TUTORIAL

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PRODUCTION � � FUNDAMENTALS RECORDING DRUMS ��� ��

One of the trickiest Ever since Geoff Emerick boldly placed his KIT & KABOODLE within sniffing distance of Ringo’s So what makes a drum sound good? Now, while ���� ���� engineering tasks in the Ludwig drumkit for The Beatles’ ‘White’ one person’s floor is another’s ceiling and good studio would have to be the album, it’d be fair to say that the recording of sound is a question of taste and context, there are ���� drums hasn’t changed very much. With notable a few indisputables that contribute. For instance, recording of drums. One of exceptions, such as the brilliant Tchad Blake the drum should be as round as manufacturable Australia’s finest recording and his dummy head binaural techniques and and the bearing edge (where the wood meets the various lo-fi adventures with just two well-placed skin) should be dead flat. All good in theory, but engineers, Paul McKercher, microphones, the practice of close miking each the mechanics of mounting a drum can conspire offers some salient advice element of the kit for impact and adding a few to distort its shape. -mounted toms room mics for ambience remains a staple. are the worst offenders as the entire weight of to help us capture the the tom is transferred onto the mounting post While being able to pull a great drum sound is and into the bass drum. With wood being more power and majesty of this the mark of a recording engineer, I’d challenge flexible than metal, the drum and, in particular, the notion that it’s all about engineering crucial instrument. the bearing edges take on a less than ideal shape. technique. Other factors have a greater bearing You can check this by supporting some of the Text: Paul McKercher on the outcome, these being: the quality of the load with your fingers under the rim while you kit itself (which is obvious enough), the way in hit the tom. Be prepared to be unpleasantly which it is hit (a subject beyond the scope of this surprised at the loss of tone and sustain. Hence article) and the sonic character of the room the rim mounting systems are a popular panacea and drums are recorded in. In fact, any time your work effectively to spread the load more evenly mics are more than 10cm away from an acoustic around multiple points on the rim, allowing the sound source the sound of the room becomes shell to vibrate freely and happily and, as a bonus, an important consideration – more on that later. they take the weight of the tom off the bass What you’re after is a good recording of a good drum, improving its resonance. and it’s hubris to expect that a great engineer with all manner of top-notch equipment More important, though, is good tuning and, can turn a crummy kit into something that turns again, while being a matter of taste, it’s worth heads. noting that a well-tuned drum is much, much

