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Better Bass and Drum Recordings As a
mastering engineer, my job allows me to hear more final mixes than most
people: from big budget to no budget, country to gothic, analog and digital.
I feel the disparity between professional- and amateur-sounding recordings
isn’t rooted in technology, but basic audio knowledge. The most glaring
examples I consistently hear are poor recording of drums and bass, resulting
in muddy, undefined low to low-mid sound.
Great recordings start with properly capturing a strong rhythm section
performance. Following are a few rhythm section tips that will go a long way
toward getting better final mixes – and they don’t even require purchasing
any new gear!
Drums
The best drum kit sounds I’ve heard are done with three mics: a well-placed
overhead stereo setup and one in the bass drum (if you’re a Type A
personality, go ahead and mic the snares). Then, to control transients, use
a quick, transparent limiter for the overheads.
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This setup
offers a few key advantages over the “close-mic every drum” approach:
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It’s the
best way to capture the real sound of a kit, including overtones and room
reflections
When done right, it eliminates the phase problems to which multi-miking is
prone
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It’s much
quicker to set up and record, leaving more time to mix the entire band.
It’s ironic
that in modern pop recordings – where anything is possible – it’s rare to
find instruments actually recorded in stereo. This is the most critical
aspect for achieving a “big” sound, as true stereo gives a sense of depth
and cues to spatial direction. The sonic characteristics created by a
well-tuned drum kit in a good room cannot be replicated with individual drum
miking, panning and reverb processing. In fact, everything that is applied
to an audio signal slightly destroys its integrity. So, after you
individually mic each drum, equalize it and add reverb, you’re down a few
notches on the sonic evolutionary ladder and still don’t have the depth and
power of a stereo-tracked drum kit.
The key is perception. Think of the entire drum kit as one instrument. The
goal is to capture its power and timbre. If you were recording an acoustic
guitar, how would you do it? Simple: start with a mic (or a stereo mic
setup) and add a pickup for a bit of effect (if required/preferred). Miking
drums shouldn’t be any different. To me, individually miking each drum in a
kit is akin to isolating each string of an acoustic guitar to a separate
track and then trying to re-create its sound by mixing, panning and adding
reverb to those strings. You lose the overtones and richness of the
instrument’s sound as it develops in an acoustic environment: in short, its
character.
Bass
With bass, the goal is a sound that’s consistent throughout the instrument’s
range, while controlling some of the runaway lower frequencies that can be
problematic in a mix. For starters, it takes a player with a good “touch,”
quality instrument, and preamp/amp. But even with that, the bass’s sonic
characteristics can be a bit unpredictable. One useful solution is to apply
low-ratio compression (1.3 to 1.7:1) with a high threshold (-25 to -30).
This helps smooth out the sound and brings up the less audible frequencies
slightly, without changing the instrument’s basic timbre. The result is a
tighter, more controlled bass (the degree of which can be manipulated by the
ratio and threshold) that needs less tweaking and sits better in the mix.
And it works whether you record using a direct signal, miked cabinet, or a
combination of both.
Building a Better Mousetrap
When drums and bass are well-recorded, you’ll find they naturally sound
clear and powerful throughout their entire range. If signal processing
(light or heavy) is required for a specific flavor, it will be more
effective after laying a strong foundation. And after the rhythm section is
established, other instruments sit better in the mix, and sound more
distinct due to less clutter occupying the sonic landscape. The end result
is more sonic impact – and that’s a good thing no matter what genre of music
you record.
© 2002
Paul Abbott. Originally published in the June 2002 issue of EQ Magazine. |
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