gae_layahoo.it Posted October 2, 2001 Share Posted October 2, 2001 after recording a few projects i quickly realized that i need good mic pres and a good compressor in order to capture better and "punchier" drum sounds. i record everything with a 24-8 Behringer and Pro Tools LE. the latter sounds good and the former would be decent if it wasn't for its incredible lack of headroom.when i'm tracking drums i have to set the trim very low so that i don't distort everything,but that means i get a low dynamic and the drum parts end up sounding flat,thin,dead,etc.basically,i need gain. i'm going to search the forum archives for any good advice on my next purchases (a mic pre and a compressor,that is),but in the meantime i'll ask another question: are there any magic tricks i can use on my DAW so i can regain the lost drum dynamics at least partly? it seems to me that using compression isn't really solving it...anyway,what would you do were you in my place? please,help me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uh Clem Posted October 2, 2001 Share Posted October 2, 2001 I think the B brand sux...but, I bet there are some people using them getting OK drum sounds. It is probably fine to set the trim levels down - that only means for the amount of mic level, you don't need much gain - drums are loud. Less gain and more mic signal usually is a good thing. 1) what kind of mics are you using? 2) do the drums really sound good in the first place? 3) how are you micing the drums? are you getting cancellation making the drums sound thin? do the tracks sound thin soloed? 4) is the drummer good? inconsistent technique makes for weak tracks. The drummer, the drums, and mic placement are probably a bigger factor than anything else on getting good drums sounds. What to do now - take a look at a plug-in called drumagog for sound replacement or take a good look at 1-4 above and make sure there are no issues. EQ and Compression might pull out the tracks, but it is a PITA trying to make good drums outta mush tracks. Steve Powell - Bull Moon Digital www.bullmoondigital.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gae_layahoo.it Posted October 2, 2001 Author Share Posted October 2, 2001 ) how are you micing the drums? are you getting cancellation making the drums sound thin? do the tracks sound thin soloed? well,as overheads i use rode nt3 mics which are way better than my old akg c-1000's,then it's akg d112 on bass drum and sm 57 on snare...i don't seem to the get any phase cancellations when miking the kit.i usually place them at the same distance from the snare and frequently check them in mono.no low end loss. i can't say i have recorded excellent drummers so far,but the most part of them were fairly good and they owned good sounding kits. i've noticed that the usual problem is the snare drum on the overhead mics...its level seems to be way higher than the rest of the drumkit. to cut it short,the drums i get are audible,but they don't "pump". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane_dup2 Posted October 2, 2001 Share Posted October 2, 2001 Better pre-amps. Consider a Mackie VLZ pro probably the most cost effective way of improving your dynamic range if you think headroom is a problem. Nobody here has mentioned gating techniques to add punch. Seen the Drawmer Powergate anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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