Recording Drums, Part 1

This week is part 1 in a three part series of recording drums. This blog focuses on different microphone techniques. This blog coincides with the new podcast where you can hear the difference in various mic configurations and placements, and how they affect they overall sound. You can subscribe to the Podcast here. The next two blogs and podcasts will focus on mixing techniques including EQ, compression, reverb, and other tricks.

As with any acoustic recording, mic placement is the second most important ingredient to a great sound, second only to having a good source. If you have seen ads for Millenia Media's preamps, then you're familiar with their slogan "Their is no undo on your preamp". I like to go a couple steps before that and say, there is no undo on your mic placement, even more, there is no undo on the sound coming out of the instrument in the first place. This means that basically, what you hear is what you get. Of course, the whole recording studio industry, software, hardware, gadgets and gizmos aplenty, is built around trying to make people believe that they can polish the proverbial turd and make things sound better than the original source, but always remember, it starts at the source and mic placement.

Some of my favorite mics for recording drums, and what you will hear on the podcast, are listed below.

Kick - Audix D6

Snare Top - Shure SM57

Snare Bottom - Shure SM57

High Tom - Audix D2

Low Tom - Audix D4

Overheads - Rode NT5's

HiHats - Nady Starpower SP-9

Now, some of you may not know that the Nady Starpower is basically a $15 radioshack mic, but hey, if it works, why not use it? Most of the other mics are standard studio fare. You can find them in any professional setting. Perhaps soon, Grammy winners will be judged on how many Nady Starpowers were used on their album, instead of how many millions of records were sold to their aging, rich, grandmother.

Back on the topic now. No matter what mic you use, or what kind of mic placement you have, there is one thing that all the best recording engineers have. Good ears! No piece of equipment or gear even comes close to having as much impact and persuasion on a recording than using your ears. It's the one thing you can't buy on eBay, Guitar Center, or any store. So listen to the podcast, and do some experimenting yourself. Use your best equipment that is always with you. Here's to your ears!

My Online Drummer is Here!

It's finally here. After spending many laborious days and nights, the new MyOnlineDrummer site is now up and running. This is a great resource for musicians, composers, and producers of all kinds to get professional, custom drum tracks for their projects. 

The process is simple, and works like this: 

1. Record your song, could be just a rough demo or completed song
2. Upload your song and tell me what kind of drums you want
3. I record a drum track for your song
4. Download the finished drums and add them to your song

People have been doing this sort of online collaboration for a few years, but now, the process is simple and streamlined, customizable, and real. That's they key, real drums. A real drummer has that special, elusive sound that even sophisticated drum machines and loops can never achieve. I can't count how many times I've heard the same Garage Band loops on numerous major artists songs, television ads, radio ads, and other media.

So get real! Drums, that is.

New Toys

We all like new toys to play with, especially when they are some sort of techie gadget. Well, I got one such thing last week. The Zoom H4 is a handheld 96k 24bit digital recorder. I love it! So far, I've used the direct inputs to record our band's rehearsal straight off the board, and used the built-in stereo mics to record some toilet flushes, crickets, and basement noise. I'm excited to try out the 4-track mode to record some things in a surround fashion. Although I'm just getting to know the H4, I look forward to the possibilities it will provide for recording. I will post a few audio samples in the next blog.

Demo in a Day

Many artists and bands think they need to spend months recording a quality demo. This thought comes from hearing about how such and such band spent 6 months recording their latest masterpiece. Well, contrary to popular belief, this can be done in a single day. One day! No working on getting a good guitar sound for 3 days, no trying out hundreds of guitars and picks, finding just the right one. The idea is to get your music out to the public. No one will care what pick you used on what song. They will however be more likely to enjoy your music if it's available to them. Here are three simple steps to ensure a great demo, and have it done in a day.

1. Book an entire day at the studio:

By recording an entire day, time is not wasted with multiple setups and take downs. This also helps keep the flow of the project without having to backtrack.

2. Record one song at a time:

Instead of recording one instrument on multiple songs, record all the parts for one song, then move on to the next. This keeps the unity of the song alive and is especially important for vocalists who need to rest their voices.

3. Prepare and know your songs:

Choose your 3 best songs and have them perfected, so when you arrive at the studio, you are not paying to practice. When everyone is prepared, it makes the most efficient use of studio time.

Follow these steps and you will have your music out and ready for people to hear in no time.....or at least in a day.

AES San Francisco

This week I'm blogging from the windy city, no wait, the cold, no, errr. Nevermind. I'm in San Francisco for the Audio Engineering Society conference. It will be a fun-filled week, so I'll let you know how it goes in a few more days. 

Adios.

The Dave Ensor Chronicles

This week has been an interesting one filled with a new project from Washington D.C. signer/songwriter Dave Ensor. Tracking for the first two songs is nearly complete. Starting with the usual foundation, drums and bass were recorded live here at the home studio. The next day, electric guitar was done. A few days later, acoustic guitar and vocals were done at Night Flight Studios.

For the drums, the overheads went through a PreSonus, kick was through a Behr T1953 tube preamp, and toms and snare went straight into the 002. Bass was done DI only. 

A nice little touch I like to put on drums is a triple parallel compression technique. One bus of drums is compressed hard, another is left uncompressed, and the other is reverbed then compresssed. Add these three together, and voila, a great drum sound. 

More will be coming on specific mix techniques as this project evolves. Stay tuned.

Keepin' Up With the Times

Well, some of us have been around in the recording industry for a little while, some a long while, and yet others were born before any of it was invented. In the last 10 years I have seen a lot of changes in recording technology. The biggest of these is the computer based DAW. (that's Digital Audio Workstation for the real newbies.) My first experience in recording was with DAT tapes. (That's Digital Audio Tape) tapes. Kinda redundant, like ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) machine, or PIN number. Many dat machines are still in use today. In fact I know one top classical engineer who swears by them for tracking.

 

Anyways, I am excited to see what the next 10 years brings to the world of audio recording. No more hard drives, songs that mix themselves, automatic loudness, gain, pitch, and timing, for everyone. Who knows? In ten years, what us pros are doing now, kids will be doing in 3rd grade music class. I am excited to see the next generation of audio engineers. I'm still young enough, that could include me too. 

Feel free to share any interesting stories of how things have changed in recording.

Adieu