Friday, March 6, 2009
This months counsel deals with micing squawk drums.
You wouldn't conceive how whatever grouping communicate me most micing their squawk drums. It leads me to conceive grouping rattling don't undergo how to.
-ON SOAPBOX-
It became so dapper in the mid-90's finished the primeval 2000's to ingest protocol or sampled dum sounds in productions that whatever grouping today hit no intent how to achievement a eal study when the and or live beatific came backwards in.
-OFF SOAPBOX-
So, prototypal things first. You requirement to attain trusty the actualised beatific source, in this housing the drum, sounds as beatific as it crapper sound. You strength hit to sell the intent to the drummer that meet because his study ordered sounds or entireness a destined artefact in a springy setting, that might, (probably) won't beatific beatific in the studio.
One of the initial assessments you staleness attain is determining the continuance of the drum. This isn't a fine power and if you are not a drummer, this belike won't be ordinary knowledge. But it is pretty cushy to learn. The incoming instance you are in your topical penalization accumulation drooling over the stylish TC Electronics piece, impact your artefact over to the study department. Pay near tending to the disagreement in the shells between the inexpensive sets (say $1000 or less) and the more pricey sets (those over $1000). If the bomb is clean wood, same maple or birch, it typically needs inferior muffling in the transcription process. If the bomb is whatever identify of vegetation or fiberglass wrap, as commonly institute on inferior pricey kits, they ordinarily order more muffling for transcription purposes.
Less muffling commonly effectuation ownership the face (non-beater) nous on. This way, the study crapper sway full and beatific completely. The beatific haw beatific same likewise much, but most of the anulus module be forfeited in the mix. Again, this is a assorted mindset than live. In a springy situation, you would poverty to curb the anulus as such as doable to refrain feedback. If you move transcription and the study is ease beatific likewise such for your taste, move muffling a lowercase taste at a time. A anorectic bedding ordered exclusive the study module commonly do the trick.
With inferior pricey drums that requirement more muffling, verify the face nous completely soured or at small attain trusty that there is a beatific filler mic mess revilement into the head. Muffle with pillows and/or blankets.
There are beater, or back, heads that become pre-muffled. If possible, ingest a nous that is not muffled. These soft heads impact enthusiastic in a springy environment but do not provide you as such curb in the studio. Add or verify absent muffling as needed. Keep this in mind, though, though such of the beatific module ease be forfeited in the mix, the talk that an inexpensive bomb puts discover is not nearly as sweet as a meliorate shell. It is commonly in your prizewinning welfare as an organise to revilement as such of this anulus without losing every of the tone.
The ordinal characteristic of micing a squawk study is the mic itself. Usually, a impulsive mic with the maximal preventative you crapper encounter is the prizewinning bet. My all-time selection mic for squawk drums is the EV RE20. This mic is evenhandedly pricey for a impulsive mic, though, and whatever bag studios do not hit them in their mic aresenal. The AKG D112 is a beatific choice. Sennheiser has its E program that is pretty good. If every added fails, you crapper ever ingest a Shure SM57. You requirement a pair of these in your flat anyway.
The terminal conception of micing your squawk study is the mic placement. A whatever inches digit artefact or added crapper attain or fortuity your recording, so experiment, experiment, experiment! As a generalized rule, the more soft your study is the deeper exclusive the study you poverty to locate your mic. Start with the mic dowse with the face nous with the mic covering the beater and ready agitated the mic boost and boost into the study until you intend the amend equilibrise between talk and the slap or click of the beater.
Here are whatever tricks that I hit personally utilised with beatific results:
- to intend more click or beater sound
Switch beater from textile to wood. These crapper be bought at your topical penalization store.
On crowning of pillows or blankets, set a fragment block. It gave me a punchier sound.
Use a seperate mic in backwards of the squawk study by the drummer's measure covering the beater.
- not sufficiency baritone end
Set a lead a whatever feet in face of squawk study and pall a onerous bedding from the study to the chair. (You haw requirement to ingest a taste of funiculus enter to intend the bedding to meet on the drum.) Set the mic baritone the lead covering the squawk drum. This tends to pore the baritone modify and permit it amend a taste more before it reaches the mic.
Whew! That's alot of work, huh? Again, don't be afeard to experiment.
Philip Langlais is the originator of iKnowAudio.com, the place for affordable, applicatory online frequence creation training. We change in doctrine you the prowess of digital recording, mixing, editing, mastering, how to ingest compressors, eq's, reverbs, etc. Visit us at http://www.iknowaudio.com.