How to Create the Jeff Lynne Snare Sound

In this episode I give the key details on how to get Jeff Lynne's drum sound.

[@ALWTunes]

It is pretty interesting that you can always tell if a song was produced by Lynne just by the drums. It’s such a distinct sound. Thanks for the breakdown.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks ALW. Agreed he loves that sound and so do I. Go to my store and grab the samples... they’re free

[@adam-yk6yd]

its such a satisfying sound. Also only works with a drummer who is both good enough to play with control and precision but also prepared to play simply enough to give the space for that enormous sound to come through. Can you imagine this kind of sound with a busy drummer? Works so nicely when its a nice, open drum beat in the right tempo

[@paulrenowden8617]

Great video. Two of my musical heroes - Jeff Lynne and Tim Finn.

[@BobbyHuff]

Two of the best Paul!!

[@mattmaloney2445]

Winter light is a truly magic song.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Matt. I really enjoyed working on that song and the entire album Imginary Kingdom.

[@anthonydicarlo9554]

Another great video. Thank you for your passion and for explaining the process and steps from some of the greats.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Anthony !

[@kbrinson85]

I love finding a new channel and binging! I found you after Rick Beato gave you a shoutout during his live stream a couple nights ago. So far, everything here is gold. Keep up the good work, looking forward to pt 2 of this one!

[@BobbyHuff]

Hey Thanks. Rick is a great friend and incredibly smart! I appreciate you dripping in and I’m so happy you are enjoying the videos!

[@GIBKEL]

Talk about a sound that captured me as a kid. I used to sneak into my brothers room and crank the that ELO song and if pressed for time and getting caught...that song ‘Jungle’....it still gets me!

[@BobbyHuff]

Oh man I hear ya!!! I’ve been a fan since the first time I heard “Evil Woman,” on the radio!

[@KevinSparksatx]

It's amusing that you've put so much work into this. It's essentially an afterthought to Jeff, who records his drums in his storage room full of magazines and other junk.

[@BobbyHuff]

AGREED!!!

[@simply3141592654]

With those drums reminds me of Free As A Bird.

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes!!!! I LOVE THAT SONG!!!!!!

[@David-wf4wc]

Just watched this and the CLA snare video. I began mixing a year or so ago and with slow progress. So many videos have just the very basics or advanced level with a lot of assumption that we understand what is taking place. Thanks for how you approach and explain things. The engineering/mixing/mastering community needs more of this.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks a lot David for the kind words. I have found that so many people make it harder than it is. There are certainly tips and tricks that help get us down the road and give us an understanding of things but really it’s our ears and heart that make the difference....follow yours man!!

[@michaelnc4450]

Excellent video(s) Bobby. Thanks for the info, tips, tricks... it is really a great site!!! I have learned so much from your videos, and I still have a bunch more to go through! Thanks for the time posting!!!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks a lot Michael! I appreciate you watching and your kind comments man.

[@Nephilim2038]

I am really digging your channel. I’m so glad you let Rick talk you into launching it!

[@BobbyHuff]

Hahaha! Thanks Neph!

[@jimosberg3769]

I play guitar primarily so I'm used to layering tracks to get a sound. It's very interesting to me to get into the nuts and bolts of how that works with drums. Needless to say I learned some things from this video, as usual. Thanks Bobby.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thank you Jim! Yeah just about everything seems to have a layering aspect to it to achieve a certain sound. I appreciate you watching!

[@sef4pres]

Why don't people like this sound? No drum snare sounds better than Lynne's

[@BobbyHuff]

Well I sure love it and I think a lot of folks feel the same as you and me!

[@urasam2]

@@BobbyHuff Me too

[@TheStarclipse]

You're right

[@leoiori9675]

Just think of how opening is the drums intro in Free As A Bird … like a bunch of fresh air on my face … Jeff’s drumming isn’t probably the most luxurious but it’s pretty refreshing!

[@Solomongrundy68]

You nailed it man .... Amazing .... I might need to contact you later. You made my day

[@BobbyHuff]

Great!!

[@gibsonend]

I can usually tell it's Lynne by the sound of the acoustic guitars, especially 12 strings. I don't think I've ever picked up on the snare sound.

