Acoustic Drums for Metal: A Guide

1. Thanks - awesome to see someone share information like this !

2. Write a book (How to Record REAL Metal Drums)

3. little compression, EQ, and some verb - this is were I'm up to with the current record, in the sample you posted how much compression, EQ and Verb ? was it Snare for verb and EQ/Compression for kick ?
 
The Guitar Center here in Atlanta doesn't have the Tama Tension Watch; they have another model called Drum Dial that they said is better. Now, I trust the Guitar Center morons about as much as I would trust Helen Keller to mix our new record...so, is the Drum Dial cool, or should I hold out for the Tension Watch?
 
Matt Smith said:
Now, I trust the Guitar Center morons about as much as I would trust Helen Keller to mix our new record...so, is the Drum Dial cool, or should I hold out for the Tension Watch?

LOL! Dude, I really don't know, as I have absolutely no experience with the drum dial. A quick check on the drum dial info page shows it's pretty much the same idea as the tension watch, plus it[ has a spacer to keep it positioned uniformly from the rim, which is a pretty good idea, IMHO.

You can order a Tension watch here:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/navigation?q=tama+tension+watch

Or the Drum Dial.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=perc/search/detail/base_pid/442160/
 
Skyweaver said:
3. little compression, EQ, and some verb - this is were I'm up to with the current record, in the sample you posted how much compression, EQ and Verb ? was it Snare for verb and EQ/Compression for kick ?

That's coming in part 5.
 
Nitronium Blood said:
Oz, write a book mate. :D

I you ask James and Andy, I suppose you could even get forewords from them in the book, basically saying that they think your ideas are a good starting point for anyone just getting into the art of drum recording bla bla. :)
well, being that Oz has specified "metal" drums, there are a few things he does that i for one don't agree with... XY for overheads being one of them... yes, it's very good from a phase point of view but it's just too "mono" sounding for me. i like to mic the cymbal groups from directly overhead, a foot or sometimes less... sometimes a bit more, and i just watch that each mic is 3 feet or more apart.. thus the 3:1 rule is in effect and phase is not a problem. this method gives me the freedom to place the cymbals themselves, and toms, where and how i want to, not however is dictated by the overheads. hey, it's metal.. i'm not going for a 100% real kit image.. i do that for jazz and fusion... Metal, by it's very nature, is larger than life. i also hate kick sounds without the front head.. part of the sound for me is the compression of air that happens inside the shell with the front head on. ah well... different strokes, etc. etc.... lot's of good stuff in these posts though, for sure... epecially regarding drum throne height and tom angles and the tension watch, take note of this stuff in particular you guys, it's universal goodness. mic positions and techniques and having front Kick drum skins on/off, etc. are more subjective though, so expirement and make up your own minds.
 
James is absolutely right in his observations.... there's many different ways to approach miking drums, and yes, much of it comes down to personal taste. Much in the same way there are Mac & PC users, it's all about what you like.
I've got a thing for X/Y overheads because I'm such a huge fan of the C.O.C. 'Blind' album. It's just a fantastic heavy record, and at first critical listen, I was really shocked at how 'down the center' the drums were. Hell, I could be way off in my observations, but my clients are always happy with the drum sound I get for them.
The thing to remember is, it's art: There's no real 'right' or 'wrong' unless of course, the drummer can't count to 4, then he's always wrong. :Spin:

This is only a basic guide: a starting point for those of you mystified by recording drums as I was many years ago. Rest assured, if I ever write a book on the subject, I will go into far more detail about a great many things, mic techniques and the strengths & weaknesses of each, front kick head on vs. off, room mics, placement, etc, etc.

Oh, and BTW, yes, a kick with the front head on can be a beautiful thing. I'm only going over the 'one skin' method right now as I figure one less head to tune would be more merciful on the noobs being deluged with information.
That, and I'm dying to try out a pair of Earthworks spaced omnis....

-0z-
 
James Murphy said:
well, being that Oz has specified "metal" drums, there are a few things he does that i for one don't agree with... XY for overheads being one of them... yes, it's very good from a phase point of view but it's just too "mono" sounding for me. i like to mic the cymbal groups from directly overhead, a foot or sometimes less... sometimes a bit more, and i just watch that each mic is 3 feet or more apart.. thus the 3:1 rule is in effect and phase is not a problem. this method gives me the freedom to place the cymbals themselves, and toms, where and how i want to, not however is dictated by the overheads. hey, it's metal.. i'm not going for a 100% real kit image.. i do that for jazz and fusion... Metal, by it's very nature, is larger than life. i also hate kick sounds without the front head.. part of the sound for me is the compression of air that happens inside the shell with the front head on. ah well... different strokes, etc. etc.... lot's of good stuff in these posts though, for sure... epecially regarding drum throne height and tom angles and the tension watch, take note of this stuff in particular you guys, it's universal goodness. mic positions and techniques and having front Kick drum skins on/off, etc. are more subjective though, so expirement and make up your own minds.
Hmm. You know if you got time to write a drum guide it would be a good read too, along with Oz's information.
 
Great stuff :headbang:

Can I ask you why you prefer to move the snare in line with the overheads and not overheads to the snare?
I usually time align stuff to the snare but I suppose either way is the right way?

Cheers :)
 
Because the overheads are the key. If you move the overheads to match up to the snare, you'll mess up your tom sound. One track has to be the "center" which all others work off of. I try to capture the essence of the kit in the overheads, and move the other tracks around it. I suppose you could match stuff up to the snare, but it would probably be more difficult matching up your toms, not to mention, your kick. To me, anyway, it seems easier to match everything to the overheads.



-0z-
 
OzNimbus said:
Sorry for the delay guys, Clients are my top priority. I WILL get to part 4 soon, however.

-0z-

definitely looking forward to it, my band just got a working studio setup a few months ago...and getting a decent drum sound is the thing we've struggled with the most by far, some very cool insight here (much of which is about the opposite of what we've been doing o_O )