Very good stuff, I hadn't heard most of those tricks for coaxing the drummer into good takes. Humorous writing style too 
Acoustic Drums for Metal: A Guide
- Thread starter Glenn Fricker
- Start date
silverwulf
Ghost in the Machine
Has anyone used these drum heads before? It's the studio series by Aquarian with a light muffle ring under:
http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/products/display.asp?id=6
http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/products/display.asp?id=6
prowlergrig
AnoThoR Fan
Noumenon
Obsidian Productions
unsilpauly
Member
ive tried them, they are decent. i am a drummer(not the kind that oz talks aboutsilverwulf said:
). i think evans g2s with moongels work great for most kits. if you havent tried that combo, i would try it for sure. g2s(the clear ones) are just really complimentary to alot of toms ive used and heard. danny carey uses them(some of the best tom sounds ever imho). anyway its all personal preference.anyway,
cobrahead1030
Member
- Nov 16, 2005
- 756
- 2
- 18
very cool info in that part...a few questions i have if you get time tho:
do you generally like to record a full song in 1 take, or in sections? (i ask this because i've had the best experience recording songs in 4,8, or even 16 + measure sections...i generally divide them up when the drummer switches cymbals i.e. going from a hi hat based beat, to something based on the crash...editing is pretty easy this way, but it's still hard to get a good flowing feel sometimes)
also...how picky should one be one it comes to a good consisten take? generally in metal you pretty much want a battering ram kinda feel from start to finish (with the exception of the occasionaly clean section) but most drummers will always have weak hits, fills, etc...do you feel this is best fixed with compression, does it get lost in the mix, or is it the kinda thing you should really spend time trying to get right from the start?
do you generally like to record a full song in 1 take, or in sections? (i ask this because i've had the best experience recording songs in 4,8, or even 16 + measure sections...i generally divide them up when the drummer switches cymbals i.e. going from a hi hat based beat, to something based on the crash...editing is pretty easy this way, but it's still hard to get a good flowing feel sometimes)
also...how picky should one be one it comes to a good consisten take? generally in metal you pretty much want a battering ram kinda feel from start to finish (with the exception of the occasionaly clean section) but most drummers will always have weak hits, fills, etc...do you feel this is best fixed with compression, does it get lost in the mix, or is it the kinda thing you should really spend time trying to get right from the start?
I've actually wondered the same thing cobra. When you split up the drums into sections, how do you mix and match them so that they sound live? This is one thing I've never understood.
cobrahead1030
Member
- Nov 16, 2005
- 756
- 2
- 18
if you've got tunes that are separated by different cymbals being the centerpoint, it's pretty easy (especially if you're going with a click track)
for example, you could record the 16 bar high hat section and then have the drummer stop playing @ the transistion but leave your hats (and anything else) to ring out...then start a new set of tracks armed to record, move back 4 bars or so (whatever amount of lead in the drummer needs) and have him start the next section (say it's mainly on a crash cymbal) and do the same thing
it can be time consuming, but it's worked fairly well for me...REALLY comes in handy if you've got a drummer who can't nail down certain parts, because you can stop and pinpoint what needs work without screwing up a good take on the whole tune...in something like a punk band that uses the high hat almost exclusively it would be a lot more difficult tho
for example, you could record the 16 bar high hat section and then have the drummer stop playing @ the transistion but leave your hats (and anything else) to ring out...then start a new set of tracks armed to record, move back 4 bars or so (whatever amount of lead in the drummer needs) and have him start the next section (say it's mainly on a crash cymbal) and do the same thing
it can be time consuming, but it's worked fairly well for me...REALLY comes in handy if you've got a drummer who can't nail down certain parts, because you can stop and pinpoint what needs work without screwing up a good take on the whole tune...in something like a punk band that uses the high hat almost exclusively it would be a lot more difficult tho
Generally, when recording drums, we'll do 3-4 takes per song and work with the best one. Occasionally, we'll punch in, but that's about it. I'm very demanding with those who record at my place. If they can't play the song consistently all the way through, something's wrong, IMHO. That's usually when I tell them to go home and practice. I'm more interested in capturing a great performance as opposed to showing off my editing skills.
Yes, weak drummers think I'm a total prick. But the good ones keep coming back for more projects.
-0z-
Yes, weak drummers think I'm a total prick. But the good ones keep coming back for more projects.
-0z-
I did the POD thing a couple of weeks ago with my drummer, it worked great. my only suggestion is DON'T se the USB port on the POD, run a mic cord or 1/4" to your interface. I had a latency issue with the pod when i recorded. My guitars were a few ms. behing the drums.
Where She Wept said:
Good call! Yeah, latency can be a bitch here, but you'd be surprised what you can pull off. A few times, I skipped the POD and went straight into Guitar Rig.... just as a scratch track though.
J the TyranT
Thats just how it is...
I use moongels myself... they're good shit.. and if one is too big.. just cut it into a smaller piece and it will muffle less... if one isnt big enough... add more... dig? Easy as shit to use.
Im gonna be switching heads and checking out the Remo Suedes here pretty soon. Ill let you guys know what I think.
J
Im gonna be switching heads and checking out the Remo Suedes here pretty soon. Ill let you guys know what I think.
J
Matt Smith
THEOCRACY
The way I usually do it is record several takes of the song, write out a chart and listen back to each take, taking little notes for each section (down to every drum fill). Then I'll make one comp take from all the best parts. It's a giant pain and I hate every second of it, but it's the best way I've found to get one superhuman take.
Sinister Mephisto
1337
- Sep 20, 2005
- 2,900
- 1
- 38
cobrahead1030
Member
- Nov 16, 2005
- 756
- 2
- 18
man, what i wouldn't give for a drummer that could nail a good performance in 3-4 takes =X
our best result has been going one bit at a time, to a click track...sometimes doing 50+ takes (in extreme instances) to get it down; which is an unimaginable pain in the ass, but it pays off in the long run, cuz once he's got it then it's a no brainer
our best result has been going one bit at a time, to a click track...sometimes doing 50+ takes (in extreme instances) to get it down; which is an unimaginable pain in the ass, but it pays off in the long run, cuz once he's got it then it's a no brainer
dreamcatcher
Raising the Knife
Sinister Mephisto said:Ahhhh, the black album method.
Before that they did it one bit at a time.
Kenneth R.
Cináed
this thread is amazing, and i only hope you continue writing! i'm secretly hoping for a "Recording Guitar, Bass" etc version as well
Just drums for right now..... I'm still learning anything & everything I can about recording heavy guitar. Fortunately, this forum has been a huge help in that regard.
-0z-
-0z-
EtherForBreakfast
Hamster Style
- Jun 19, 2005
- 1,012
- 0
- 36
cobrahead1030 said:
A drummer who needs 50-60 takes?! What is going to happen when you play live?