[@simply3141592654]

a lot of the times it isn't 12 strings but a whole bunch of differently tuned acoustics

[@manhattanmike6959]

I've been involved in making music since the age of 8. I'm now 39 and if my math is correct and I carry the 2 that would be 836 years in music!!! Wait, that can't be right 😳😕🤔. Love the break downs Bobby. I'm a new subscriber because of Rick Beato. Interesting stuff bud

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks man! Welcome to the channel! You’re as good at math as i am!! Haha

[@MusicLover10538]

Jeff Lynne the Music God!

[@BobbyHuff]

One of my favs!!

[@TheStarclipse]

Can you do a video about the snare sound that Jeff Lynne And Reinhold Mack created for Bev Bevan's drums on albums like "A New World Record" ?

[@rrojuan]

thanks bobby. thanks jeff

[@dondiegodelap]

Amazing!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Diego!

[@joelonsdale]

Where do I get that invisible hihat from? It sounds amazing!

[@BobbyHuff]

Hahahaha

[@andrebruscao6120]

Best snare

[@BobbyHuff]

Agreed!!

[@recordman555]

Bobby, you are the go-to guy for explaining audio production! Can you do a video on how to create the "auto-pan" effect that Daniel Lanois used on U2's "Still Haven't Found? Thanks!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Jon. I’ll look into it. Most likely a piece of outboard gear or panning automation. If it’s on guitar it could’ve been a pedal that The Edge had.

[@davecheney8501]

Love the demo music at 3:33

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Dave! Its actually a song I produced for the Chronicles of Narnia Movie called "Winter Light," by Tim Finn. Its also on the record Imaginary Kingdom which I also produced. Thanks for watching!

[@SaS-Music]

A great album. Knew it right away. Oh those Finn brothers!

[@asainloral9300]

Thank you and congratulations... you are a producer, so is it possible to tell me which synths or how makes Jeff Lynne to produce his typical “wave-like” sound with his synths... he uses this sound th emphasize a chord, for example... it’s a typical Jeff Lynne synth sound... Hope you see what I mean...

[@R0BL68]

I’m sure few people have ever really given this much thought but....I’ve always thought the snare sounds on the Outfield’s “Play Deep” album, were exceptionally cool and under-heralded. I’d love to see that snare sound replicated.

[@BobbyHuff]

GREAT SNARE GREAT BAND!!!

[@rockboy360]

Damn, a sample of that mult snare would be amazing.

[@BobbyHuff]

Go to my store and grab the samples....Easy to make the mult sound!!

[@PrimalNote]

Reminds me of a snare using the big fat snare drum muffle.

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes! That thing is amazing. Still freaks me out how it changes a snare so drastically!! Thanks for watching Primal.

[@simply3141592654]

Nice! Could you do something about his vocals, especially harmony stacking?

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes! I’ll put it on the list!

[@BobbyHuff]

I do have several background vocal videos check them out! I think they are called huge background vocals.

[@johnpaulpatton9786]

This snare sound is upfront and centered, but it also sounds wide. Are there elements of it that are panned, or is that just the sound of the stereo room mics? Also, are there any reverbs or gates applied?

[@BobbyHuff]

Def stereo room mics. Go grab the samples in my store. They are free.

[@MeTuLHeD]

Would it be possible to get this sound with stereo tracked reverb rather than room mics?

[@BobbyHuff]

A similar sound yes but natural room mics sound different than short reverbs.

[@22pcirish]

Not forgetting that the drums, during the ELO years, were played by Bev Bevan.

[@BobbyHuff]

Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!

[@AGENTARMES]

Is each mic EQ’d a certain way? My samples aren’t sounding right. Asking for a friend

[@BobbyHuff]

They should sound exactly like the video...is your project at 44.1?

[@leadfoot9748]

Hey Bobby, what's the secret to Geoff Lynne harmonies? I'm loving what he does in the chorus to Tom Petty's 'I Won't Back Down' but can't figure out what's going on...

[@horowizard]

So, what happens to the sound when you add in the rest of the Kit?

[@BobbyHuff]

it only gets better!

[@whychromosomesmusic5766]

Hello from "lock down" in Murfreesboro ;-) Y'all are taking way over my head. lol I know pretty much nothing about drums. I know ELO and Split Enz. My friend, John Shade, is a drummer. He would probably know what all of this means. I do have a funny story, for what it's worth. After Why Chromosomes made our three recordings I submitted a link to our Soundcloud page to Lightning 100 and I did get a reply saying "We should meet" and a link to a page for some kind of artist career counselors. I told John about it at my next guitar lesson with him. He said, 'I wouldn't waste your money on that. Just tell them you want them to play your music." I told him that it doesn't work like that. We have to play live and they have to come and see us, yada, yada." So I never really thought much more about it. Now today in my email I get this hashtag SaveOurAirwaves message from Lightning 100 saying how we can contribute memorabilia or other things to do with our "fans", etc. And I'm thinking, "What fans? lol" So I forwarded that to John. He should get a kick out of that. lol And other than a big huge shelf falling right next to me last week that's about the most excitement I've had in a while. Take care and stay safe.

