Mixing

It’s an honor to have Studio La Fabrique in France, and Mix With the Masters using my photo of Eddie Kramer for the upcoming seminar in April.

See more of my photos of Eddie Kramer of my other post at:
http://brianapetersen.com/2011/06/eddie-kramer-with-mpx-for-waves/

http://www.mixwiththemasters.com/KRAMER.html
MIX with the MASTERS 2012 – Exceptional One-Week Music Production Seminars

We are glad to announce that recording engineers, producers and mixers JOE CHICCARELLI, EDDIE KRAMER and AL SCHMITT will each conduct a week-long seminar in April 2012 in Studio La Fabrique (www.studioslafabrique.com) in Saint-Rémy de Provence, France.

During each session, a series of workshops will be held ranging from production and mixing techniques to career advices. The guest speakers will be working with the attendees to produce, record and mix a song with a band as well as working on the participants’ projects.
Guests are provided with accommodation and meals and stay in the residential part of La Fabrique mansion for 7 days.
They will be able to utilize the great facilities the house has to offer including the swimming pool, the fitness center and the gardens.

For more information or to submit an application, visit:
http://www.mixwiththemasters.com
YouTube – MixWithTheMASTERS’s Channel

EDDIE KRAMER is an audio engineer and producer who has worked with, among others, Led Zeppelin, Triumph, Kiss, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Spooky Tooth, Peter Frampton, Curtis Mayfield, Santana, Anthrax, Carly Simon, Loudness, and Robin Trower.

KRAMER joined Olympic Sound Studios in London, where he engineered albums for acts including Traffic, Small Faces, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix, for whom Kramer engineered every album from Are You Experienced to The Cry of Love. After Hendrix’s death he co-produced War Heroes, Rainbow Bridge and Hendrix in the West.

In 1968, KRAMER moved to New York to work at the Record Plant, engineering Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland LP and also worked with Vanilla Fudge, Joe Cocker and NRBQ. Working independently from 1969, Kramer engineered Led Zeppelin II – the first of five albums he engineered for the band.

EDDIE KRAMER was director of engineering at Electric Lady Studios from 1970-1974, producing the posthumous Hendrix records, as well as albums by Carly Simon, Sha Na Na, Jobriath and Peter Frampton. While there he engineered albums for artists as diverse as Dionne Warwick and David Bowie.

He produced and engineered Buddy Guy’s Slippin’ In (1995), which received a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Record and a W.C. Handy Blues Foundation Album of the Year award.

In 2010, KRAMER produced and engineered a single for the Claire Stahlecker Band called “Never Stop Lovin’ You”.
EDDIE KRAMER will conduct a MIX With The MASTERS masterclass from April 11th until April 17th, 2012.

Eddie Kramer’s official website: http://eddiekramer.net/

You can read more here: http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/671012-mix-masters-2012-joe-chiccarelli-eddie-kramer-al-schmitt.html

Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Kiss, David Bowie
Any producer is only as good as the music he helps create. By this standard, Eddie Kramer must be regarded as a legend. In the course of a production and engineering career that has spanned 30 years, Kramer has been behind the boards for the biggest names in music – The Rolling Stones, Traffic, Peter Frampton, Carly Simon, Joe Cocker, Johnny Winter, David Bowie, The Beatles and Bad Company, just to name a few. But he is perhaps best known for three long-term associations in which he not only helped create some of the most important music of the rock era, but also set standards for rock production that set him aside as a true innovator. His work with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Kiss produced music which continues to influence rock musicians and producers today.

Born in South Africa, Eddie studied classical piano, cello and violin at the prestigious South African college of Music. At a young age, his interest switched from classical to jazz. He moved to England at 19, where he recorded local jazz groups in a home-based studio and installed hi-fi equipment as a hobby. In 1964, he joined Pye Studios, and recorded a variety of artists including Sammy Davis Jr., Petula Clark, and The Kinks, demonstrating a versatility, which Eddie possesses to this day.

In 1965, Kramer established the sophisticated KPS Studios, which, despite its rudimentary 2-track recording capability, gained such a reputation that in less than a year they were bought out by Regent Sound. They enlisted Kramer to oversee construction of their new four-track studio.

Getting “Experienced”

Kramer’s next stop was Olympic Sound studios where he developed a fantastic reputation among the bands of the time – Small Faces, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix, among others. His association with Hendrix was the most powerful one, and the one that lasted the longest. Kramer engineered every Hendrix album from “Are You Experienced” to “Cry of Love,” and after Hendrix’s death co-produced the posthumous releases “War Heroes,” “Rainbow Bridge” and “Hendrix in the West.”

