is the clearest ride ever.
I know Alex is a great drummer but How they recorded that drums?

Really sounds amazing and after listening so many new stuff you just wonder how come drums don't sound as good anymore!

.....i might just have a different taste..but i absolutely hate the VH. "trademark" drum sound....

[el cochino]

Yes, it's funny how tastes differ so much from one person to the next! I absolutely love the Van Halen drum sound, because it's pounding and kinda unique. They were also about the only band in the 80's that didn't have that gay reverb overloaded snare sound!

[James Lugo]

I remember when 'I'll Wait' came out, that drum sound was all people talked about. How cool the snare was.

[Blast9]

I remeber reading they tracked that at Eddies studio "5150" --- I believe Andy Johns recorded "Balance"

Lets face it HE knows how to record drums!

Anyway the studio apparently ias a bit odd-sounding, and a small space, so what they did was reamp the drums through a PA in Eddies basketball court which was adjacent to the studio.

There's a cool piccie somewhere, maybe on plexipalace showing a wall of Pultecs and LA2As in Eddie's studio.

As for the kick drum being a synth... They certainly used to use Simmons pads (on 1984)... But the "Balance" kik sounds more like Bonham/ludwig stylee to me

[Crash]

Originally Posted by Alexi

.....i might just have a different taste..but i absolutely hate the VH. "trademark" drum sound....

I am with you on this one.

[5down1up]

what makes the VanHalen drumsound that unique imho is the fact they are LOUD as hell compared to the rest of the instruments ! and on every record its getting louder & louder ( prolly cause alex is getting deaf ).
the mix of the rest of the music has kind of a typical balance ...
but when the drums get in, they burry it all.

i like that attitude and its a very unique thing.

it will take me 20 more years till i am ready to have the toms that loud in comparison to the rest of the drums.

Balls to the Wall stike

[jseveriniii]

As a matter of kindness though, can someone at least entertain him and answer his question as to how they may have gotten that sound (good or bad as you see it)?

[Froombosch]

I would also really want to know it!

Harrie

[Blast9]

For starters read my post above!

[AMIEL]

anyway I think people DON'T read!!
I said I love the VH drum sound on "Balance" no all VH drum sound.
I think "Balnce" is a different story,

and yes in some songs on another VH albumsthe drums sounds kind of chesse specialy the toms!

Reamping the drums on a basquetball court?
must have great sync!!!!!!! to record each part

[el cochino]

Originally Posted by AMIEL

anyway I think people DON'T read!!
I said I love the VH drum sound on "Balance" no all VH drum sound.
I think "Balnce" is a different story,

and yes in some songs on another VH albumsthe drums sounds kind of chesse specialy the toms!

Reamping the drums on a basquetball court?
must have great sync!!!!!!! to record each part

I think what Blast9 meant is, they played the recorded drum tracks through a PA that was set up at Eddie's basketball court and miced it, in order to get some ambience.

[Blast9]

Yes... that's what I meant!

Alas I completely got the wrong album!

Andy Johns actually did "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" ... So much for telling you "the facts"

Bruce Fairbairn produced Balance

Anyway Here's a John's interview on th UA site

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by AMIEL

Honestly Bonham was a great drummer, but i dont think his sound is the best..was different and revolutionary for that time.
Why then Eddie Kramer is not at the top list of engineers now?

You mean he isn't?

He worked with, KISS, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Peter Frampton, Joe Cocker, Mott the Hoople, Family, Curtis Mayfield, Santana, Anthrax, Carly Simon, Robin Trower..... If that is not a client catalog to place one at the tops of the "all time great engineers" list I don't know what would. Almost everyone on this forum would bend over backwards to work with just one of these artists, I know I would. I hope you are kidding.

I think van halens drum sound is great!
Even if I love chad smith (red hot chilipeppers) I dont think his drum sound is as killer as VH. is good ...but not as clear as VH.

Well I LOVE VH (and the RHCP as well) but I really don't like the washy hit hats on every song. I like the snare on the songs that it is not covered over by the hats but to each his own... that is my point, YMMV.

As to Bonham's drum sound, his style and inner dynamics on the kit made his drums sound huge. He did not play the hats so loud that they washed out the rest of the kit. It all starts with the player in the room.

Also Eddy Kramer did not record all of the Zep stuff by a long shot.

[Blast9]

Originally Posted by 5down1up

what makes the VanHalen drumsound that unique imho is the fact they are LOUD as hell compared to the rest of the instruments ! and on every record its getting louder & louder ( prolly cause alex is getting deaf ).
the mix of the rest of the music has kind of a typical balance ...
but when the drums get in, they burry it all.

i like that attitude and its a very unique thing.

it will take me 20 more years till i am ready to have the toms that loud in comparison to the rest of the drums.

Balls to the Wall stike

I think the gtr and vox are really lod compared to the drums on this album! Sounds like they did some big rides on the toms though!

Alex's snare has that classic nutty Bonham sound to it (Ludwig?)

[Geert van den Berg]

Bruce Fairbairn produced Balance, but it was engineered by Erwin Musper and Mike Plotnikoff.

[macr0w]

Didn't Eddie Kramer do some of the early VH albums?

[PDC]

Well, when David Lee Roth, Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang tour in 07, just pop back stage and ask them.

[Crash]

Originally Posted by macr0w

Didn't Eddie Kramer do some of the early VH albums?

The first six albums were Donn Landee/Ted Templeman productions.

[macr0w]

Originally Posted by Crash

The first few were Ted Templeman productions.

That's right! They don't pay me to think.

[AMIEL]

I am talking about Eddie Kramer as I can talk about Bruece Sweden o Al Schmidt!
These guy are in the top always...no as Eddie Kramer in this moment.
I am not saying he didn't a bad job...of course not! but I think he did not develop a constant new pallete of sounds and techniques with the years as Mr Schmidt and Sweden did.

Al Schmidt and Bruce Sweden still sound modern and are just amazing!

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by Faderjockey

Myself...and everyone I know including some amazing drummers look at the Alex Van Halen sound as one to avoid!!!!

yah, I know what you mean, but dammit, it worked like stink! I always liked his sound and his playing. Totally distinctive. You can tell it's him after one bar.

I think we discussed this at some point, but I believe the sounds on Hot for Teacher were Simmons electronics.

I think that'll be Francis Bean on bass.

[Jeff16years]

Originally Posted by AMIEL

anyway I think people DON'T read!!
I said I love the VH drum sound on "Balance" no all VH drum sound.
I think "Balnce" is a different story,

and yes in some songs on another VH albumsthe drums sounds kind of chesse specialy the toms!

Reamping the drums on a basquetball court?
must have great sync!!!!!!! to record each part

that's right VH has some awful drum sounds (esp. 5150 and OU812) but F.U.C.K. and Balance had great drum sounds.

BTW i thinl AVH is a very under rated drummer.
he kicks ass!!!