[@BobbyHuff]

Hahaha Stay Safe man!

[@carlsalazar4490]

Bobby I’m not a drummer, but I always wondered if the drummer follows a specific musician or do they just know the song?

[@kingkrollinvention]

do you ever record a drum set and then manipulate the sound afterward without samples? just curious, im not trying to be negative. it just seems to me if you want to get the sound these guys got, you would do it organically the way they did.i record drumsets and do things to it. its fun art! nice videos. keep up the good work.

[@BobbyHuff]

Good question! I do all the above. Jeff Lynne often records one drum at a time and I do that as well! No rules. Keep in mind the only reason they recorded the way they did back then is because they had no other options like we do. Ha!!

[@TheAquabears]

You seem to know a lot about Jeff Lynne's snare setups. I'm wondering if you've heard about his upside-down snare trick, and whether this is something he actually did or if the tale was apocryphal?

[@BobbyHuff]

I explain in the video how I saw his engineer do it..

[@paulmix3858]

Wasn't it Bev Bevan who played drums in ELO?

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes absolutely!!! In the early days it was Bev but the drum sounds were all dictated by Jeff. Later it’s all Jeff playing.

[@snsnshhhs663]

@@BobbyHuff “early days” “later” ELO was from 1970-1986. Anything after was a mistake.

[@davidjacobsen1903]

good one nice exercise...toughest thing when mixing tracks is when the snare is too loud for the kit and the cymbals are too heavy for the song...all end up too loud in room and overheads

[@BobbyHuff]

Agreed and you can’t use the beautiful ambience of the room mics...that sucks!!!

[@davidjacobsen1903]

@@BobbyHuff Bobby Audio Engineering students from reputable colleges would do 1 or 2 week internships at my studio, and the common theme was that no one was teaching them to listen, they spend their time looking... a tad ironic. So I think there's a master class in this... squeaky bass drum pedals, noisy air con flutes in expensive studios that whistle in the overheads of an old mic that people think sound amazing but its actually a tired old mic.... and how to make the performers feel like they deserve to be there to make something special happen while also crafting for them a sonic foundation that will enhance their individuality.....so many factors just relate to listening....and relating to people without ego... what you're displaying is masterclass stuff and while you make it look easy and you're funny!, (and I grew up in the studio business in Sydney Australia and started engineering in 1982) this is priceless stuff, that colleges can't and don't teach. I'm excited to learn new things, just when I thought I was completely on top of things...Namaste

[@BobbyHuff]

@@davidjacobsen1903 wow thanks so much David. You’re so kind. I’ve been doing this a while and still do it Mon-Fri and slip a video in on Sat. I feel like I’ve learned a lot of REAL WORLD stuff by masters of the art so I’m really just trying to pass it on and give people a laugh too. The music business and the way songs are recorded changes so rapidly that I feel like I can be a voice that is up to date and doing it and maybe of some service to others who want to either make a living at it or just improve their art. I certainly appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment. I’ve been to Sydney..was Leann Rimes musical director and drummer 15 years ago and we did a week in Oz. I absolutely loved it and the people there were FANTASTIC. The countryside reminds me a lot of where I live outside of Nashville. Also went to New Zealand. Both places beautiful with lovely people. Also...I have been very guilty in the past of not listening and just grabbing the edit tool. Now...when I get a take that I think feels great I turn my monitor off and listen. I only notate the spots I hear that need a tweak and leave the rest alone. Don’t care anymore if it’s not exactly on the grid unless it’s EDM or some pop or urban.

[@davidjacobsen1903]

@@BobbyHuff Hey Bobby, happy to hear that you've visited our lucky country and as MD for such a major artist, and I'm sure you had some laughs on the road back then! I enjoy watching and learning or being reminded of the things that I so much enjoyed about engineering and producing in large scale studios and with vastly talented people (from whom I learned so much). (I still study guitar from amazing players online almost every night ....and I started fronting bands very young and recording at age 14, and playing with major artists at 17...but learning never ends if you're someone who is inspired by exanding). These days I sit in a small room, not concerned about piano tuning, tape noise or tape alignment, (the things that we had to keep an eye on) but trying in an ITB setting to create mixes that sound as deep, warm and engaging as they used to be by pushing up the faders from a 2" tape machine into an old analogue console. Anyway the ideas and "tricks" you present are golden and well done for your comedic flare, enthusiasm and efforts to bring them to your forum. You're a great role model for aspiring young producers and artists!

