Recording - August 2013 - 25

the time the next hit comes in. Then use
makeup gain to bring the overall loudness
back in line with the rest of the kit.
Drum eq will depend on the style of
music, and—since the kick drum and the
bass need to have a good relationship
both in time and in tone—the eq will also
depend on what your bass player’s tone is
like. Start by pulling out a little at around
350 Hz, as it often keeps things clear
down there. A subtle bump at both 100 Hz
and 3 kHz can bring more presence to the
kick drum’s most critical frequencies.
Snare drums are often compressed as
well, but I would advise against using a
compressor in the tracking stage, as it can
very easily be overdone, robbing it of both
its tone and inherent dynamic excitement.
There are quite often rings, rattles and
unwanted resonances associated with the
snare drum, and this is usually the element
of the kit that requires the most attention. A
product called RTOM Moongel is a great
solution, as are little pieces of tape, or
even the drummer’s wallet!
The best method I’ve found is to use duct
tape (or better yet, gaffer’s tape, since it
comes off without leaving any residue) that
has been folded to make little ‘fins’ (Figure
4). These seem to absorb more energy
without overdamping the drum. Lightly run
a finger along the outside of the snare
head, while simultaneously hitting the

drum with a stick, until you hear the offending frequencies subside. That’s where to
stick your damping material. Repeat this
process for your toms as well.
It’s wise to note that no amount of
Moongel or gaff tape can take the place of
proper drum tuning. With your heads properly seated and tensioned lightly, tap the
head near each rim lug. Using a drum tuning key, tighten to raise pitch and loosen to
lower pitch until all of the lug locations ring
at the same note or frequency. You want to
do this in the same way you’d change a tire
on your car: Tune the lug at the 6 o’clock
position, then tune the one across the drum
from it at 12 o’clock. Then go to the one at
9 o’clock, 3 o’clock and so on. Press your
open hand onto the center of the drum
occasionally to be sure you have a solid
‘seating’. The Drum Dial is a great product
for doing this fast and easily, and I’ve had
good results using a simple guitar tuner in
this role. Toms should also be tuned in this
fashion, but be careful to check that the
“pitches” that the toms are tuned to are
compatible with each other, if not the song
itself. Otherwise you may hear ‘beating’ or
even phase cancellations that can diminish
their overall tone.
Provided you have the available inputs,
miking the toms would be the next order
of business, starting with the floor tom.
Dynamic mics like the Sennheiser MD421

are once again the go-to choice, but this
is an application where I’ve seen tube
mics and other condensers work equally
well. Pointing the mic toward the center of
the drum head at about 6 inches up and
away sounds great and keeps your precious mics from being struck by the sticks
of an overzealous drummer. Stick with a
cardioid pickup pattern, as omni or figure-8 will introduce unwanted cymbal
bleed. Rack toms may require a slightly
more perpendicular orientation in order
to help other drums and cymbals from taking over as well.
Once you have the drums sounding the
way you like, you may then employ some
subtle eq. You can add a little ‘snap’ to the
snare at 4.5 kHz, as well as add some
body at around 450 Hz. Try cutting or
boosting at 800 Hz to dial in the right
amount of ring and woodiness for your style
of music. Toms like a bit of 3.5 kHz to help
cut through, as well as a bit of boost at 135
Hz for a little velvety thunder. Season your
low mids (250–450 Hz) to taste.
Although the drums are obviously a collection of different components, it is best
to think of them as being one instrument.
Consequently, it’s often best to listen to
them as a unified whole. With your snare
and bass drums centered, pan your overheads hard left and right, your floor toms
50% to one side and the rack toms 50%
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