Tracking snares with Steve Albini

[@mixwiththemasters]

Full video available exclusively on mwtm.org/sa-tracking-drums

[@rickblackers88]

Came the bad news of Steve's passing. So sad!! It was great Steve, thanx for all!!

[@TheLikesofMeh]

This is the first I am hearing. Damn what a blow! RIP Steve! A LEGEND IN SOUND

[@phillipemery572]

I like that Steve uses the word "satisfying" to describe the objective in engineering. There's too much of this idea of "perfect" or "ideal" out there. If it sounds good, it IS good.

[@handssmelloh9173]

My thoughts exactly.

[@MrMystery666]

Phillip Emery remember someone saying to me about the look right method. If it looks right it’s more often than not right. I guess a similar principal works with sound.

[@phillipemery572]

@@MrMystery666 Have heard that as well. We make engineering into rocket science, but a lot of great records were made with bad equipment and guesswork.

[@EddySchmidt25]

i agree, but do you also agree some people think it is good when it really isn't? lol

[@phillipemery572]

@@EddySchmidt25 It's all about context. There are a lot of classic drum parts with awful snare sounds in isolation (go check out some Ringo isos), but when it all comes together it may be irrelevant. A good song and a good performance will beat an idealized sound any day.

[@seandoherty9820]

I never get tired of watching Steve Albini do his work. He's the Gen-X version of Eddie Kramer in recording engineering terms.

[@HoiPolloi]

As sad as it's going to be to watch, he left a great deal of documentation for everyone to take in. Thanks, Steve :)

[@taejun9017]

That looks like a fresh jump suit, Steve is doing well. I have not recorded with Steve, but he mixed an album of mine like 6 months ago, and he is a great guy to work with! Was a really fun time.

[@pomrecording]

Really love listening to Mr.Albini talks. Thank you for great content!

[@SuperWave86]

Steve Albini is such an awesome Musician, Producer and teacher!! 👨‍🏫 He has been inspirational to my recording and musicianship as a musician, producer, and mixer! ❤️ thx 😊

[@BigMuff75]

RIP Steve. Imho criminally underrated. Thanks for the awesome albums.

[@pattonPwr]

RIP Steve Albini 💔💔💔

[@ProDrummer]

As a drummer, i recorded countless times drums for different musicgenres in my own studio. I experimented a lot around snaredrums (my hats are very low) and here´s what i came up with. 1.) i only used SM57 on top, no bottom, 2.) my snare mic comes from the front (at 12 o´clock) not from the side, 3.) i use a pair of hi hats wich are not too loud but still can handle alle styles of music, 4.) use a louder snare wich creates enough transients and 5.) use the right and an new drumhead for that snare, to produce enough volume and transients. With this technic i always had a very clean directsignal, with absolutey minimum of hi hat bleed, just fantastic. No EQ´s needed, no gates needed, just the pure sound of the snare. Learn to set the levels the right way, and let the mic´s open. Spill is an important part of the drumsound.

[@godofspacetime333]

How far from the snare do you put the mic? I’ve never had luck putting an SM57 right over the rim of the snare a few inches from the head like every video shows, it always seems to end up with nothing but low end and not being very great with the attack.. backing it off several inches always sound better (isolated, anyway), but then of course you end up with more hi-hat bleed. Not too much of an issue though. If the close mic is mostly just for body I could see the sound I’m getting from a very close SM57 working, with the overheads and stuff rounding out the top end and whatnot. But it never gives me a “satisfying” sound in itself, so I stopped doing it a while ago. Wondering if maybe I should go back to that and just adjust my mixing strategy?

[@ThomasMYoutube]

I recently had this revelation, snare drum sound is not reliant on the sound provided just by the mic pointing at the drum; it's a composite of all the mics on the kit.

[@assshakerstudios549]

