On my j$ stuff I like to take hits from recorded CDs, then add a standard reverb to make them fit the ambience for what I'm doing.HKD - Unit Z wrote:actually i'd be interested to know who uses real drums vs samples in their songs..
I'd like to venture that even drummers with incredible rythym would have a ridiculously difficult time getting 6+ seperate drum tracks to line up. If I were to do that, it would sound very much like 6 bumbling drummers playing one thing at a time rather than one good drummer. I'll stick to sequencing until I can do well enough on my own, thank you.Hoblit wrote:
...instead of playing the drumset... put the mic on one drum at a time. Mic the snare, play it. Mic the cymbol(s) play it/them. Mic the bass drum...play it. Mix them all down to one track...
This is a good list for the individual track recording of the drums. I, however have been fighting through the deal of having to record the drums as a stereo track due to my soundcard only having two analog ins at this point.Leaf wrote:These days this is my process:
1) play the kit and make sure the room sound and tuning matching what I think I want. Fix em up if I got time, move things around etc.
2) mic it up. Ususally, as I have 8 tracks in, I go with a
d112 on the kick, half way in, 1 .5 inches to the left of the beater. I like a sharp beater sound with some umf! I put a marshall pencil shaped condenser (mxl 2001?? I think) on the snare, pointing straight down at the head to capture more crack, and a sharper tone... at least that's what I think I'm accomplishing!! I put 57's on all three toms, and a left and right overhead up. Then I place my vocal condenser about 10 feet away to capture the room.
3) Record a test. I've found that depending on the tune and the day, I may have to re-position mics to improve the attack or depth of a tom, etc.
4) record the tune.
5) using cubase, I then place silence whereever I can in the individual tracks, especially toms, as a kind of gate.
6) I gate and compress the toms to improve the attack. I do not use auto releases, they seem to suck with my playing style. So, I loop a tom tom, and watch the meter to see what the decibel level is when I want the release and attack times to be...
7) I add reverb.s
8) I use mulitband compressors on the kick and snare, and some times on the overheads.
9) I place the panning.
10) Sometimes I'll buss out a left right overall mix into a compressor to do that whole newyork trick.
**..... And if you don't have one of these, keep the levels down. Digital means that you can turn it up without having to add more noise to the floor. Crank it later..... there are counter arguements to this ..... such as desired digital distortion and blah blah blah...... but start with the basics first. USE YOUR EARS!!!! 
) you won't hear too much of a drastic loss in frequency due to phase cancellation. 
). 
So far, all my Cow Exchange submissions use sampled drums; some people have mistaken these for the real thing.HKD - Unit Z wrote:Also of interest, considering I have a restraining order and by law am not allowed within 5 miles of a drum kit, How to make drum samples sound good.
So what tricks do other people use?.. actually i'd be interested to know who uses real drums vs samples in their songs.. i can usually pick it.. but sometimes i'm surprised.
You can't hear it well in the "Cur" song, but it was still fun to assemble. Maybe you can make a crazy kit on your own.
Yeah. I rarely record my drums with more than 2 mics anymore. I use my Studio Projects B-1 as an overhead directly over the snare and a Audio Technica Pro25 on the beater side of the kick. I push the kick drum up against my futon to keep it from moving and to act as a huge bass trap. I think it comes out well after I compress and EQ the tracks. This week's Loyalty Day track was recorded with one mic, a MXL V67G placed about snare height in front of the kit on an imaginary line between the snare and kick. Simple and sounds good.tonetripper wrote:This is a good list for the individual track recording of the drums. I, however have been fighting through the deal of having to record the drums as a stereo track due to my soundcard only having two analog ins at this point.
In mono...
...I don't get it.Kamakura wrote: A friend of mine (who worked on the accoustic stage at Glastonbury) came up with a brilliant way of live micing. Buy a 8' x 4' sheet of half inch plywood and cut in two, Buy 2 PZM's (which are cheap) and glue on in the centre of each 4' by 4' bit of plywood. Hang these from the ceiling facing the stage and you get a great stereo sound.
The larger the sheet is the more sensitive the mic becomes.
The fact that they are already mics makes them portable.Kamakura wrote:If you get a large bit of wood and stick a PZM in the middle of it you get a sensitive though large, fairly mobile mic. 2 of them gives you stereo.
I'm just gonna clarify what you are saying a bit. The PZMs become more sensitized when they are against a hard surface cuz the bounce paths off of the hard surface go close enough to the diaphragm of the PZM condenser to activate the membrane thus making them a good room mic or area mic. PZMs are used on stages for plays because they are very sensitive condensers usually in an hemispherical pattern which gives them an incredible expanse of pick up (also at times an incredible issue of feedback when not placed properly away from the speakers). Stereo mics, Stereo mics, STEREO MICS!tonetripper wrote:I think, Kamakura, you should be careful when you speak of stereo mics.
At least. Maybe even three, though for shear gravitas I'd hold out for more.tonetripper wrote:That ought to be at least two pence worth.