In 1968, Kramer came to work at the Record Plant in NYC, engineering Hendrix’s “Electric Ladyland” LP, and also worked with Vanilla Fudge, Joe Cocker, and NRBQ. In 1969, Kramer went independent, producing Johnny Winter’s first LP and engineering Led Zeppelin II, acknowledged by fans and critics alike as perhaps that bands most influential work. This led to work on five albums with the band, half of their overall output. This pairing provided some historic moments. As Eddie tells of one particular session, “Zep II was mixed over a two day period in New York, and at one point there was bleed-through of a previously recorded vocal in the recording of “Whole Lotta Love.” It was the middle part where Robert (Plant) screams “Wo-man. You need it.” Since we couldn’t re-record at that point, I just threw some echo on it to see how it would sound and Jimmy (Page) said “Great! Just leave it.”

Woodstock

Soon afterwards, Kramer was recruited to record the Woodstock festival for both the album and the movie. “I arrived at dawn and was struck by the sight of the sun rising over what appeared to be the stage. The show was scheduled to start by lunchtime. That panic pretty much set the tone for the entire concert. All of us in the crew had Vitamin B shots, so that we would be able to stay up for three days. The whole thing was recorded under the most primitive of conditions, but we got it done,” says Kramer. “Woodstock was 3 days of hell and drugs”.

Woodstock established Kramer as one of the most important live music producers of the rock era, starting a series of artists recorded live which would ultimately include Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Kiss, John Mayall, The Rolling Stones, Peter Frampton, Joe Cocker, Curtis Mayfield, Santana, David Bowie, Derek and The Dominoes, and others.

Electric Lady Studios

Hendrix quickly hired Kramer to build a state of the art studio. After 13 months and a million dollars, Electric Lady Studios was complete, and Kramer served as its Director of Engineering from 1970 – 1974. During this time, in addition to producing the posthumous Hendrix records, Kramer produced records by Carly Simon, Sha Na Na and Peter Frampton, and engineered albums for artists as diverse as Dionne Warwick and Lena Horne, David Bowie’s “Live at the Spectrum” and “Young Americans,” featuring “Fame” with John Lennon, and Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy” and “Physical Graffiti,” among others.

In 1975, Kramer left Electric Lady Studios to work with the No. 1 band in America at the time and produced “Kiss Alive.” In addition to producing “Rock and Roll Over,” “Love Gun,” “Alive II” and “Double Platinum” for Kiss, Kramer worked on Ace Frehley’s first solo record, Led Zeppelin’s “The Song Remains the Same” (the album and the movie), Peter Frampton’s historic “Frampton Comes Alive” LP, and The Rolling Stones “Love Ya Live,” three of the most popular live albums of the rock era. In the last three decades, Kramer has produced countless bands from Anthrax, Motley Crue, and Twisted Sister to Buddy Guy, Sting and Carlos Santana. He produced the Hendrix tribute album, “Stone Free,” for Warner Bros., which features tracks from artists such as: The Cure, Eric Clapton, The Spin Doctors, Seal/Jeff Beck, Slash/Paul Rodgers, and others. The album has generated approximately $1,000,000 in charitable funds which have been donated to the United Negro College Fund as musical scholarships to The Berklee School of Music, Julliard School of Music, and The Dance Theatre of Harlem. Since 1997, he has remastered all of the Jimi Hendrix albums from the original master tapes for Experience Hendrix/MCA. Eddie won a Grammy in 2002 for his work with Carlos Santana and Michelle Branch on the single, “The Game of Love.” Eddie has also worked with Lauren Hill on her new album.

Eddie’s photographs may be viewed at www.kramerarchives.com.

Read more: http://www.waves.com/content.aspx?id=3385#ixzz1Qmoxf8yK

From a photo session for Waves by Brian Petersen with Tony Maserati in Studio D at the Village Recorder in West L.A.

The man behind the sound of the Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Puff Daddy, Beyoncé, Usher, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Jason Mraz, Macy Grey, Mary J, Blige, Rob Thomas, Sting, David Bowie, Tupac Shakur, Ricky Martin, Notorious B.I.G.