Excellent. It does take some time to come to that realization. It also can limit you in some ways when your interface can't keep up with your desire to use more mics, IMO. I'm aware of 3 and 4 mic's , or even 1 mic, micing the whole kit...which is great for certain styles. But for something like Slipknot, that's just NOT going to cut it, where as more mics will help you get that sound your going for! I started out with an 8 channel system the M-Audio Delta 1010 back in 2000's ish..well it was my 2nd computer recording system, but still the starting off point for computer systems and not analog systems! Very first system was a 16 bit 1 track system! But I digress...After I was able to add room mics and try different multi mic'ing techniques....it opened up a whole other world of sonic possibilities and colour without eq, compression, consoles, and tape! And I encourage anyone who is recording REAL DRUMS to try adding more channels, while still balancing phase problems with those adding of channels(however there is great software now to help deal with that, and cheaper stuff than Sound Raddix like Melda's MAutoAllign-some say it doesn't work as good on GS but they bitch about everything over there, and faSampleDelay which is free, vstlist.com/plugin/fasampledelay-best-free-phase-alignment-plugin, but IMO the best way to balance phase is to manually go in, cut and move each note/hit so doing a DI track is essential on heavily distorted guitars, otherwise you can't see where you r supposed to cut and move which is a guessing mans game at that point and will totally fuck up your shit! The key with this procedure is to NOT OVERDUE it! As that's supper easy to do and will make it sound like shit! You should see Rick Beato's phase adjustment to John Bonham's drums, it ruined them!!!!!!!!!! To the extreme fucking destroyed his drums! It was worse phase corrected! So that is something you only learn after thousands of hours of working on this technique!). Then try adding in things like, pointing a mic at a wall with good reflections coming off it....that captures the room of the kit, and also mic'ing technique's that don't make sense! Like a modified Glen Johns technique with your overheads, but instead of not wanting kick and snare in the overheads position them so you get more kick, snare and toms in your overheads....so it's adding to your kick ,snare, and toms sound to make them sound huge! On certain things, magic can happen! Won't work for everything though! Then try pointing a mic at the floor! Craziness like that is a great tonal tool to use when you fully understand phase and how to correct phase in balances post, as no matter how good you are there are always gonna be a little. And then knowing when you need those phase imbalances to make it sound natural!

[@ErickC]

I've been trying to exploit that truth of late - I only have eight channels available, but I figure that careful placement can round out the sound the way I want it to, for example, a carefully-placed microphone behind the kit can catch the bottom of the snare and the batter side of the kick, while the four close mics on the snare, tom, and kick provide attack for the shells. The overheads act as glue, and a single room mic sort of ties a bow around the package.

[@RanceChampion]

Truth! I oftentimes compress the crap out of the snare with a slow attack/fast release, and soloed it can sound completely ridiculous. But once you turn on all the other channels, it sounds perfectly natural with a slightly exagerrated ‘crack.’

[@autodidacticprofessor869]

@@RanceChampion You wouldn't have to do that if you start out with a mic that gives you more dynamic range and a more powerful sound to begin with. I stopped using 57's and dynamic mics and use an Audiotechnica 2035 with a -10db pad. No matter how loud a drummer plays, I never have to compress and gain up the mic and I only cut frequencies out I don't like or need. I never need to boost highs. The combination of boosting highs and compression is why hi-hats are such a problem and people start putting gates and samples and nonsense on the snare track. If you start with a mic that actually sounds right and gives you punch and transient power to begin with, you can build the kit around that track instead of playing that game of boosting the snare track and then realizing you've wrecked your drum sound with all the chatter from the gate or weird bleed.

[@whathobbythisweek]

That part about the snare and hihat distance is so important. I tried to tell younger drummers this when I was running live sound. They never listened. RIP Steve

[@nickdenardo6479]

as a drummer and mixing engineer, i will leave my hihat close to my snare. this is how I'm comfortable playing and i will take a comfortable, creative performance over a little hihat bleed every single song.

[@andrewsimpson3194]

I worked with an engineer that used the word "fine" to describe a good sound or a good take. As the performer being recorded I appreciated the objectivity.

[@Oliver-ty7xu]

I imagine that could piss a vocalist of though. "-What did you think of that? - Oh it was fine - Uhm ok should I do another one...."

[@petitfantome777]

@@Oliver-ty7xu u could

[@godofspacetime333]

@@Oliver-ty7xuyou just have to imagine that they’re from the 19th century: “How was that take?” “It was a FINE vocal performance my good fellow.” “Okay cool thanks!”

[@Yeremiaverdika]

Thx for your advice, i never use condensor mic for miking top snare, but i think it must be fun to try, thx

[@coreymelanson2906]

Just incredible,very to the point,and no ussless mumbo jumbo!! Listen to every golden word!! Lol. Mr.Albini your a genius, a god amust great engineers, a great teacher,glad I have these posts to study,and run to my studio. Thank you-COREY M.

[@jmc4747]

I did a pair of albums with Steve in 2009/2010. He’s a fantastic and knowledgeable engineer. World class, in my view.

[@marcelb7259]

At least one engineer who does not stick with the usual and boring SM57. I wasn't aware of that microphone brand and I would have like to listen to the result. Great video and nice advices from Steve.

