Session Plan: Drums

 

24/4/24

Room Setup:

I want a dry sound from the drums so to accomplish this I will be using O-rings for the snare and toms, heavy blankets for the kick and I will expose the absorbing sides of the acoustic panels within the studios.

Mic Placement:

For the mic placement, the Senheiser MD421-II placed 4 inches inside the kick as suggested by Eat Sleep Drums (2016) "We had an RE-20 in the kick drum, about 4 inches inside the kick port and aimed towards the beater port." Due to proximity effect this close micking should give the kick a desirable resonant punch, supported by Sound On Sound (2021) "'Proximity effect' is the tendency for low end to become exaggerated as a directional microphone is moved closer to the source."

For the overheads I'm using a spaced pair to capture a wide stereo image because, 'Superstition' (1972) features a prominent "Phantom center" Leaving space for the kick as detailed by AEA (Date unknown) "This configuration is often used when the recordist is seeking to capture two independent sections without a strong center."


Diagram of a spaced pair from the article by AEA Ribbon Mics.


The Sennheiser MKH 30-P48 will be held 3ft over the hi-hat with its bidirectional pickup pattern capturing room ambiance. 

The AKG C451 B alternatively will be located 700mm above the ride cymbal angled towards the snare, supported by Eat Sleep Drums (2016) suggesting a placement "over the floor tom and ride cymbal and aimed directly at the snare."

this should capture the wide sound I desire whilst picking up the snare, the short distance is to ensure a tight sound whilst still capturing the kit as supported by Shure (Date unknown) "As you bring your mics lower and closer you loose a bit of the ambience".

Diagram of the different results taken from overhead height from the Shure article.

Recording chain:

The drums will come in through Neve 1073DPA preamps adding analogue saturation, a process incorporated by Eat Sleep Drums (2016) where they state "All mics were recorded direct to pro tools via neve 1073 preamps which were driven quite aggressively."

Secondly, I will run the kick through DL441 compressors as they're the backbone of the track and Izotope (2023) suggests compression on drums can "reinforce the groove of the song as a whole" 

Finally, they will route back through the desk into Pro-Tools. 

Routing order for this session.

The processing here is minimal because the quality should be acquired primarily from the recording techniques. Additionally, the start of 'Superstition' (1972) exposes both analogue and room noise justifying the pre-amp saturation and lack of gates.

To get the right sound from my drummer I've created a reference track with midi to demonstrate how I want the drums to be played, matching the style of both 'Superstition' (1972) and 'Kane Guru' my base track.

Bibliography:

Eat Sleep Drums, 2016. Recording Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition'. Eatsleepdrums. Available from:  [Accessed 24 April 2024]

Stevie Wonder, 1972. Superstition. [online] Available through: Spotify [Accessed 24 April 2024]

AEA Ribbon Mics, Date Unknown. Blumein VS Spaced pairs on Drum Overheads: How to choose. California, Pasadena: AEA Ribbon Mics inc. Available from: https://aearibbonmics.com/tricks-of-the-trade/blumlein-vs-spaced-pairs-on-drum-overheads-how-to-choose/#:~:text=Spaced%20Pair%20(or%20A%2FB)%20Technique&text=It%20offers%20the%20illusion%20that,the%20location%20of%20a%20sound. [Accessed 24 April 2024]

Shure, MM., Date unknown. Using Stereo Overhead Miking Techniques To Supplement a Multi-Miked Drum Setup. Illinois, Niles: Shure Incorporated. Available from: https://www.shure.com/en-US/performance-production/louder/using-stereo-overhead-miking-techniques-to-supplement-a-multi-miked-drum-setup [Accessed 24 April 2024]

Sound On Sound, SI., 2021. Proximity Effect in theory and in practice. Cambridgeshire, Cambridge: Sound On Sound LTD. Available from: https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/proximity-effect [Accessed 24 April 2024]

izotope, NM., 2023. Ultimate Drum Compression Guide. Massachusetts, Cambridge: Native Instruments USA, Inc. Available from: https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/drum-compression.html [Accessed 24 April 2024]


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