Read more: http://www.waves.com/Content.aspx?id=8873#ixzz13PWelf3l
Visit Tony’s site at http://tonymaserati.com/

Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image. © 2010 Brian Petersen

About Tony Maserati

Widely regarded as the principal architect of the legendary New York Sound, Tony Maserati is one of the world’s most respected mixing engineers. In a dazzling career with countless hit records for superstars ranging from Sting and David Bowie to Macy Gray and Alicia Keys, Tony has done more than simply make the songs sound great. He has played a major role in redefining the aesthetics of R&B, hip-hop, and pop.

After completing his studies at Berklee’s program for production and engineering, Maserati got his start at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios in New York during the mid-’80s, hooking up with early rap legends like Heavy D and Brand Nubian. Working closely with Bad Boy Entertainment’s roster of heavyweight talent—including Mary J Blige, Faith Evans, Notorius B.I.G. and Lil Kim—he helped create what became known as the sound of New York hip hop. It wasn’t long before he was leaving his mark on smash pop hits including Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs”, Marc Anthony’s “I Need to Know”, and R. Kelly’s “I Wish”.

Today, as an active producer / mixing engineer as well as instructor at Tisch School of the Arts / New York University, Tony mentors up-and-coming engineers and artists. He’s won two Grammy® awards, one for Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love” and one for Sergio Mendes’s Timeless, and is the recipient of a 2006 TEC Award. He is an active member of The Recording Academy, and this year received his seventh Grammy nomination, for Jason Mraz’s We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

Maserati says “I’ve been using Waves from the beginning. From dynamics and EQs to special effects, most of the tracks I’ve mixed have Waves on them. Waves did an amazing job turning my personal processing chains into custom plug-ins.”

Selected Discography

• Marc Anthony: “I Need To Know”
• James Brown: JB (Best of the Best)
• Mariah Carey: “Honey,” “The Roof”
• Destiny’s Child: “Survivor,” “Bootylicious”
• R. Kelly: “Like a Real Freak,” “TP-2″
• Jennifer Lopez: “Play,” “Ain’t It Funny,” “I’m Real”
• Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera: “Nobody Wants To Be Lonely”
• Maxwell: “Fortunate”
• Mýa: “Best of Me”
• Notorious B.I.G.: “Mo Money Mo Problems”
• Puff Daddy: “Been Around the World”
• The Simpsons: The Yellow Album
• Jessica Simpson: “Sweet Kisses”
• Tupac: “Changes”
• Vitamin C: “I Know What Boys Like”
• Anouk: “Hotel New York” Album
• Jason Mraz: “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.”

I’m out here in Phoenix at the Christian Musician Summit training sound techs on Waves. Everyone is having a great time and I wanted to post a couple recap thoughts from our time with the guys. Here are some basics on MultiRack and using Waves live.

Here is a link to the Waves site for more info on MultiRack.

What is MultiRack?

MultiRack is a host platform for Waves audio processing plug-ins, designed especially for live sound applications. It provides a software equivalent to outboard hardware processing Racks, and signal flow to and from your console is similar to what you’re accustomed to with traditional hardware Racks. MultiRack allows you to program up to 1000 Snapshots per Session, so you can seamlessly change setups between or even within songs.

What do you need to get up and running?

It’s pretty simple to setup with any FOH rig and here are the basic things you need:
1. Connect your console to the sound card or external I/O
2. Create a new Session and set the preferences
3. Add new Racks and set their audio signal flow
4. Add plug-ins for sound processing
5. Create Snapshots for easy recall of Racks and processors
6. Organize Racks into groups for ease of operation and latency management
7. Set up your MIDI environment for remote control

Who is using it?

Daniel Green
FOH Engineer / Coldplay

[info][blockquote cite="Daniel Green / FOH Engineer / Coldplay"]
For vocals, I always use the C4. Chris’s voice has very wide range, so it’s great to have dynamic control across 4 frequency bands. I combine the C4 with a Renaissance EQ and Renaissance Compressor. For vocal effects, I think H-delay, is best sounding delay plugin

For the guitars, I use a PuigChild. followed by the Renaissance EQ.

I use two bass drum mics, each using the same chain: PuigChild, Renaissance EQ, MaxxBass. Both are routed to a single group for further processing using the API 2500 compressor and a little more EQ with the API 550B.