[@cactustactics]

Steve has opinions about the SM57

[@Sunkenballs12]

💀 bruh. Many have achieved better than steve with an sm57. Who cares if its boring

[@sqeakgeek]

Try this sometime I am a drummer & producer been doing both going on 30 yrs one of best sounds came with condenser mics 2 one bottom then very close to the sound hole of the snare but at a 90 degree angle so the air does NOT push the diaphragm of the mic. Came out so phat & developed . 🎵🔈😃

[@sqeakgeek]

We also had a Omni mic over top for the balance you were talking about.

[@katielowen]

I wish I had a dad and that it was Steve.

[@BillMcGirr]

Good stuff. Invaluable information. Appreciate the video.👍💪🥃

[@komputnik]

It depends. I used a C451E along with a CK28 capsule, which has also a lot of bass response compared to its size, i ended up with a vintage SM57. What Steve left out is, that the drummer's responsilbilty for the snare drum to fit the kit and the sound is to TUNE it right. Yes, it's all about tuning. The lower you tune, the "fatter" the snare sound. The snare in the video used was tuned pretty high. So, don't expect much bass from it. I use a 69 Supraphonic with a original 12 strain snare wire (casted by rubber) and it's amazing. Tuning is quite low, but not Bonham low. So it's the middleway between highs and lows. Micing strongly depends on the kit used. A vintage kit ( 3 layers of wood) sound more "boomy" than a 7 layer kit. I only use 4 mics and a large room the get the drums genuine sound. I don't wanna have a "artificial" kit sound by micing all toms and cymbals. I use two custom built active ribbon mics (BX44) a M380TG for the bass drum (best mic IMHO für bass drums).

[@DannyGadish]

Bonham tuned his snare extremely, as high as it would go pretty much.

[@autodidacticprofessor869]

Funny that you'd say he "left out" the tuning part because he literally tunes every drum kit he records, unless he and the drummer are fully satisfied with the sound. In fact, he has videos on his own Electrical Audio channel about tuning drums and he's very good at it (for a guitar player...haha). I would posit that in his 45 years of recording drum kits, it isn't as if a single thing you've said hasn't crossed his mind in concept but his method is based on all those years of recording every kind of kit, with every kind of tuning you can imagine. This guy has probably recorded over 100 kits a year for over 40 years. Most of the famous records he's done use very low tuned snare drums. Dave Grohl's snare was an 8" deep Tama Artwood maple which was tuned like a tom basically. I completely agree with him that SM57 are incredibly dull and require massive EQ'ing to get anything even close to cutting through a mix which not only creates phase rotation in the summing but if you compress and gain up that signal (which you have to do because dynamic mics are tonally and dynamically dull), you're bringing up the wash of hi-hats too. If you record a snare with a small or medium condenser mic of decent quality, you don't need to add any EQ and in my experience, you need very little dynamic manipulation or transient/envelope enhancement to get a cutting sound. so the low level stuff that compressors bring up, stay low. Also, consider that when a band asks Steve to record their band, they want "his" sound which is a kit that is essentially as natural as it sound in a room but with the necessary control elements of each drum because the bands he generally records are crazy loud. Nothing about his acoustic drum sounds are "artificial". I think you have him and CLA mixed up. He doesn't use gates and using mics on the top and bottom actually creates a more natural tom sound because you are hearing both heads. I'm sure he has done simple 3 or 4 mic setups with musical acts that insist on that or require less.

[@АлександрШтраух-ю5б]

​@@autodidacticprofessor869Hm... I read an interview with Dave's drum tech Gersch and he mentioned that despite his tunings Dave would constantly crank his snare drum heads

[@izzydavis4188]

Long live Albini

[@omarmega4093]

What a time to be alive

[@joelonsdale]

What time is it?

[@omarmega4093]

@@joelonsdale to be alive

[@ferdinandbardamu.]

@@omarmega4093 based

[@lyfestylemuzik7931]

Makes a lot of sense

[@matthewburga]

RIP Steve

[@tovmusic]

I love that he always wears a uniform in the studio lol. Somehow it makes sense for the job yet virtually no one does it.

[@Tomix098]

I bought a uniform for the studio time :)

[@StarAD]

He wants to deviate is persona from the creative process. The musicians are the creative part of the machine. He is showing is job is just technical. He does it in a very smart way, non verbal.

[@ryanlocati5695]

Coveralls for da win, just in case his compressors leak

[@shanesmane]

Love this, and he did an amazing job on in utero 👏

[@randalclarke5487]

Not really, if you read the back story on it

[@mustymax5878]

@@randalclarke5487 ??

