#1682478 - 06/26/05 06:31 PM
damned ribbons...another 'one mic' episode...
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offramp
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So, yesterday, I decide to move things around a bit in my drum room. Did some cleaning,etc. Repositioned my kit and my OH's. Also added a Behringer 2200 pre to the kick and snare signal chain (settle down..I've had it for quite a while, never use it, can't give it away, so I figured WTF...). Also decide I'm gonna get off my duff and start messing around with one of my RCA BK5B's; 'getting off my duff' included making a new yoke for it, as the mics came to me but with one yoke, and I can't find it at the moment. I bought a piece of aluminum at Home Despot a few weeks ago to do this.
Today, I phutz around and make the yoke. I hang the sucker from the ceiling, just behind my head, and pointed more at the toms than anything. In essence, it's eight feet up. My drum room is kinda slapdash for now; the ceiling is nothing more than insulation in between the joists. Overall it's small but kinda bright.
I bring the 896 down and get down to some test tracks. I decided to not mess with the discrete tom mics; there's kick, snare, two 414's and the BK5B, the kick and snare each run through the 2200 then into a DBX166. I managed to dial in an above-decent sound on the Behringer and DBX right from the beginning, so I was psyched about that.
I tracked a little. I brought up the 414's, kick, and snare; sounded pretty damned good.
Then I brought up just the BK5B.
holy shit
About the only thing low on this take is the toms, and they're not really 'low' so much as they are less present. When combined with the discrete kick and snare tracks, this thing sounds killer (well, to me, anyway).
This take has no EQ and no processing on it...what you hear is exactly how it tracked.
More kick drum than an engineer oughta have from one mic, I tell ya.
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#1682479 - 06/26/05 06:41 PM
Re: damned ribbons...another 'one mic' episode...
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Philip O'Keefe
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Registered: 12/17/00
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Loc: Riverside,CA,UNITED STATES
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I don't do a lot of single mic recordings, nor limited mic drum kit setups (I figure I can always use fewer of the ones I had up when I go to mix, but I can't add any  ), but I am a fan of ribbon mics on overheads. They do tend to work very well in that application IMO.
I bet you'll be using those RCA's a bit more now that you've tried it, huh? 
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#1682480 - 06/26/05 06:43 PM
Re: damned ribbons...another 'one mic' episode...
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Philip O'Keefe
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BTW, it sounds good on my el-cheapo computer speakers.  But I'd still want seperate tom and kick mics.
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#1682481 - 06/26/05 06:43 PM
Re: damned ribbons...another 'one mic' episode...
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offramp
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Hell, yes. I've got to make a second yoke to match the one I made this morning, then I'll be able to do some stereo OH's.
If I can ever get around to restoring the third mic...
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#1682482 - 06/26/05 06:45 PM
Re: damned ribbons...another 'one mic' episode...
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offramp
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I'm getting ready to head out to go see STOMP tonight, but maybe I'll do a quick "mix" of the three mics in the next couple of days or so.
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#1682483 - 06/27/05 05:51 AM
Re: damned ribbons...another 'one mic' episode...
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where02190
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Loc: Weymouth, Ma. USA
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I do end up with alot of one or two mic mixes on drums. ribbons can be fantastic for this if you don't want alot of brilliance.
I often use a single AKG C4000B in omni, placed about 8-10 feet in front of the kit and about chest height to the player, or a Rode NTK in about the same position.
If it was I, I'd take theose 166's out fo the chain, and if you need the squish, do it during mixdown, rather than taking away the option of it by using them tracking.
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Hope this is helpful. NP Recording Studios Analog approach to digital recording.
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#1682484 - 06/27/05 08:20 AM
Re: damned ribbons...another 'one mic' episode...
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offramp
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I don't have 8-10 feet of space in which to put a mic in front of the kit. The space is small enough that getting a nice, wide image is basically impossible. For the moment, combining the 2 414's and the BK5B do a pretty decent job, though.
The 'brilliance reduction' is what I was hoping for; the space is not tempered, yet, so having too much brilliance is very distracting. After doing the kit, I also tracked some conga, shakers, and tambourine, with the BK5B. Worked pretty well, although I haven't spent any quality time with the mixing yet.
(Another factor in all of this is that I need to get some different crash cymbals. The ones I have are kinda 'blah'; I've had them for probably 25 years...I could use a freshener, there.)
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#1682485 - 06/27/05 10:42 AM
Re: damned ribbons...another 'one mic' episode...
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where02190
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In your case then, it seems a ribbon is just what the Dr. ordered.
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Hope this is helpful. NP Recording Studios Analog approach to digital recording.
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#1682486 - 06/28/05 07:31 PM
Re: damned ribbons...another 'one mic' episode...
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gaotu
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Registered: 01/10/04
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Loc: Indianapolis
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What do you mean by a yoke? i'm lost here...
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#1682487 - 06/28/05 09:30 PM
Re: damned ribbons...another 'one mic' episode...
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offramp
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A two-prongish sort of thing that reached around to either side of the mic body, and were held onto it via threaded, knurled knobs.
(btw, the mics came from WFYI...)
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