Recording - January 2012 - 40
By Paul Vnuk Jr. This month I get to combine my three favorite passions into one article—drumming, percussion and audio engineering. In this article we are going to look at a variety of drum-recording steps that will hopefully fit your needs and style: Full “mike-‘em-all” set-ups, minimal setups with 1–4 mics, and then—to top it off—I have asked my good friend David (who has been bitten by the lo-fi/hip-hop bug) to chime in with some of his successes in his bedroom with extremely budget gear.
What do you really need?
I am sure that you have heard the saying that for “professional” results you need the best player playing the best drums in the best room recorded with the best mics. There is truth in this statement, but in reality, for many of us all four of those elements rarely co-exist in our world at the same time. If you are purposeful and determined in your approach, there are alternatives that can and often do work out just as well. The drummer: Of all of the above-mentioned areas, this is the most important of them all. If you have ever had the misfortune of tracking a less-than-competent player you will know how painful a process it can be. However, don’t confuse skill level with flash. I will take a competent timekeeper who can groove over a flash fill master who cannot come back in on the one— any day of the week. The kit: The better the instrument, the easier it is to capture, but even a no-name starter kit can be made to work, since the right heads and their tuning, and the quality of the cymbals, can make all the difference. Consider the style of music to be recorded, get appropriate heads, preferably a day or three before the session so that they can settle in, and spend as much time as you need tuning them to perfection. Learn to tune drums—some drummers aren’t very good at it! As to cymbals, back when I worked at a retail music store, the one rule of thumb I had when selling low-end drum kits was this: Spend the bulk of your money on the cymbals! You can tune a low-end drum set to sound OK, but a low-budget, tinny cymbal will always sound like one. If that’s all you have, beg, borrow or rent better cymbals. The space: With great drum rooms in great studios quickly becoming a thing of the past, most of us are better served looking instead for unique and interesting spaces: Old churches with vaulted ceilings, big open warehouses,
40
RECORDING JANUARY 2012
Recording - January 2012
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2012
Recording - January 2012
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Fast Forward
2011 AES Convention Report
“How I Like To Record My Drums”
Neumann KH 120 A Monitors
Mojave Audio MA-300 Multi-Pattern Tube Condenser Microphone
Recording Drums—Then and Now
Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 1: What Is Good?
Drumming and Drummers and Mics—Oh My!
Mixing Live Drum Tracks
Arturia Analog Experience: The Laboratory 49
Readers’ Tapes
Advertiser Index
iOS Music Tools: Analog Synthesis on iOS
2011 Annual Index
Fade Out
Recording - January 2012 - intro
Recording - January 2012 - Recording - January 2012
Recording - January 2012 - Cover2
Recording - January 2012 - 1
Recording - January 2012 - Fade In
Recording - January 2012 - 3
Recording - January 2012 - Contents
Recording - January 2012 - 5
Recording - January 2012 - Talkback
Recording - January 2012 - 7
Recording - January 2012 - Fast Forward
Recording - January 2012 - 9
Recording - January 2012 - 2011 AES Convention Report
Recording - January 2012 - 11
Recording - January 2012 - 12
Recording - January 2012 - 13
Recording - January 2012 - 14
Recording - January 2012 - 15
Recording - January 2012 - 16
Recording - January 2012 - 17
Recording - January 2012 - “How I Like To Record My Drums”
Recording - January 2012 - 19
Recording - January 2012 - 20
Recording - January 2012 - 21
Recording - January 2012 - 22
Recording - January 2012 - 23
Recording - January 2012 - Neumann KH 120 A Monitors
Recording - January 2012 - 25
Recording - January 2012 - Mojave Audio MA-300 Multi-Pattern Tube Condenser Microphone
Recording - January 2012 - 27
Recording - January 2012 - Recording Drums—Then and Now
Recording - January 2012 - 29
Recording - January 2012 - 30
Recording - January 2012 - 31
Recording - January 2012 - 32
Recording - January 2012 - 33
Recording - January 2012 - 34
Recording - January 2012 - 35
Recording - January 2012 - 36
Recording - January 2012 - 37
Recording - January 2012 - Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 1: What Is Good?
Recording - January 2012 - 39
Recording - January 2012 - Drumming and Drummers and Mics—Oh My!
Recording - January 2012 - 41
Recording - January 2012 - 42
Recording - January 2012 - 43
Recording - January 2012 - 44
Recording - January 2012 - 45
Recording - January 2012 - 46
Recording - January 2012 - 47
Recording - January 2012 - Mixing Live Drum Tracks
Recording - January 2012 - 49
Recording - January 2012 - 50
Recording - January 2012 - 51
Recording - January 2012 - 52
Recording - January 2012 - 53
Recording - January 2012 - 54
Recording - January 2012 - 55
Recording - January 2012 - Arturia Analog Experience: The Laboratory 49
Recording - January 2012 - 57
Recording - January 2012 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - January 2012 - Advertiser Index
Recording - January 2012 - iOS Music Tools: Analog Synthesis on iOS
Recording - January 2012 - 61
Recording - January 2012 - 62
Recording - January 2012 - 63
Recording - January 2012 - 64
Recording - January 2012 - 65
Recording - January 2012 - 66
Recording - January 2012 - 67
Recording - January 2012 - 68
Recording - January 2012 - 69
Recording - January 2012 - 2011 Annual Index
Recording - January 2012 - 71
Recording - January 2012 - Fade Out
Recording - January 2012 - Cover3
Recording - January 2012 - Cover4
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