[@randalclarke5487]

@@mustymax5878 much of In Utero was remixed completely

[@BIG_PASTA]

@@randalclarke5487 But his versions are subjectively "better" if you dig the aggressive style and loud drums :)

[@bluehole6019]

@@randalclarke5487No it wasn’t. Two songs were remixed for the single releases, Heart-Shaped Box and All Apologies, much to Steve’s chagrin and as a result of immense label pressure on the band to make the singles sound more commercial. They’d entered a sort of a pact before recording that the record wouldn’t be remixed after Steve’s involvement, but the powers that be essentially forced Nirvana’s hand. Had there been no outside influence, the original album would have been present in its entirety upon release, but that being said, it was only those two tracks that were released with the alternate mixes. (The final single, Pennyroyal Tea, never got fully circulated in single form because it was pulled after Kurt’s death.) The band was quite happy with Steve’s mixes by all accounts, and both parties seem to look back on the sessions fondly, including a notoriously skeptical and curmudgeonly Albini, who was won over by their perceived dedication to truly making a polarizing and abrasive album. So pleased was the band and so sturdy were the bonds built with Albini that he actually came BACK and remixed the album in 2013 for the 20th anniversary. There’s also been a remix of the album this year, but I can’t seem to find any info on who did it. It sounds like Steve again though. But yeah, I wouldn’t call two tracks and a single “most” of the album, especially when those were the least abrasive songs they could’ve chosen to remix.

[@lamunecadesal8659]

I LOVE Albini ♥️

[@Aama_ralte]

Another great info👍👍

[@SlimyboyDave]

R.I.Paradise, Steve Albini 💔

[@hawkrolla]

I've learned everything I need to know about snares from listening to The End of Radio. Rest In Peace Steve

[@charlesmcbride4097]

Great video. Thanks for posting. Why use a small-med. diaphragm rather than the commonly-used large condenser for snare ? Thanks!

[@tendraftsdeep]

Rest in Peace Sound Wizard

[@FVDaudio]

Excellent as usual.

[@MassimilianoPoli]

altec? to me it looks like an oktava mk012. it has no built-in cable and the one attached is an xlr (not even multipin for a tube microphone).

[@NathanAlef]

Agreed, this is almost certainly an Oktava 012, he's also known to use these as rooms

[@inkusaido]

I don't think this is Steve's studio

[@NathanAlef]

@@inkusaido It's not, this is Studios La Fabrique in Paris where they host many of the MWTM sessions

[@tuckerburnes]

He didn’t say he was using it here. This isn’t his studio. It is a mic he owns. This Octavia is somewhat similar.

[@MassimilianoPoli]

@@tuckerburnes even if this is not his studio it does not change the fact that he says "there is an altec", and I apologize but the mk012 and the altec he talks about, do not look alike at all. Of course it doesn't change the fact that steve is absolutely and undoubtedly one of the best!

[@weirdskyreallyweird.5519]

Anyone else watching this whilst having absolutely no access to a drum kit, the space to house it or the mics to record it?

[@doknox]

I spent about 2 months tweaking my mic setup. I have 8 mics running to a mixer. So I'm recording all drums into 2 mono channels (left and right). Talk about difficult to get right! Finally got the sound I'm looking for. Sounds like late 90s metal. Tip for getting a good snare sound: use a snare side mic along with your regular snare mic. I always wondered why my snare sounded so empty. No snare side presence. Also at least one overhead condenser to capture the full range of the cymbals, cutting the low end completely and mid range about halfway. Might do good to cut some low and mid range from the snare side mic as well as it is extremely close to the bass drum. Hope this helps the budget studio drummers out there.

[@saintjames7387]

0:05 i didnt know they had a sample of me on the toilet

[@simonh9987]

i prefer to have my snare sound like a toilet seat lid being opened and closed over and over

[@analoggil9643]

RIP Mix Master!

[@godofspacetime333]

Time to go back to this track I’ve been working on and stop trying to remove the snare from the overheads and tom mics. Should have trusted my original instinct, which was that it sounded good before I started processing it all to shit and that the rest of the mics were actually adding something that made it sound very natural and pleasing. I’ve never been a fan of gates on drums, other than maybe on a kick drum that rings way too long or something, but I’ve gotten into the bad habit of putting an extra compressor or clipper or limiter on the overheads for higher-tuned snares that seem to overwhelm the overheads, thinking that the snare mic should be the vast majority of the snare sound (which never quite sounds as good as the combination of the other mics anyway). I know that if I had been working on my four track or something where I had more limited options for drum processing I wouldn’t have fallen into this pit; having endless options, like being able to load up endless instances of plugins, can be a bad thing, and I knew this starting out. I guess it’s one more thing you just have to remind yourself of every once in a while. But I love it when the most simple solution yields the best results. And I need to remember that a drum kit is one instrument with several pieces, not 8-10 instruments that need to be treated separately. Once again, Steve Albini sets things straight with just a few words.