What about bass and master buss?
Nothing on the master buss. On the bass, I use a PuigChild 660 into a Renaissance EQ.
[/blockquote][/info]

Brett Dicus
FOH / Sound Designer (Norah Jones, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr)

[success][blockquote cite="Brett Dicus FOH / Post Production Sound Designer (Norah Jones, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr)"]
On Drums: MaxxBass, Kramer PIE Compressor, Renaissance Reverb – I like the sounds and response. I’ve been using the PIE Compressor for my compressed drum group.

On Guitars: Renaissance Compressor, PIE Compressor, PS22, Cranesong Phoenix. My current tour already has great guitar sounds, so not much processing is necessary. The plugins I’ve listed I use to help me find a place in the mix for everything. Turning mono sources into stereo, creating distinct tone signatures for similar sources, and getting mid-range sources to mix together is a big challenge in a live show.

On Vocals: C4, Renaissance Vox, Renaissance Reverb, H-Delay. The C4 has proven my favorite plugin of all time when contouring vocals. I use the solo feature of the band pass to help focus on issues just as I would in the studio. Now, if I need to work on the sibilance of the vocal or the low-mid I am a lot more efficient having band passes available with the push of one button.

I use Renaissance Reverb and H-Delay because they sound great. Their parameters are efficiently mapped to the control surface making operation just outright enjoyable.

On Bass: MaxxBass, C4 – Every venue is different. There is no perfect system tuning for a room that works for every show. You can’t fix problems in a mix with system tuning either. So having the ability with C4 to contour the threshold and release times makes system tuning easier, and allows us to use less EQ in the low and sub bands.

On Master Outs: Renaissance Compressor, Q10, Brainworx Control V2, V-EQ4. Nothing fancy.
[/blockquote][/success]

Paul David Hager
FOH / Studio Mix Engineer (Miley Cyrus, Goo Goo Dolls, Jonas Brothers)

[info][blockquote cite="Paul David Hager FOH / Studio Mix Engineer (Miley Cyrus, Goo Goo Dolls, Jonas Brothers)"]
For drums: SSL E-Channel, API 550B, L1 Ultramaximizer, IR-1 Convolution Reverb

For guitars: API 550A, Renaissance EQ, CLA-76

For vocals: SSL G-Equalizer, C4 Multiband, CLA-3A

For bass: L1 Ultramaximizer, PuigTec EQs, PuigChild

For keys: C4 Multiband, L1 Ultramaximizer, PuigChild

For live master outs: PuigTec EQs, L2 Ultramaximizer, API 2500

[/blockquote][/info]

Ted Blaisdell mixing the album, “So Much Joy,” in Studio E at the Westlake Studios

Produced by Walt Harrah
Engineered by Brian Petersen
Mixed by Ted Blaisdell at the Westlake Studios
Mastered by Robert Hadley at the Mastering Lab
Album design by John-Mark Warkentin

tedblaisdell.com/

Brian Scheuble
Producer / Audio Recording / Mixing Engineer

Online Mixing available email for details: bscheuble@mac.com
homepage.mac.com/bscheuble/disco/Personal18.html

See another pic here
flickr.com/photos/bpbp/2742195121/

Brian Scheuble – Audio Recording / Mixing Engineer / Producer Credits

Need To Breathe – Record & Mixing (upcoming releaes)

Crosby Loggins – Record & Mix (upcoming release)

Dave Matthews “Live” – Mix (upcoming release)

“Yes Man” Jim Carrey – Mix – New Movie (upcoming)

Brett Dennen – Record & Mix (New record)

Serena Ryder – Record & Mix (upcoming release)

Tyler Hilton – Record & Mix (upcoming release)

