Recording Plates Breaking

[garry666]

So this band i am recording wants the intro of one of their songs to be some plates breaking. And i know i could probally just find some sample somewhere but id prefer to try an record it myself. Does anybody have any ideas on what might be the best way to go about it, mic position, mic type etc.

 

[Where She Wept]

put a mic on a table or floor and smash some plates!

 

[lilhermiejobo]

2 condensor mics, cross pattern (x,y) like you're micing up the overheads and just aim towards the smashing of the plates

 

[Aaron Smith]

I would say, use a large diaphragm condenser, maybe even try an X-Y stereo pair for some added width. And if you've got a garage, drop them on a cement floor. If you want a lot of natural room sound on it (rather than adding reverb after the fact), then put the mics like 10 feet away maybe, but if you don't have a really great sounding room, I would probably set up the mics much closer to the ground and only a couple feet from the source. Setting the pre levels could be a little tricky, as you probably don't want to break a plate just for level checks, but it might actually be worth "wasting" a single plate for that purpose...as long as it's not massively clipping or is massively undergained though, you should be fine.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I would say get an assortment of plates as well. Some might sound cooler when they break.

 

[doc_backmask]

and PROTECT YOUR MIC!!!!! You don't want some plate shard slamming into it (or the plate hitting on the way down). I've seen some plates do some f'd up things...

 

[Black neon bob]

Go to a bar mitswa or a greek wedding... bring your mic.

 

[Zack Uidl]

I probably do it in an OH like method. Maybe on about 2 feet up and one higher and farther off to the side. And like doc_backmask said, PROTECT THE MICS!!!!

 

[garry666]

thanks for the advice i think im gona go with a large diapragm condenser about 3 feet back and maybe some small diapragms up high like OH. The only part that i think will be tricky is geting the input levels correct.

 

[Nebulous]

Get the band to go to a second hand store and buy some cheap plates. That way you can do afew if need be.

 

[ILLBYDESIGN]

place a piezo mic on the back of your cranium, smash the plates over your head and face, while making animal noises insanely, try and get the short transients and fragements of skull droping to the floor recorded nicely. Have 911 on stand by and go for gold. hope this helps.

Oh yeah don't use black coloured plates as they sound dull.

 

[STINNETT]

This reminds me of the time I was recording a band who had brought in a CD with some samples on it that they wanted to add to their album. One of them was a gun being cocked which they wanted to introduce the album with.
I said "That sounds like shit", walked out of the room, returning a few seconds later with a gun.
I set up a condenser mic and held the gun about 12 inches away and cocked it. Sounded great.

I did the rest of the session that day with the gun sitting on my desk. It did wonders for productivity.

 

[doc_backmask]

This reminds me of the time I was recording a band who had brought in a CD with some samples on it that they wanted to add to their album. One of them was a gun being cocked which they wanted to introduce the album with.
I said "That sounds like shit", walked out of the room, returning a few seconds later with a gun.
I set up a condenser mic and held the gun about 12 inches away and cocked it. Sounded great.

I did the rest of the session that day with the gun sitting on my desk. It did wonders for productivity.

Best tracking day ever!!!!! Man, I'll bet they did whatever you said.

 

[Grave Desire]

This reminds me of the time I was recording a band who had brought in a CD with some samples on it that they wanted to add to their album. One of them was a gun being cocked which they wanted to introduce the album with.
I said "That sounds like shit", walked out of the room, returning a few seconds later with a gun.
I set up a condenser mic and held the gun about 12 inches away and cocked it. Sounded great.

I did the rest of the session that day with the gun sitting on my desk. It did wonders for productivity.

Lol..I guess no negative comments about the session the rest of the way huh?

But yeah I agree about the sound sample CD issue. I have a huge collection called the "hollywood edge" about 1/4 of the samples are useable.

 

[evolutions_end]

whatever you do-

double track

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I will +1 the sample quotes. I bought a few sample CDs and 80% of them are horrible.

 

[Nebulous]

whatever you do-

double track

"na man, just shift one side over afew ms"...