[@Wtfdawg321]

I need to get my coveralls out to be in the same mindset as this guy

[@paranoidjones]

i appreciate everything said here, but that isn't the altec, its a very affordable oktava. are you using the card or hyper cap, Steve? Assuming you're using the pad as well, Steve. HELP US STEVE, WE CAN'T ALL AFFORD AN ALTEC 175

[@archtop]

Phase rotation in the high frequencies ?

[@tuckerburnes]

Most equalizers induce phase shift when boosting or cutting frequencies. When this happens it will change the phase relationship that portion of the signal being equalized to the other acoustic sounds in the room and to the signals from other mics, thereby causing phase cancellation which sounds like “blurriness” or a lack of focus.

[@archtop]

@@tuckerburnes yes, I understand the principle, just the usage of rotation had me curious.

[@FortyHurts]

@@archtop Consider that phase is measured in degrees. This is why the terms "phase" and "polarity" are not interchangeable. "Flipping" polarity simply inverts the waveform. Putting something 180 degrees out of phase slides the waveform forward or backward 1/2 wavelength for a given frequency.

[@archtop]

@@FortyHurts Thank you, that makes sense to me now.

[@380stroker]

Phase deals with timing issues, where as polarity refers to speakers or microphones being wired correctly for example, and has nothing to do with timing. You can however have 2 microphones out of phase with eachother and out of polarity at the same time. It is very important when you buy new monitors that you check their polarity. You'd be surprised how many items arrive with the wiring reversed.

[@Ohenry92]

It's amazing how complex thing get when you're a pro.

[@redcoulter]

RIP STEVE💀

[@phxx3054]

is he using an Oktava there?

[@dummy0000000]

yeah, looks like a black MK-012

[@jorgeconde4550]

Is he? I was reading the comments to know looking for this info... Im afraid of break the capsule of my Oktavas.

[@SeanofAllTrades]

My hi-hat sits like 2 inches from my snare. There's no way to mic my kit the way I play :(

[@xsonicassassinx]

time to move it. better to pull that bandaid off now

[@ElmoSyr]

As an engineer the first thing I'd ask is if you could move it higher without affecting your playing too much. I suggest learning to play with the cymbals as far away from the drums as feasible. You'll get better results when recording.

[@philanaemic]

There's always a way. Recording drums is all about compromises.

[@queenpurple8433]

Yea you gonna have to just get past that. I used to play the same way but now I literally have my hi hat almost two feet above my snare

[@drumdude123]

Two words: room mic

[@Tony-kc5fi]

Is this a green screen background or are they recording these sessions at the most ridiculously downtown abbey type studio ever...

[@GABRIEL_CRAFT]

before Nirvana ever worked with Steve Albini, The guys were riding in the car listening to the pixies Surfer Rosa and Kurt Cobain raised his finger and declared "this shall be our snare sound" This story was told via Dave Grohl in his interview with Conan O'Brien along with Krist Novaselic and Steve Albini

[@hinder10709]

It's too bad that In Utero sucked. Including the snare. That said, Cobain was a junkie who married Courtney Love and blew his brains out so may he had really clear and insightful opinions on drum sounds.

[@eaterofspiders]

@@hinder10709 Projecting much?

[@TimSuliman]

Is there a snare mic you would recommend that people could actually buy?

[@darrenguitar]

audix 15 is a great mic , shure sm57 or the beta 57 are both great options

[@chrisknight3734]

I love the beta 57 on snare. Steve has also mentioned Oktava mk 012 with attenuating pad

[@oliverj_oh]

look at electricalaudio.com (his studio's website). It has a gear list with a good description of each mic they have and what they're typically used for. Lots of budget-friendly gear.

[@autodidacticprofessor869]

He's not using the Altec in this video. He's an Oktava Mk12 which you can get "cheap" used on eBay. They are his 2nd choice if he can't have his Altec mic.

[@phillipemery572]

Grab pretty much any small condenser of your choice. The brand doesn't really matter, because the mechanical concepts are essentially the same. Steve is using what is probably a $100 Oktava mic here. They grow on trees on Reverb and eBay. And Steve's implicit point here is that the snare mic matters waaaaaaaaay less for the final sound you're hearing on the record. Much of what gives "weight" and "body" is actually the overheads and ambient mics. The direct mic is primarily capturing the attack and snap of the drum, which is why the speed of an SDC works so well in that spot. You don't have to concoct additional attack with a bunch of compression and expansion and EQ, because the mic is naturally better at capturing those elements.