[@BobbyHuff]

@@davidjacobsen1903 geez David I really appreciate that. Thanks so much for the kind words. I’m doing the same here in my studio. Programming, producing, and mixing all in the box. Funny how sessions were once a room full of musicians and now I’m alone about 90% of the time. Ha. Rolling with the changes in recording, gear, trends...it’s all part of it and necessary for staying relevant. If I had it my way I would just record Beatles and Tom Petty sounding songs all day but that isn’t reality. I enjoy what I do and guys like Mutt, Max Martin, The Monsters and Strangerz, Ricky Reed, etc. are always pushing me to learn more and adding to my vocabulary. Take care down under and thanks for watching and commenting my friend.

[@g.reynolds5610]

the heck with the SNARE that's an AMAZING HI-HAT you are are getting without the Hi-HAT - ;)

[@BobbyHuff]

hahaha!!!!! thanks G.

[@Fos3tex]

Aargh! I've been playing so long I no longer remember how to hit the snare without a rim shot!

[@ctbradey]

Recorded in the studio bathroom

[@WineSippingCowboy]

I like this video. I Won't Back Down! L🤣L

[@nikdrown]

Rooms are everything to a drum sound. Most times unfortunately I have to throw the tracks out because they sound like garbage. Altiverb makes for a great room replacement. Unless of course you’re going for a dry drum sound and in your face close mics are your ticket. But even a good small room can bring that sheen to them.

[@jwebstersmithii7459]

SUMNER! :)

[@BobbyHuff]

He’s always screwing up...

[@jonnuanez2843]

To me, it's a very airy and kinda crispy sounding snare. It was more evident on the 80s recordings-Petty, Wilburys, etc. ELO had so much going on productionwise; very dense recordings. Again, just imo.

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes! Go to my store and grab the free samples

[@jonnuanez2843]

@@BobbyHuff Like I do with Costco. I will. Thanks.

[@thomassunkel9229]

I love Jeff. But that snare: NO 😖

[@Solomongrundy68]

Its funny how lof of drummers are so lost and wrong when they say "its not the sound, its the drummer".

[@michaelg6972]

Hopefully not the overbearing snare sound that ruined "Free as Bird."

[@jeffreyklaproth7794]

oo I get it, music surgery because your dissecting producers work in their tracks? O wait, maybe it would be more appropriate if you were dissecting a frog on a high school science table? lol! All the top producers are getting really mad at you for giving away The magicians trade secrets. If everybody passes around all the top producers tricks, then all of us are all going to be top producers, what will they have? Seriously your channel is tits thank you!

[@stuartwhomsley]

Though when he re-recorded his hits playing everything himself you could tell he was nowhere near as good a drummer as Bev Bevan on the originals.

[@BobbyHuff]

Agreed but it still sounds amazing!

[@waynedeadder664]

That snare sound ruined music for 7 years

[@KevinSparksatx]

I hate that it's such a trademark sound, because he won't stop using it even today

[@TheStarclipse]

He's using it since the late 80's

[@paul_grimsley]

Please please mic your piece to camera intro a little better. I’d have though someone with such knowledge of audio wouldn’t accept that low leval of quality.

[@brianholm1404]

Wish he didn't use it on The Beatles stuff... it turned it into a Jeff Lynne production as opposed to The Beatles.

[@BobbyHuff]

That's what they wanted from Jeff and i loved it but you are totally entitled to your opinion Brian!

[@Nephilim2038]

I thought it didn’t work very well on Free As A Bird, but it worked absolutely perfectly on Real Love. So I’m glad they gave us those tracks.

[@BobbyHuff]

@@Nephilim2038 I hear ya. I liked it on both but there’s no right answer.

[@RjBenjamin353]

Forget this bastardization of music. Bring back the Phil Spector way of recording!!!!!

[@joelonsdale]

Are you gonna pay for it?

[@calista2010]

please don't put your thoughts here Voltaire. None of them help.

[@RjBenjamin353]

@@calista2010 STFU Ferret! How old are you 15?

[@thetruth156real3]

No wonder musics terrible now.