AT 60 louder than a poorly tuned one – invaluable if Bass drum inside proverbial, get into the recording area and start you want to hear the drums above the cymbals Sennheiser MD421, Beyer M88, AKG D112 moving those mics around; explore and discover. in your room mics and imperative in being sure Bass drum outside Become a recording engineer not just a knob there’s a lot more snare in your snare mic than Neumann U47fet, AKG D112 twiddler (such a disagreeable term). Here are a hi-hat spill. A common question is ‘how do Snare top few pointers. When pointing a mic at a drum, Shure SM57, AKG C451+10dB pad you keep hi-hat spill out of snare mics?’. Good the more parallel the mic is to the skin, the more tuning helps considerably, but pointing the back Snare bottom fundamental frequency it will pick up. Move it AKG C451+10dBpad, Shure SM57 of the snare mic at the hi-hat (if there’s enough to a higher angle of incidence and you will hear Hi-hats room) will also give you a few more dB of AKG C451+10dBpad, Neumann KM84 more overtones. If you want more bottom end, hi-hat reduction. Better that than using a noise Toms instead of diving for the nearest EQ, move the mic gate or even Sound Replacer software – these Sennheiser MD421, Neumann U87 closer. That way you won’t be EQing the spill as approaches can be very effective, although they Overheads well, instead you’re only adding low frequency to can throw up questionable results, particularly Coles 4038 ribbon, Neumann U67/87, AKG C414 the instrument (e.g. a ) closest to the on rolls. I’m a great believer in tuning drums to Room mic, the spill of other more distant elements won’t the song, which is not to say the drums should AEA, Coles or Royer ribbons, Neumann U87 sound any different. The reason low frequencies necessarily be tuned to a triad based on the increase with decreased distance is explained song’s key – sometimes dissonance works – but For preamps I favour old Neves, or if I need in the side bar and is called proximity effect, as I’ll try to get the drums to sit musically within something a bit faster for more snappiness, I’ll use powerful a tool as EQ. the harmonic framework of the song given that APIs. I’m sure there are plenty of other usable drums are more than simple, atonal percussion. alternatives out there, but like all tradesmen, I’ll THE SNARE Personally, I don’t have the necessary expertise to go for the tool that’s close to hand and the gear A lot of sound comes off the rim of a snare drum, tune drums so I rely on the drummer or hire in a listed above is commonly found in good studios, especially if the drummer is hitting rimshots, drum doctor. I do, however, know that gaffa tape with the exception, perhaps, of the ribbon mics. so place your mic in a bit from the rim if you all over a drum skin is a bad sign. If the drum A quick note about ribbons… they are very want to attenuate that sound, or nearer to it if is round, the bearing edge flat and the skin in sensitive and don’t like wind blast, so for this you want to hear more ‘clang’ in a metal snare good condition, those unwanted rings should be reason and the fact that they have very strong and ‘knock’ from a wooden one. A mic on the able to be tuned out. A little bit of dampening is magnets in them and attract iron dust from the bottom of the snare is often an afterthought but okay but if the skin requires more than one piece air, you should put a cover on them when they with careful placement it can sound quite good. then there’s something wrong with the skin or aren’t in use or are being moved about. This will The trick is not to mic the wires directly but to the drum. If a shorter, deader sound is required, prolong the life of the ribbon by some years. point the mic at a spot on the skin about 10cm try using a thicker skin or the old tea towel trick, away from the wires. By doing this you’ll still get where the said kitchen item is placed over part or YOU PUT THE MIC WHERE? plenty of brightness from the wires but without all of the skin. Drum gel is a great accessory too, Now to mic placement and the lost art thereof. the brittleness. As far as sympathy rattles from and works better than tape as its edges don’t lift Before EQ circuits were found in recording snare wires go, I don’t bother to gate them out. and flap around, which a sharp pair of ears will consoles, engineers chose the tone they wanted by To my ear it’s part of the natural sound of a kit so hear. Failing all this, hiring a good kit might be using the appropriate mic and placing it correctly, long as the wires are correctly tensioned and the a good idea and if it saves some stuffing around good engineers still do... closer for more low bottom skin is well tuned. Neither do I use gates while in an expensive studio – at $100 a day, it’s frequency, further away for less, just for starters. on toms; if they are well tuned any sympathy rings paid for itself in an hour. Even a cursory examination of mic angles and can sound quite natural. However, if they do need distances will tell that there is a world of tonal attenuation when they’re not being played, a fader For those who are interested, here is my standard variations available – as much as EQ will provide ride is the better option since most noise gates are drum mic setup. Mics are listed in order of and without the distortion and phase problems unpredictable, inaccurate and have dubious sonic preference. associated with EQ circuits. So get off your integrity.

1. A good kick drum sound is 1. 3. often achieved with two mics. The outside mic generally provides more tone and weight, while the inner mic captures the articulation. 2. Tuning the drums for the recording session is vitally important. If you don’t know how, employ someone who does! 3. A placed on the snare facing directly away from the centre of the hihat will offer more rejection of these cymbals than one placed above the clutch (in this instance) for convenience. 2.

AT 61 Two mics of the same model can be A steeper mic angle A gentler angle will give combined as one input with a ‘Y’ cable. The pointed straight at the you less ‘crack’ and more bottom mic is phase flipped by the cable rim will give you a bright, fundamental tone. itself and the combined signal is fed to a ‘slappy’ sound. single preamp.

