Recording - January 2014 - 24

tom mics could be in danger, I won't use my
414 mics; you're welcome to bring your
own, however). A couple of the engineers
who work at Java Jive prefer the Sennheiser
MD 441 to the 421-great-sounding microphones, but due to their size, placement can
be difficult, especially with drummers who
have their cymbals pretty low.
I've been through a couple of overhead
mic choices in the last five years; some folks
like small-diaphragm mics like the AKG 480,
some want tube mics (I have a pair of
Neumann UM57 for those engineers), and some want to hear ribbon
mics like AEA R84 or Royer R-122. But for my own taste, I keep coming
back to the Shure KSM44.
I tend to set up a mono room mic; while the Neumann TLM 103 has
been my choice for most of the last few years, occasionally I'll replace
that with a Bock 195-a lovely sounding microphone. The other change
that I'll occasionally make is to set up two room mics at opposite corners
of the tracking room. The last time I did so (for Carolyn's upcoming project) it was a pair of 103 mics pointing towards the drums, though I've
also aimed them at the ceiling so that the direct sound from the drums was
off-axis-a bit 'roomier' sounding.
In memoriam
All of the examples I've made available for upload at
tinyurl.com/RecMagJan2014DrumMiking -two pretty standard sessions
and a sample of the vintage Radio King kit-were played by Tommy
Wells. Tommy has been my first-call drummer for close to two decades.
He's been the drummer for more than 90% of the work that's been done
at Java Jive since it opened, and he was the drummer with my wife's
swing band and the drummer on all of her records. Tommy passed away
quite suddenly on September 24, 2013. We'll miss him greatly.

Chet McCracken
better than the house kit. As an example, on Carolyn
Martin's upcoming record, drummer Tommy Wells
brought out a 1930s Radio King drum set, a marvelous
kit with sounds that cannot be duplicated with a contemporary drum set. For Carolyn's last record,
Tennessee Local, Tommy provided a vintage 1960s
Gretsch kit. Though some of the drummers who work at
Java Jive prefer to play their own kits, the 'standard'
miking setup works as a starting point for whatever
comes in the door. I should add that the drum sounds
at Java Jive change with the drummers who play here.
Even with the house kit, most drummers bring their own
cymbals.
And I'll change stuff out-either to suit the sound I
want for a particular client or simply to keep from getting bored. Some of the engineers who work at Java
Jive will also make microphone changes to suit their
own preferences. For example, while I typically use the
Shure Beta 52 inside the kick, if I'm going for more of
an 'old school' sound, I may replace the Beta 52 with
an Electro-Voice RE20. For a jazz session, especially a
session where the kick drum has a full front head on it,
the RE20 or an AEA R84 ribbon may give me a more
pleasing sound.
Alternative choices for snare miking include the
Telefunken M80 or (for jazzier sessions) a condenser
microphone like a Neumann KM84 or KM86. I should
add that I won't consider using the more expensive vintage microphones unless I'm sure that the drummer
won't inadvertently hit them.
With the toms, we'll occasionally use AKG C414
mics as an alternative to the Sennheiser 421 models
(with the caveat mentioned above-if I suspect that the
24

RECORDING January 2014

Chet McCracken is a former member and
contributing songwriter of the legendary Doobie
Brothers. Currently, Chet, a recording studio
owner, is a recording engineer who is also mixing and mastering records. His studio work can
be heard on the Country Music charts in Billy
Pierson's hit song "Don't Get No Sand in It"
(Oak Records). He reports, "I am still doing
"Internet Drum Tracks" for clients all over the
world, playing live around the So. Cal area,
and I am "Staff Drum Instructor" at GC Studios here in Woodland Hills,
CA (chetmccracken.com)."

http://www.tinyurl.com/RecMagJan2014DrumMiking http://chetmccracken.com/

Recording - January 2014

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