TIP: Tuned drums..

[Ganks]

Produce better results even when sample replacing.

I've found that when tracking live drums, drums that are properly tuned produce WAAAAYY better transients than loose, shitty drums.

Especially the snare.

So even if your kit sounds horrible, make it sound the best you can before tracking, even if you're planning on using samples!

Sorry if this has already been covered, or if it does not hold true for other individuals. Just something I noticed after I tuned up my drums today.

 

[Josh M.]

Yes. Very true. I use my home kit and sample replace 100% because I don't have the best equipment, but even sample replacement sucks on my kit.
After recording my friend's kit (he tuned it first), it sounded way better and was a lot more "accepting" of being sample replaced.

I might also add that if you will be sample replacing you should always tune the drums to sound as close as possible to the samples that will be replacing them, that way the drums being picked up in the overheads will not clash with the samples.

 

[vespiz]

.. or tune the samples to the drums.. not ideal, but sometimes you gotta work with what you have!

As guitarists need to learn to tune their guitars, why won't drummers do the same? (yeah, yeah, it's harder and time consuming.. blahblah..)

So, er.. yeah +1

 

[JamesNorman]

as a drummer, i will always make bands tune there drums before they go in to the studio, then double check them before i record. Snare drums are the worst, and some drummers show up with shit sounding snare drums that buzz when they hit the floor toms, it is important as all is picked up in the overheads so they need to sound good there even if they are getting replaced.

 

[Trevoire520]

I'm not even a drummer and I still tend to tune kits for bands as most drummers don't know what they're doing.

I do have a mate who has a nice kit and is a monster at tuning drums for recording. Gets them sounding punchy as hell with absolutely no ringing and no muffling needed. So I try to convince every band to pay him for tuning sometimes hire of his kit on the drum session. Some drummers are just too damn proud though. Idiots. When he does come in it makes my life easy as fuck