PROXIMITY EFFECT How does it work? TOMS better for this application since they translate the Similar placement principles apply when miking sound of the drums nicely as well. Imagine you’ve dropped a across the outer edges. the toms. For instance, rather than adding a lot of pebble into the middle of It follows that the larger Placement should be such that all the cymbals treble to a tom and bringing up the splashy spill a pond. Now picture the the diaphragm the greater are captured evenly but also that the snare is waves radiating from that this effect, thus large of nearby cymbals, try a steeper miking angle, in the centre of the image with the overheads central point. The curvature diaphragm condensers pointing the mic at 90˚ to the skin and aiming it of the waves close to have a more pronounced panned hard left and right. This achieved by directly at the rim will give you a bright slappy where the pebble was proximity effect, which spacing the two mics equidistant from the sound, great for cutting through edgy guitars; dropped is high; as they first manifests at about snare drum (holding the end of a mic cable to travel further away from 15cm from source. Indeed, and if you want more body and tone, try placing the centre of the snare drum and measuring that point their curvature there comes a point at a mic in a similar position on the bottom skin decreases until, like the which the effect becomes the distance to each overhead is an easy way of as well. Ideally it should be the same model as curvature of the earth, so pronounced that the going about this). For my money, ribbon mics the one on the top. The trick to this technique they appear, to the nearby diaphragm’s shape is make great overheads since modern ones have observer, almost flat. The distorted as it tries to is that you plug both mics into an easy-to-make a more articulate midrange than condensers. A same applies to sound take on the curve of the Y-cord combiner, which reverses the phase of waves as they radiate away sound wave, inhibiting its ribbon element is generally much lighter than a the bottom mic and combines their outputs into from their source. The ability to translate higher condenser diaphragm and as a result has better a single mic line, saving you a mic pre, a track diaphragm of a microphone frequencies. So, as an transient response and, while not being as bright is a flat surface and so example, if your vocalist is and keeps things simpler. For this to work well, as a condenser, a ribbon mic in good condition if it intercepts a sound too close to the mic you’ll close attention should be paid to the tuning of the wave with a high degree notice a loss of detail. Back sounds more ‘real’ to my ear than a condenser bottom skin. of curvature (i.e., one that them off a bit and you’ll and it’s in the midrange that true detail is is close to it’s source) hear the warmth of some important. Again... ceilings and floors. that sound wave will pass proximity effect, the treble OVERHEADS through the centre of the and the detail restored. There are a few approaches to overhead miking; CLICK TRACKS diaphragm before it passes the first is where the mics are purely for capturing There’s a myth surrounding the use of click the cymbals. In this case the mics should be 30 tracks that says that they make a track sound – 45cm away from the cymbals and, importantly, stiff. Baloney! All You Need Is Love, a live should be directly above the bell. This is so, when broadcast by The Beatles to an audience of the cymbal gets struck and seesaws on its stand, millions, was done to a click track, which came its bell keeps a constant distance to the mic and from a tambourine on a tape loop. Stiff? Hardly. delivers a consistent, even sound. If the mic is It is in fact a gorgeous performance of one of the pointing at the edge, any ‘see-sawing’ will give most perfect songs in a 7/8 time signature ever up and down levels as the cymbal edge moves written. A clue to its success lies in the fact that towards and away from the mic. Bear this in it was a tambourine and not a sharp, abrasive mind, too, when miking hi-hats that are open and cowbell (which at first would seem the better being vigorously belted. choice). Using a more diffuse sound with some Of course, not all drummers have just two length and a gentle attack like a tambo or a conveniently placed cymbals, and if this is the shaker allows the drummer to move around the case, try moving the mics higher so that they get beat a bit, something all drummers naturally a broader view and ‘see-sawing’ doesn’t become do. Also, programming 16ths rather than 8s or such an issue. The mics are now hearing more of 4s lets the drummer hear some tempo guidance the overall kit and should be chosen appropriately. throughout the bar and not just in the places Large diaphragm condensers and ribbon mics are where they’re hitting the kick or snare, which,

