Recording - January 2015 - 16
In the earlier days of recording, when
recording tracks and mixer channels were,
shall we say, in short supply (try one track
and possibly a few channels!), getting a
good drum sound consisted of having a
good drummer playing good drums in a
good sounding room into a good microphone (or maybe two). In these early days, in
a good studio in the USA, this very likely
would have been an RCA ribbon mic. In
order of their historical release, Models 77A,
then 44A, 44B, 44BX, 77B, 77C, 77D, and
77DX were manufactured from 1932
through 1967 and are still prized today.
"Mixing" was the result of where the drummer set up in relation to the other musicians,
how loudly he or she played, and where the
one or possibly two microphones were set up
to capture the sound of the entire band. Since
drums are inherently loud and since the role
of drums is so fundamental in timekeeping, it
made sense for the drums to be toward the
rear of the ensemble, so the sound had a
chance to dissipate into the room before hitting the mic and so that the other musicians
could hear and feel the drums. As a result of
their position in the room, in early recordings
the drums usually sound distant and kind of
washed out, lacking in focus and power.
As technology evolved, single microphones gave way to multiple microphones
mixed live to one track. Eventually, adding
additional channels and tracks enabled
engineers to begin to clarify and strengthen
all of the sounds they recorded, by more
closely miking each source. But it wasn't until
the late 1950s and early 1960s that the evolution of technology allowed us to consider
using even one mic close up on the drums.
Many of the tools and techniques we take for
16
RECORDING January 2015
granted today first began showing up in
recording studios once multitrack recorders
proliferated; few would argue that Abbey
Road Studios in London was one of the epicenters of this technological creative wave.
Do it like Ringo
As I grew up, no records were more
influential to me than those of The Beatles.
In the amazing book Recording The
Beatles by Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew,
we get a glimpse into the period just
before and during the early years of multitracking. This book reports that in their earliest recordings, during Norman Smith's
tenure as engineer, Ringo's drums were
recorded using only two mics: a Coles
STC4038 hung above the drum kit, and a
Coles STC4033A in front of the kick drum.
Although perspective is a little difficult to
judge, a photo from this book shows the
first microphone about a foot in front of
Ringo's forehead, at forehead height, and
the second mic just a few inches away
from the front head of the kick drum (which
was fully closed), about two thirds of the
height of the drum off the floor, so the mic
was focused primarily on the kick but also
caught the snare and rack tom.
Whereas the STC4038 is a ribbon
microphone and as is the case with the
basic ribbon design, its polar pattern is
"figure of 8" (front and rear pickup with
severe rejection on the sides), the
STC4033 is a unique composite design
consisting of both dynamic and ribbon elements that can be used either independently or in combination. This microphone,
in the combination mode, exhibits a cardioid pattern, and as is usually the case
with cardioid mics (with a few notable
exceptions such as the Electro-Voice RE20
or Shure SM53/SM54), exhibits notable
proximity effect-the closer the mic is
placed to the sound source, the more exaggerated bass response becomes.
The Beatles did okay with their early
recordings, no? This is a time-tested
example of a 2-microphone setup. So
maybe you don't have vintage Coles
microphones, and maybe you don't have
any ribbon mics at all. Try a condenser
mic over the top of the drums and try a
dynamic mic on the kick (and catching
the snare/rack tom).
Other 2-channel methods
There are other tried and true methods
for using just two channels to record
drums. One of my favorite drum sounds
requires just one stereo mic, placed in
front of the kit at about 5 feet elevation.
Find a place in the room where the drums
sound and feel good to you, where the
sound is appropriate to the music to be
recorded, and place the stereo mic there.
My favorite mic for this task is a vintage
AKG C24. Set the top capsule angle
where it sounds most appropriate to the
music, pan the two channels hard left and
right respectively, and Bob's your uncle. I
often use this stereo mic in combination
with additional microphones. When I do,
this is the mic I'm most likely to want to
compress, often heavily, for that quintessential heavily-compressed drum sound
we've all come to love. If you don't have
access to a vintage C24 (few people do),
then any matched pair of condensers or
ribbons will do-try an XY positioning for
Recording - January 2015
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2015
Contents
Recording - January 2015 - Cover1
Recording - January 2015 - Cover2
Recording - January 2015 - 1
Recording - January 2015 - 2
Recording - January 2015 - 3
Recording - January 2015 - 4
Recording - January 2015 - 5
Recording - January 2015 - Contents
Recording - January 2015 - 7
Recording - January 2015 - 8
Recording - January 2015 - 9
Recording - January 2015 - 10
Recording - January 2015 - 11
Recording - January 2015 - 12
Recording - January 2015 - 13
Recording - January 2015 - 14
Recording - January 2015 - 15
Recording - January 2015 - 16
Recording - January 2015 - 17
Recording - January 2015 - 18
Recording - January 2015 - 19
Recording - January 2015 - 20
Recording - January 2015 - 21
Recording - January 2015 - 22
Recording - January 2015 - 23
Recording - January 2015 - 24
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Recording - January 2015 - 27
Recording - January 2015 - 28
Recording - January 2015 - 29
Recording - January 2015 - 30
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Recording - January 2015 - Cover3
Recording - January 2015 - Cover4
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