In “Building A Drum Sound pt1” I focused on getting a complete drum sound with only 2 microphones. A mono overhead and a mic in front of the kit.
Those 2 mics produced a very nice, full, and accurate drum sound. They work on their own but they also give us a strong foundation to build a full, modern, punchy, rock tone.
So now that we have a strong foundation we’re going to add spot mics on the kick and snare to help give our drum sound some punch, presence, and a bit more clarity.
With the ribbon mic supplying our low end and body of the kick, we’ll place our kick mic well inside the drum. This will help give the kick some much need punch to cut through the mix.
Although the overhead mic captured a wonderful snare sound, adding a mic to the top of the snare will help with articulation and, like the kick, help the snare cut through the mix.
Remember, the first two mics are really important. Without them our spot mics will sound small and lack any sense of space or depth.
Last week I challenged you to pick two microphones from your mic locker and record the best drum sound possible. Now I want to you take those two microphones and add a mic on the kick and snare. Send me a message and let me know how it goes!
“I put a mic on every drum. Why doesn’t it sound good?”
I’m sure at some point we’ve all asked ourselves that question. I know I have! Either it just didn’t sound good or it was completely the wrong sound for the music. Building the “right” drum sound is about more than just setting up mics on all of the drums.
The drum set isn’t a collection of different instruments. It’s one instrument made up of different pieces.
This is a very important, and often overlooked, aspect of recording a drum sound that has body, depth, and punch. For this very reason I always get the majority of my drum sound from as few mics as possible.
Even if I’m setting up 20 mics on a drum set the majority of my tone will come from 3-5 microphones. This is how I make sure that I’m capturing the drums as one instrument as well as getting a nice, full tone. From this point on I let the music tell me what mics I need to add to achieve a sound that works for the song.
In part 1 of “Building A Drum Sound” I’m going to show you how to capture the drums with only 2 microphones. I’ll explain what mics I use, where I positioned them and why I chose them. Then you’ll hear those mics with our song to see how they fit.
My challenge to you this week is to pick 2 microphones out of your mic locker and get the best drum sound possible. This is also a great way to experiment and learn how your mics sound!
I’ll see you next Tuesday with part 2. Happy recording!
FullOnDrums.com has launched a new video series called “Session Report”.
In this new series Charlie will document actual sessions at Ultimate Studios, Inc. He’ll talk about choosing microphones to fit the artists sound, micing techniques and concepts, gear, and most importantly why he chooses to use a particular mic or setup.
Session Reports are all about context. Some setups will be fairly straight forward and some may be more unorthodox. The goal is to show what went in to capturing a sound for a specific artist.
The debut Session Report episode features drummer Jeff Bowders (Paul Gilbert/Puddle of Mudd). Jeff performs a track of his album “The Pilgrimage of Thingamuhjig”. Check out the video below and be sure to visit FullOnDrums.com for a complete breakdown of the session including photos, mic list, outboard gear list, and detailed session notes.
Enjoy!
There is a secret to getting great drum sounds that surpasses almost anything else. It’s more important than having good mics, killer drums, or even an amazing room. What I’m about to tell you might shock you…..but it’s a secret that will always set you up for great drum recordings. Are you ready?
Want to learn how to record better drums?
Want to learn how to tune your drums for better recordings?
Do you have a limited budget or limited amount of channels?
If you answered YES to ANY of these questions then the Drum Recording Ninja Workshop is for you!
There are only 8 seats open and this WILL sell out, so you’ll need to REGISTER NOW if you want to reserve a seat for just $69$49!
The Drum Recording Ninja Workshop is for engineers, drummers, recording enthusiasts of all levels, and of course, ninjas. Our goal is to teach you how to get the BEST sounding drums and the BEST tones for your recordings no matter what your situation is.
We’ll be covering tuning and easy-to-use techniques for tuning, microphone types and how they can be used to make better recordings, and minimal miking setups so you can get GREAT tones with just a few microphones.
“Drums are my passion. I want to share that passion with you and help you understand drum recording better by showing you some of my techniques.” Producer/Engineer Charlie Waymire.
Engineer Charlie Waymire with Chad Smith & Kevin Chown
Charlie Waymire
Besides being an accomplished drummer himself, engineer Charlie Waymire is extremely adept at working with drummers to get the best possible performance and in turn, the best possible drum recordings. This is one of the many reasons that Ultimate Studios, Inc has become a home for drummers to record their drum tracks. Charlie is the tone master when it comes to drums!
Some drummers that Charlie has recorded at Ultimate Studios, Inc. include:
Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Ray Luzier (Korn), Josh Freese (Perfect Circle), Benny Rogers II (Mariah Carey), J.R. Robinson (Michael Jackson), Glen Sobel (Alice Cooper), Mike Avenaim (Scott Weiland), Jeff Bowders (Paul Gilbert), Greg Garman (Selena Gomez), and Nick Adams (David Cook), among several others.
He is also the host and co-creator of FullOnDrums.com; a show dedicated to the art of recording drums.
Kurt Berger
When it comes to tuning, there are few people on the planet that know more about the workings of drums than drummer & tuning guru Kurt Berger. He has taught hundreds of drummers how to tune and has worked with some of the biggest drummers in the biz.
He is the resident tuning guru for FullOnDrums.com and works closely with Charlie at Ultimate Studios, Inc to build fantastic sounding drum kits. He keeps the clients that record at Ultimate Studios Inc. extremely happy with his bar-none tuning tricks!
Join Ultimate Studios, Inc on your favorite social media sites!
“Tips & Tricks” is a new video series from Ultimate Rhythm Studios that is aimed to help you learn how to make better recordings. We’re kicking off the “Tips & Tricks” series talking about guitars!
In part 1 Charlie and Ernesto focus on using a single dynamic mic to get a guitar sound and how moving the mic around the cone will give you different tonal options. The SM57 is running through the Toft ATB24 console with no eq.