[@Drakenhax]

Rip mate. Horrible news.

[@TheCactusjack1]

Christ, the amount of time and energy spent just to say don't fret too much about the snare drum mike!

[@ProDrummer]

Nowadays in digital world, most people delete the spill on the tom mics then wondering why the snare sounds like crap!! Then trying to fix it with samples and tons of sample rooms and reverbs. They are just to concerend bout spill. I never use any gates nor cleaning up tom mics. I let them open and it sounds great. If you know how to set the levels right, it´s the best thing you can do. Like in the old days.

[@weschilton]

In the old days we just did it with lots of tape and cloth! LOL

[@cedarandsound]

What kind of close mic is that on the top snare? By that I mean what brand/model is it?

[@cedarandsound]

Nevermind, I just heard him say it. Should've waited...

[@TheIllynow]

@@cedarandsound Altec - something 65 or 75

[@joeMW284]

Oktava MK012

[@User-jk8wq]

@@cedarandsound Hehe, Nevermind...

[@PontiacS.]

On Hendrix recordings Mitch Mitchell used a Small Jazz kit(he WAS a Jazz drummer after all, slumming it with Jimi) and they used one overhead Mic. It's all about the Player.

[@relaxingsounds1386]

So we're not gonna hear any snare drum sound at all?

[@pfmrokman]

Just to add to this (like this guy needs my help ;)... After you track go through your tracks and nudge/pull the other mics along the grid until ALL the snare strikes 'line up' with your main top snare mic (all the highest part of the attack line up on the grid)... It'll mitigate alot of phase cancellation etc... If you use more than one mic on the kik, line them up as well. I do not 'line up' the kik and snare tracks to each other.(any 'snare bleed' in your kik mics will be negligible and easily removed with a gate)

[@autodidacticprofessor869]

He doesn't use a DAW. He's 100% analog and refuses to use digital recording and probably never will as long as tape is available. And no, he doesn't need any help because he knows how to mic a kit and mitigate phase issues by moving microphones, especially overheads and room mics, until the biggest, fullest and deepest sound is achieved. He does very little post-recording processing because his setup and methods are tried and true. The only "digital manipulation' he uses is an Eventide digital delay that delays room mics about 15-20ms depending on the room to simulate the slight "slap" that a drummer would actually hear when the sound returns back to them from the walls of the studio. That's one reason his recordings sound so realistic and 3 dimensional. I'm convinced a lot of these "move the waveform" and phase alignment tools and methods are so popular is because young people have no clue how to properly mic up a drum kit.

[@njudndudi]

I think you should check for phase cancellations before even recording it. Having to do it afterwards will just introduce more and new problems. But if you have to do some phase correction afterwards I think it would be better to line the single instrument mics up with the Overheads and not the other way around

[@phillipemery572]

@@njudndudi Yeah. If you're going to do the re-align trick, align them with the overheads. No matter what you do, you're going to get cancellations. It's impossible to have 5+ mics all in phase across the entire kit. Geometry just doesn't work like that.

[@gumbilicious1]

Troop. Damn snare bleeds through everything

[@rockboy360]

it seems like he doesn't use any gates on his drum tracks for what he's saying.

[@citadelasoundproduction9412]

I never use gates, though I do manually mute the toms when they are not playing. I think he's referring to overhead and room signals, though.

[@autodidacticprofessor869]

Gates are problem solvers or Band-Aids but if you solve the problems based on better microphone and placement decisions, you won't need things like gates.

[@CentaurPress]

I didn’t realizing Eq on snare could cause issues🤔

[@Celebcarcrash]

We have worked with Steve for this release kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGini4iom6enarM

[@justinsmith2487]

If only Steve had produced St. Anger.

[@stnkfngr6109]

Right!😂

[@frederickkrug5420]

I love St Anger I know I’m in the minority

[@famousbastard5344]

@@frederickkrug5420u crazy

[@famousbastard5344]

st anger is already a very odd record i wonder with the kind of space and separation, along with steves utilitarian approach i would just sound weirder.

[@LeslieDugger]

I don’t mind snare and hi hat being close together. It’s mainly up to the drummer to stop hitting the hi hats and cymbals so hard.

