Recording - January 2012 - 42

Tracking Percussion
Before I played drums, I was a percussionist with a special interest in Arabic and African musical forms. As such most of my own musical releases contain copious layers of percussion parts. Two years ago I was involved in a yearlong project for Sony Creative Software entitled Continental Drift and its companion volume Aftershocks (reviewed July 2010). Both were collections of world music loops, which of course contained musical phrases on everything from djembe to tabla to doumbek, to Native American gathering drum as well as bells, bowls, shakers, rattles and even ceremonial jingle dress. My sonic goal for this library was to offer up a set of sounds that sounded more like well recorded and polished field recordings rather than your typical overprocessed, tight world recordings that you find as impulse buys on the counter in most coffee shops. So I figured for our percussion issue I could offer up a couple of my percussion tips and tricks. Solo, layered solos, full ensembles, and “field” recordings In recordings where the only percussive element is a single drum like a doumbek, djembe or cajon, or a matched set like congas, bongos or tablas, clarity and a large-as-life sonic image (if not larger!) go hand in hand. For that I hardly ever use a dynamic mic. Instead I find that a good smalldiaphragm condenser works well when I’m trying to focus on the head of the instrument and give it the balance of closeness and dimensionality. Of course a pair in an XY pattern or even a spaced pair is great for the dual drums mentioned above. Again choosing one pattern over the other, and how you pan, is key to where it lives in the mix. I find that condensers do a better job of highlighting the subtle finger playing typically found in most forms of ethnic percussion. Exception: Heavy-handed players of a djembe or congas. Another favorite technique I love for solo percussion recording is to use a M/S setup. This gives it a forward focus that still has the feel of a subtle stereo field. If you multitrack and layer percussion parts to build an ensemble in the mix, large-diaphragm mics and distance are your friends. The depth gives the illusion of the ensemble players occupying the same space even when each is recorded in mono. If you want to get tricky, set up a stereo pair of mics and do each take with the player sitting in a different spot. For real ensembles and field recordings of percussion-heavy groups, the technique is the same. Of course if you want to simply throw up a stereo pair of mics on a percussion ensemble, it should sound fine, this method has worked for years. But by adding in spot mics on some or all drums, you can obtain more forwardness, fidelity and dimensionality. Dynamics or small-diaphragm condensers work equally well here. Looping and reality tricks Lastly a variation of this technique is what I used for many of the instruments on my libraries. All of them were recorded individually, but when the loops are stacked it gives the illusion of ensemble percussion that you can mix and control. Every loop was recorded with a setup of 3–4 mics and was a combination of all of the above. Stereo distance miking, blended with close-up, small-diaphragm condensers mixed in about 30–40%. A few last bits of advice when recording traditional ethnic instruments: Many world instruments are roughly made and have intonation issues, buzzing issues and anomalies. If it jingles, rattles or scrapes, give yourself a good 3 to 6 feet from the mic for clarity and believability. Although often foreign to our delicate studio ears, leave these “flaws” in!—PV

a high-school or college auditorium or theater, or somebody’s Great Room—you know, those living rooms with the big 20-30’ sloping ceilings usually connected to a loft or open hallway. If you are stuck in a bedroom or smaller office space, there is still hope, and the best approach would be to go as dead as possible and put packing blankets on the walls or over highbacked chairs as makeshift gobos around the kit. Think of it as akin to the ultra-dry drum rooms of the 1970s. The mics and gear: Except for overheads and perhaps room mics, dynamic mics will do a great job, and they tend to be much more affordable and durable than their condenser brethren. The world of preamps is an endless rabbit hole of both taste and lust, so for this article, as long as you have enough to cover the necessary inputs of your session, we will largely leave this area alone. Know the sound of mics: No matter how small or large you go with miking a drum kit, the most important common denominator of both is that you must know your tools!

I am lucky, if not spoiled, since I have spent time in both music retail as well as being a gear reviewer, and this has allowed me to try tons of different kit over the years. I still love a good mic shootout. Throwing up 5 mics on a snare or tom, listening to the results, and mentally cataloguing their differences is always educational if not essential. If those options do not exist for you, why not check with other musicians, project studios and even clubs in your area, anyone who may have a mic or two other than what you own? Invite everyone over, order a pizza, and spend a night listening to the differences. While it may sound hokey, host a monthly gear shootout at your studio. Build up a working knowledge of a vast range of mics and their uses—any way you can, even if you have to rent a bunch for a day. So with that in mind, let’s look at some common drum recording setups.

Mike it all, twice if you got ‘em
First up let’s look at what is probably the most common drummic setup since the 1980s—to mike everything individually. For most typical modern pop situations, be it Country, Rock, R’n’B, Christian Contemporary, and such, I will place mics on the inner and outer kick, over and under snare, hi-hat, ride, the top of each tom and cap it off with a pair of overheads. I will also use a mono front-of-kit mic or a pair of stereo room mics, depending on the overall style. I have friends who will additionally mic the bottoms of the toms—not something I do, but if it’s your thing, go big or stay home!
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RECORDING JANUARY 2012

Recording - January 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2012