01. Recording Drums: Mic Choice, Positioning And Phase

with Marcel van Limbeek on 26th April 2014 in Masterclass , part of Recording Drums with Marcel van Limbeek

Marcel speaks about all the choices and considerations when deciding on which mics to use. Whether the mic is dynamic or condenser, large or small diaphragm, and when you might want to take advantage of the proximity effect. All with the aim of faithfully reproducing a realistic sounding drum kit. Filmed in the Neve Studio at SSR London.
Recommendation:
This masterclass is best listened to on a good pair of headphones or quality studio monitors

Tags: AKG C414, AKG D112, DPA 2011C, DPA 4011, DPA 4091, DPA 4099, DPA D:fine, Heil PR30, marcel van limbeek, mic position, Neumann KM184, phase, phase align, polarity, proximity effect, recording, Sennheiser MD421, Sennhesier MD441, Shure B52, Shure SM57, Shure SM58, SSR

Other episodes

02. Recording Drums: Achieving a Realistic Drum Sound

with Marcel van Limbeek on 3rd June 2014 in Masterclass

We hear with two ears, so imitating stereo location clues with the overhead mics helps our brains to perceive the recording as realistic.

03. Recording Drums: Placing the Kit

with Marcel van Limbeek on 3rd June 2014 in Masterclass

Positioning your kick drum within the live room makes all the difference in getting the best out of the low end. Phase comes into play yet again.

04. Recording Drums: Kick Drum

with Marcel van Limbeek on 23rd April 2014 in Masterclass

EQ for free! Marcel uses four in-phase microphones to achieve a certain amount of tone control without reaching for the EQ knobs.

05. Recording Drums: Snare Drum

with Marcel van Limbeek on 23rd April 2014 in Masterclass

With four mics on top and two on the bottom, Marcel explain how to get all six in phase for a great snare sound.

06. Recording Drums: Hi-Hat

with Marcel van Limbeek on 23rd April 2014 in Masterclass

Marcel shows us how he decides on a position for the hi-hat mic, and how to avoid wind noise.

07. Recording Drums: Rack Tom

with Marcel van Limbeek on 23rd April 2014 in Masterclass

Showing how an accidental setting on a HPF filter can damage the recording, Marcel chooses the best position for the Rack Tom mics.

08. Recording Drums: Floor Tom

with Marcel van Limbeek on 23rd April 2014 in Masterclass

Marcel chooses a position for the Floor Tom mic by listening carefully while he scans the surface of the drum.

09. Recording Drums: Overheads

with Marcel van Limbeek on 23rd April 2014 in Masterclass

Marcel delves deeply into phase aligning the whole drum kit. This is a must-see!

10. Recording Drums: Overheads & Pan Matching

with Marcel van Limbeek on 23rd April 2014 in Masterclass

Creating a realistic stereo image by panning the hi-hat and toms to match the stereo image from the overheads.

11. Recording Drums: Overhead Comparison

with Marcel van Limbeek on 23rd April 2014 in Gear Porn, Masterclass

We compare the sounds of the AKG 414s and the DPA 4011s and decide which to use.

12. Recording Drums: Alternative Overhead Positioning

with Marcel van Limbeek on 23rd April 2014 in Masterclass

Marcel demonstrates the Glyn John method - a means of setting up overheads so that the kick and snare end up in the centre of the stereo image.

13. Recording Drums: Mixing The Whole Drum Kit

with Marcel van Limbeek on 23rd April 2014 in Masterclass

Back in the control room, Marcel mixes the whole kit - the beautifully in phase mics channels making life easy for the mix engineer.