[@Currrby]

never

[@autodidacticprofessor869]

That's why we need to change how we think about recording. People who use 57's do so out of reflex and lack of experimenting. They are low gain, so you have to gain the mic up and that brings the hi-hats up. People also compress them with slow attack/hi transient dynamic processing because 57's have terrible transient response. It's like the worst mic you can pick to actually record a snare that sounds like a snare, yet it's the default. Very strange. All the problems with the mic, lend themselves to over-processing the signal to get it to cut in the mix, which leads to a dozen other problems. So.... Steve decided to start with a mic that starts out with a powerful, clear, bright snare sound and then he keeps the level relatively stationary, while bringing up or down, the other mics. This is why his drum sounds have strong snare sounds but never overbearing hi-hats and cymbals. Even though the bleed is in the mics, he never had to exaggerate low-level bleed with over-compression and excessive EQ'ing.

[@LeslieDugger]

Autodidactic Professor good analysis

[@WillRichey]

How and the hell does he not distort a small condenser diaphragm with such high spl's from a snare?

[@Sunkenballs12]

Many are have a built in pad, or are meant for high spl

[@wyshwood]

The green drum set is the same vibrant colour as my studio. Have it Fedexed immediately, so I can match it to my walls ;) LOL. Great video, thank you.

[@TheFinav]

More detail please, Mr Albini

[@grouchologic]

" A small degree overwhelmed"?

[@mpatterson90]

Sounds like the dude trying to track drums for Mobid Angel. All he wanted was to hear the kick drum.

[@adriansmith6664]

bwahahaaha

[@mpatterson90]

@@adriansmith6664 kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJOzhIVtp6aXrqs He does doe.

[@brizzieleif5258]

That is a lot of early thrash in my opinion. When thrash first came along in the 80's my first reaction was, where's the rest of the drum kit?

[@itookallthenames]

Kick drums disdained

[@djefferson5669]

Rumor is that Steve Albini and Jeff Tweedy have the same hairdresser.

[@psiklops71]

Steve i have a headache the size of a pillow

[@EtcEtcAndEtc]

TRUTH

[@AnodyneHipsterInfluencer]

I'd definitely work in his studio but I'd never work with him. Not that I need an engineer's approval/validation of my art but I do like to have their professional ear. It's something he refuses to give an artist and often repeatedly goes out of his way to remind the in studio artist(s) that he is absolutely indifferent to everything their doing. Like, you can't even ask him; "hearing me play now, would you be able to give me your opinion on which of these shares to use?" Not even in a "taste" way but simply in a sonic, best possible audio outcome way. He won't do it.

[@danwillreview]

They are there to mix your shit, not become an honourary member of the band. Whatever sound you prefer, is the sound that you go with. I totally get why he's like that, he clearly wants artists to think for themselves and back their judgement

[@redplanet9162]

He has actually told stories of how he's given his input and that it was wrong. I respect his detachment.

[@lileinyel4689]

Rip :C

[@mickaelrenoud-grappin6986]

The.studio is 20miles my home.Very known for thé place ( beautiful Provence south of France ) his material , his atmosphère and the biggest european collection of 78' shellacs Mister ALBINI died. I'm deeply sad and disgusted

[@quinnmitchel4075]

Steve, I know you produced Nirvana, now can you produce me? 😂

[@thingnumbertwo2]

Steve isn't a producer. He's a recording engineer. He's never "produced" anyone.

[@quinnmitchel4075]

barny15 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJramaqvbLhnp6M 4:42

[@philanaemic]

If you can afford his rates (which aren't as high as many people with as much name recognition as he has) then he'll record you. Some friends of mine were due to fly over to the states to record at Electrical this year, but Covid & other health issues messed that up for them unfortunately.

[@quinnmitchel4075]

Phil Roberts I was joking but sould if I had band and monkey and not just my sdlf

[@imanadzhar]

@@thingnumbertwo2 in utero he is producer and audio engineer

[@bobbybowring4499]

noise gates do not exist.

[@minimoog4236]

What you need is a good, well tuned kit, a great sounding room and a pair of U67s as a Blumlein pair. Then throw away your close mics. Oh, and a drummer who understands dynamics in music

[@ChristianIce]

Good luck recording a blast beat without close mics

[@Sunkenballs12]

What a yapper. Modern music is going to require close mics 99% of the time

[@crowevurt]

Albini>Rubin

[@sumyupee]

I mean. He's not wrong.

[@ShakespearesBruv]

Man’s a god.

[@randalclarke5487]

Not even close

[@rassault]

Snare tips from a guy known for intentionally recording some of the most tinny, metallic music ever set to a drum machine? HMMMM just kidding Love steve, Love big black, love the guitar girdle crazy he produced surfer rosa, in utero (which I STILL enjoyed listening to homemade WMA files of in high school -if you can still jam to a fucked up low BR WMA from a burned and re-ripped cd and the mix comes through it's pretty miraculous) to even bands I more recently expanded my tastes to, like Melt Banana and Godspeed! You Black Emperor massive dude, please make a video of what is going on on both guitars in Passing Complexion sometime

[@raydelrosario2366]

The way John Bonham's snare was recorded is the the best method...however it was done.