Lenka – “Knock Knock” – Single Mix – New Record

Robbie Robertson – Mix

Ben Lee – Record & Mix

A Fine Frenzy – Record & Mix

Sheryl Crow – Record

Aimee Mann – Record & Mix

(Magnolia soundtrack) & Bach. #2

Matt Nathanson – Recording

Rachael Yamagata (new record) – Record & Mix

Bethany Dillon – Record & Mix

Edie Brickell (new record) – Recording

Brendan James – Record & Mix

I Nine – Record Strings

Trevor Hall – Recording & Mixing

John Mayer Live – Mixing

New Found Glory -Recording

Dave Matthews – Record & Mixing

Meika Pauley – Mix

Stone Temple Pilots “Revolution” – Record

Liz Phair – Recording & Mixing

Five For Fighting – Record

Eric B. & Rakim – Mix

The Last Goodnight – Record

Michelle Branch – Record

Kate Voegele – Record

Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband Band – Record

George Stanford – Record & Mix 2 songs – new record

Train -Record

Lisa Marie Presley – Record

Year Long Disaster – Mix

Megan McCauley -Record & Mix Song on, Dr Phil Show

Chantal Keziazuk – Record

Stage – Record

Dishwalla – Record & Mix

Elton John – Record

MC Solaar Live – Record & Mix

Fiona Apple “TIDAL” – Record

Amy Carriea “Carnival” – Record & Mix

Stevie Nicks (soundtrack) – Record

Five For Fighting “America Town” – Record & Mix

Jeremy Toback – Record & Mix

Liz Phair (single) – Record & Mix

Crash Test Dummies – Record & Mix

Wallflowers (Godzilla soundtrack) -Record

Wallflowers (Virgin) – Record & Mix

Ringo Starr & The All-Starrs – Mix

Marilyn Manson – Record

Nine Inch Nails – Mix

Butthole Surfers – Mix

Ice Cube – Record & Mix

Don Henley “End Of The Innocence” – Record & Mix

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Record

X – Record

Wild Colonials “This Can?t Be Life” – Record

John Hiatt -Record & Mix

Mel Torme “Joe’s Garage” Soundtrack – Record & Mix

Wayne Shorter “High Life” – Record o/d’s

Barbara Streisand Rehearsal

Charlie Haden/Hampton Hawes – Mix

Beth Nielsen Chapman – Record & Mix

Soul Mission – Record & Mix

Robben Ford “Handful of Blues” -Record

Lili Haydn – Mix (2 songs)

Paul Thorn – Record

3 Mile Pilot – Record

Jon Bon Jovi “Blaze of Glory” – Mix & co-record

Fantasia “American Idol” – Record

Otep – Record & Mixing

Backstreet Boys – Record

Dandy Warhols (new record) Mix 1 song

Teddy Thompson (new record) – Recording

honeybird – Mix

ALSO-Recording & Mixing – iTunes Originals

Death Cab For Cutie

Liz Phair

Melissa Etheridge

Under The Influence Of Giants

Papa Roach

CONTACT INFO:

Management: Jim Phelan & Jerimaya Grabher @ GPS | Global Positioning Services

3435 Ocean Park Blvd., Ste. 107-191

Santa Monica, CA 90405

Tel – 310.828.1350

Fax – 310.828.1352

How to get great sounding drum tracks for your recording
By Brian Petersen at brianapetersen@gmail.com

Here is a video that has some shots of recent recording sessions.

Recording drums can be a daunting task and can even strike fear in the heart of any audio engineer. Most musicians have done some kind of recording with even a basic software program, but few have successfully recorded so many tracks at one time. That is what separates drum tracking from vocals, guitars, and other individual track recordings. A vocal recording requires one microphone, going into one mic pre, into one track in your software. A drum session requires eight microphones, going into eight mic pres, and to eight tracks into your session.

Before you start, you need to make sure that you have a software program with an audio interface that can record at least 4 to 8 channels of audio. XLR inputs with phantom power would be required unless you are using an external mixer and run your inputs as a line in level input with a tip/ring/sleeve ¼ inch connector from the mixer to your interface.

I begin the recording process by working within my software program. I prefer to work in pro tools but any professional software application or analog tape will work. I then set up the mics, cables, and pres while getting good sounds from the kit itself. Setting levels and getting a good monitor mix happens before your record, edit, mix, and master.

Set the meter and tempo in your session
This is often the part of the recording session that can take place before the drummer does anything, and the engineer can get to work far before any actual recording takes places. The engineer would make sure that the song session is set up properly and that the tempo and meter is in agreement with what the producer desires. This often happens in pre production when the producer works with the engineer to set the feel of each song and both set the tempo for each track. This is pretty important to get right up front so that you avoid re-recording your drums at another desired tempo at a later date.

Click track
Make sure that you create a click track that your drummer can hear during the recording process. This will also be used by other people who need to hear the tempo of the song during breaks and the acapella sections when the drums aren’t being played. I highly recommend that you record with a click so that all of your tracks are locked to a grid that can be easily edited throughout the production process. You can also use a loop or other support tracks that you created in pre-production. I try to get click tracks to my drummer before each session so they know the tempo and roadmap of the song that they are recording. This will help so that they can familiarize themselves with the song before they sit down to record at the session. The producer or songwriter will normally have charts of the songs before the recording session, and all you have to do is ask to get a copy of them. I mostly record with drummers that I know well and this also helps to streamline the process.

