Best way to process and emulated drum room sound

[The StabbinCabin]

I remember looking up threads like this quite a while ago but never found a detailed discussion about it. So if anyone would like to throw in anything that would be really cool for guys like me who are interested in breaking away from that over-processed sound. I know there are vsts such as voxengo and different verb plugins that are usually the go-to for verbage. I know that mastering multiple instances of drum samples done with a combination of close mics and/or just room mics could also help bring out that organic sound. I also know that people have sampled/triggered SD and such to do the same.

I have a band planing on recording soon that I would like to try something different by sampling the drummers kit close up and with a stereo pair of nt5s just squashed to hell and try and use that since I will have limited inputs. Mix those different samples after all the tracks have been printed and all that. I plan on getting a free room vst such as voxengo and going from there. Think I could get a big drum sound from there? Opinions on the best sounding vst?

I guess what I'm asking or would like to hear about are some notable productions that have had to work around that and use these methods or similar things to get a convincing sound. Clips, links, how you did it, how they did it, anything would be much appreciated.


Thanks guys

 

[crillemannen]

Well you can convert snare,kick and toms into midi using Drumtracker, or if you edit the drums to the grid you can just click them in and then use DFHS 2.0 or similiar product to use as Ambience. Works great and noone will hear it's a "fake" drum ambience if you do it well.

 

[zvish]

play your drums and mic your monitors, I read this works but never tried

 

[Teddyboy]

I don't if it's bullshit or not,cause I've never tried it but.. I guess you can create a new bus, put a nice-huge room impulse and send all the other drum tracks there. Print the "room bus" you just created and you'll have a room track where you can eq-compress the shit out of it (200,10k hp,lp) and put it under your overheads.

 

[aortizjr]

Well what about just adding room mics wherever you are recording? Unless the room is really crappy it is worth putting some mics out. Well and a bad room is still going to affect the close mics.

"Notable Productions" have different meanings to different people. But it isn't too expensive to rent a space with a nice drum room. There are even some rehearsal-gone-recording studios that have DIY OC703 and 20ft ceilings for under $400 a day. So I think the impulses and such I would consider more of a "budget" option. But to me it is worth it and try and at least do drums in a nice room.

That said, I have still heard great drum sounds and room sounds in bedrooms, living rooms, etc. Just walk around and place the mics. Or do a stereo spread of small condensers then walk around, check up and down, listen for where the drums sound best in the room and place a large diaphragm there. Sometimes it ends up in a weird spot, but it works.

But under a budget, or recording in a closet or 6ft padded ceilings and carpeted floors (basement). Still try, get plywood on some of the walls, under the kit.

To answer your question though I would try sending the drums to a room impulse and crush as another mentioned. Maybe not mic your monitors, but try blasting the drums out a PA and micing that somewhere in the room. Or try a really hot space, like a garage or bathroom.

Also try multiple reverbs. Even algorithmic ones like plates and such can sound really natural and big sounding.

 

[jval]

I've had luck using an IR room verb and treating it as if it were a pair of actual room mics... i.e. lots of compression and eq on the reverb return. works well enough if you can't get any real room sounds out of your place, but still not ideal.

 

[ahjteam]

We tried this at uni and it sounded pretty cool; Requires you to have the speakers to be on a stand and have two C414's (or other LDC's that can do omni figure) and two pillows. Make the dry drum mix sound as good as you can, then take the microphones, put them on omni mode and place on the pillows and positiom them below the speakers facing up. Then record.

 

[The StabbinCabin]

Well what about just adding room mics wherever you are recording?

I'm limited to 8 inputs right now or else I would do it anyway- But I agree with everything you're saying that WOULD be my approach if I had more ins

 

[solphilcox]

here's an awesome tip I picked up from some of the Nashville session drummers who have been around since the early 90s when samples played a short-lived part in country music, and it works with metal great too.

just find a nice room (even hire one for a day if you have to) and set up some good monitors, and simply play the dry drum tracks (with existing overhead/room tracks) through the monitors and ambient mic them to get the room sound, the effect is identical to that of actually recording with room mics in the original tracking stage. such a useful trick if you are limited to a certain number of inputs.

 

[BLUElightCory]

If you can't actually record room mics, I've had success in the past by running separate mix of the drums (using sends) through a room-emulating convolution reverb and mixing it back in with the main drum mix.

 

[Uros]

or if you edit the drums to the grid you can just click them in and then use DFHS 2.0 or similiar product to use as Ambience. Works great and noone will hear it's a "fake" drum ambience if you do it well.

I know I'm resurrecting an old thread, but still...can you explain this better? I am interested.

 

[AntonioPetrole]

I know I'm resurrecting an old thread, but still...can you explain this better? I am interested.

i think he just means to basically replace the drums with superior drummer and only use the room mics and then blend it