AT 62 if you’ve only programmed a click in 4s, they Starting with the snare mic’s fader open and probably won’t hear anyway, unless they’re panned centre, bring up another mic as well, say, flamming with it – whereupon their confidence the bass drum. While the snare and bass drum will disintegrate and they will immediately stiffen are being played, flip the phase button on the [Here, here! – Ed.] – or the click is so loud that bass drum channel (or mic pre) and listen to the it’s bleeding into all the drum mics, distorting the result. The position that gives more bottom end headphones and giving the drummer a headache. is the correct one. If there is no change in low If you choose to use a click and are concerned frequency content, pan the snare left and the that the tempo has no move and sway, use a Midi bass drum right and with your head between the instrument and write a tempo track with tempo speakers (or in headphones) listen to the width “ The fact is, the phase changes to suit. Or don’t use a click track; it’s of the image while, again, toggling the phase relationships of all these horses for courses. It’s worth thinking of a click button on the bass drum. The narrower image is track as a tempo guide rather than an absolute the correct one. Still can’t pick it? This probably mics will never be exactly arbiter of time. means that the phase relationship between the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ because two mics is equally as wrong as it is right, and, perfect acoustic phase PHASE if it comes to this, you’ll just have to make a There’s an adage that was taught to me by an judgment call on which sounds better. simply doesn’t exist” old bloke in a dusty lab coat during my 10 years in ABC radio – that you should never use two Now close the bass drum fader and repeat mics where one will do. The reason being that the process with every other fader for each sound coming from Point A will never arrive mic on the kit, using the snare fader as your at two equidistant points at exactly the same phase benchmark. When you get to the time. The result being phase cancellations and overheads, there should be a fairly obvious incoherencies. This is good advice and applies cancellation/reinforcement in the bottom end well if miking a sound source that emanates of the snare. If not, move the overheads up or from a small area; a voice for instance. A drum down (maintaining equidistance with the snare kit is a multiple sound source and so, with up as described earlier) until there is. This will really to a dozen microphones placed near it, phase help the snare sound along once all the mics are problems are a given, with spill from any one open. The whole process should take no more element getting into every mic and affecting the than 10 minutes and, once done, you are ready to tone and imaging of all other elements. The fact start EQing. is, the phase relationships of all these mics will AMBIENCE MICS never be exactly ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ because perfect Close mics provide impact but room mics are acoustic phase simply doesn’t exist. Just as when used to give length to the sound. They create you flip the phase of your bottom snare mic to a sense of space and, if well placed in a good- make it more in phase with the top snare, the sounding room, sound infinitely more interesting same needs to be done with every other mic on than an electronic reverb. If the kit itself doesn’t the kit. Now, I know the whole issue of phase is ‘throw’ good sound into the room or the room boring but there’s no point EQ’ing anything until sounds uneven, the room mics will probably you’ve gotten the phase of all those mics ‘right’. be useless in a mix, so good tuning is vital. To Here’s how I do it. help with ‘throw’, place some reflective surfaces

AT 64 This is a technique I an even balance of bass learnt recently and while drum, snare drum, hats and it doesn’t supercede maybe toms. The cymbals my usual set up, it’s fun won’t sound great but the and can sound direct, whole idea is not to get articulate and cool. Place an orthodox sound. Now a microphone in a spot slam it with your crustiest above the bass drum near compressor. If the drum the beater skin but below part suits, the sound might THE SINGLE the top head of the snare be just right for no-fuss MICROPHONE and about 10cm from the demos or perhaps a radical DRUM SOUND snare shell, around the channel switch effect for same spot drummers part of a song. often place a mounted cowbell – a robust dynamic mic is best, a Sennheiser MD441/421 or Shure SM57. With a bit of tweaking you should get

behind the kit or put the kit near a wall or in a corner of the room. How far the room mics are away from the kit will be determined by how big the room is, but also how much pre-delay you want. In a slow song where a massive sound is called for, go for distance, but in a faster tune (where there simply isn’t space in the arrangement for a thunderous drum sound), get the mics in closer and perhaps put some blankets on the floor and walls to shorten the room’s decay time. Low frequency tends to congregate along surfaces and in corners, so if you want more bottom end, place the mics near these – even face the mics at the walls or floor to get some more early reflections. If it’s bright, splashy ambience you’re after, send them skywards. Having a wander around the room while the drummer is playing and using your ears will be a good guide to where to place your ambience mics and there are no rules. On occasion I’ve placed a room mic inside a bucket near the kit to good effect. There’s nothing new or radical in anything I’ve written in these pages and the methods I use are commonplace. There is no magic bullet to making great recordings; the one thing that does vary greatly between engineers is their ability to hear ‘inside’ the sound. So, as always, listen deeply. Analyse your favourite records, train up your concentration span, take pride in your achievements and learn from your blunders. Send any kooky recording ideas, faint praise or savage attacks to me: [email protected]

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