Set up tracks in your recording software
I set up tracks and signal flow inside of my session in this order:
Kick
Snare
Snare bottom (optional)
High hat
Tom
Tom
Tom
Stereo overhead mics
Room mic(s)

Set up mics, cables, mic pres, and get your sounds
Signal flow is so important! You must be able to follow the signal path from the instrument, to the mic, down the cable, to the mic pre, down that cable, to the input, and into your software session. You must then be able to route that sound through a drum buss, out of your interface, out a headphone mix for your drummer, and also a monitor mix for you the engineer. This has to be down with little or no latency in your computer software all while making sure that your levels are within their operable range. This is before you record anything.

I normally run each microphone through a high end mic pre before sending that signal into a recording interface. This gives a warmer or fatter sound to most of my inputs while reducing noise.

Have your drummer begin playing so that you can set your levels on the mic pres and on your interface inputs. Be sure that your drummer is actually playing the style and volume that they will be playing for the song that they are recording. Most drummers seem to sound check levels by playing something they did in the club the night before or play an epic drum groove that they learned recently. Make sure that they are actually playing the style and volume that they will be playing for the song that they are recording. It feels a bit odd to ask but few drummers actually play the style and volume that they will be playing for the song that they will be recording.

I normally rely on the drummer to get the sound from their drums that they like.I get asked about drum heads, tuning, and playing style, but I trust the drummers for all that. Sure I have my opinions and preferences, but I prefer to rely on the musician to setup and play their instrument well. As an engineer, I can also change/replace any of their sounds in editing or mixing at a later time.

I prefer to get the best sound possible while placing the overhead microphones and then add in the kick and snare. I will then add in the tom mics and pan them across the stereo spectrum while checking for phasing issues in a mono mix. I find that I don’t really use the high hat mic as it comes through the overheads, but I make sure that I have a good sound for that as well in case it is used in the mixing process. I add in my room mics for monitoring and continue to check levels and solo various tracks to make sure that nothing is clipping unless desired. I find that my best drum sounds can come from the room mics, overheads, kick, and snare. I prefer to not use any plug ins or reverbs while tracking and to monitor the inputs without any effects. Normally I only compress my room mics through a tube mic pre and compressor, while leaving my other tracks uncompressed.

Record
I record the sound check and continue to readjust levels throughout the process. When everything is setup and the producer and drummer are ready, you can start with your pre roll and begin recording. This is an important time to let your producer run the session and get the performance that everyone wants. You can stop and start at any time while make punches across your recorded tracks. Continue to watch your levels and check your monitor mix while recording. I make sure to pay special attention for soft passages in the performance where the drummer’s headphone mix might bleed into the overhead or room mics. I will also play back the whole drum take after the performance and carefully listen to make sure that everything is recorded as desired with no clicks or hit mics. It’s a great time to make sure that you recorded everything on the appropriate tracks and that all your sounds are properly routed in your session. It might be hard to explain to the producer and drummer that you recorded three tracks of the same tom because you forgot to route your inputs properly.

It seems that while recording to click tracks during sessions, most drummers seem to rush heading into drum fills and choruses, and slow down coming out of them.I make sure that the drummer sticks to the click as much as possible without me irritating the producer or drummer. This will help in editing the drums and while tracking all the other instruments that will be placed on top of the kit.

The Room
There are so many techniques on how to record drums and even more on the locations that can be used to record them. I prefer to record drums in a large “live” room with high ceilings. Churches are my favorite locations for numerous reasons. Make sure that there is no slap delay in the room and you can find this out by clapping your hands a couple times near the location where the drummer will be playing. You can use sound baffles or any kind of absorbent material to block such delays and tailor the sound to your desire. Check for crickets and other buzzing before you start recording.

Editing and Mixing Drums
After the initial recording session I listen back to the tracks and make any adjustments as needed. I trim off the beginning and end of the recorded tracks that could have the drummer or producer talking. I also fix any punches that might have been made and try to get the take to sound as natural as possible.

I like using samples for the kick and snare for most recordings. I find that I can get a better sound from a sampled kick or snare from logic than I can through a recorded microphone. This happens by using a pro tools plug-in to swap the originally recorded sound with the new sampled sound from an audio file.

There are many other ways to record drums, but I hope this is a start to getting great sounds while recording your session.