[@SopranoPizzaJMFNJ]

Bonzo was generally mic’ed at a distance. Blended with a bit of close mic at times.

[@Sunkenballs12]

There is no best way. It always depends on the context. John's snare sound doesn't fit on a Dua Lipa song.

[@380stroker]

Ok, he mixed in utero, but thats where it ends.

[@Sunkenballs12]

He Didnt mix it. Andy Wallace did.

[@380stroker]

@Sunkenballs12 there are steve albini mixes in the newest release of in utero. Try again. I know because I have it. The record company originally heard Steve's mixes and didn't like it, so they hired Andy Wallace to do it and the official release was andy Wallace mixes.

[@tasteapiana]

What's that car mechanic doing in the after dinner theater lounge and why aren't his hand ever dirty? Joking aside, I appreciate that Steve comprehends that for every +3db of a 1.0 Q there are upward and downward slopes within 2-3 octaves that will cross 0db and shift the phase there by 20-45 degrees (more the higher the Q goes) and that that is both a fact of physics and a problem for amplifiers from those running at everything from 0.5 watts all the way up to 10,000 watts. 99% of mix ''engineers'' these days think you get everything for free and there are no tradeoffs so they just slap plugins all over everything and say ''Cool, man'' a lot as they perma comb filter dictate millions of sh tty mixes because loud is all that matters, dude.

[@wlcrutch]

At least as far as in utero goes, i always hated that snare sound

[@DLJMUSIC]

Really? That is one of my favorite snare sounds ever. What is a snare sound that you love? I'm trying to expand my production catalog so I'm truly instrested in what others prefer in a snare sound.

[@wlcrutch]

@@DLJMUSIC Siamese Dream, especially the first track: Cherub Rock. Butch Vig always got great drum sounds

[@eaterofspiders]

It's a matter of opinion. Listen to Then Comes Dudley. The snare sounds amazing.

[@satoshijon3730]

Every single mixer is OVERWEIGHT!! we need to start hitting the gym there gentlemen.

[@380stroker]

Are we training to be SS officers or what?

[@genez429]

No one hears a snare drum from 8 inches away. Not even the drummer. The closer you get to a snare the worse it can sound... I still don't understand the virtues of close miking. In a real performance the sound spreads throughout the stage. That is how the rest of the band picks up on the beat...

[@Sunkenballs12]

You really don't understand close mics? So what if you don't hear a snare from 8 inches away? Its there to add directness and weight to the drum that you can't achieve with just distant mics. News flash, almost none of the records we enjoy "accurately" represent all the sounds. Theres a reason 99% of the time, drums are close and distant micd.

[@bryanujueta7032]

How to make drums sound like trash 101

[@iansmith9125]

Gutted

[@bobg4657]

Snare should sound resonate, not like a damn cardboard box.

[@Sunkenballs12]

Snare should sound however it needs to in the context of the song.

[@estudiotamboril6025]

Sorry but sm57 is the best.

[@queenpurple8433]

Lol there is no “best” also have you ever even had access to an altec? Really depends on the music and snare drum itself to decide what mic to use. Don’t get me wrong the 57 is an absolutely amazing work horse but sometimes I need more top end crack and like to use an f15 Instead

[@estudiotamboril6025]

Of course everything is a matter of taste and also depends which preamp, drummer and snare you use. I only give my opinion having tried several microphones and listened to many records about it. I don't have an Altec but I know what it sounds like, with a lot of detail and presence but I prefer a natural and classic snare sound. And if my favorite records were recorded with a sm57 microphone on the snare, that's all I need.

[@LeslieDugger]

Most versatile

[@estudiotamboril6025]

@Stephen Anthony Not only in punk, the sound engineers of bands like Rolling Stones, Ac dc, Tom Petty, Soundgarden, Michael Jackson, Metallica, Oasis, Wilco, etc used the sm57 in the snare (top and bottom), it's a matter of investigating a little.

[@samuelloomis1119]

Sounds like you’re over-engineering. Just hit record it’s that simple. If the artist is good, they will sound good. You don’t have to overthink and overproduce everything.

[@Francis-rs7zu]

Sure - to a limited extent. But there are plenty of recordings that I know of that are exhausting to listen to. Given a chance to listen to Mr. Albini's recordings vs the same tracks that have been re-done, I vastly prefer the Albini recordings. Having good songs is the most important aspect, but a great recording can make it even better.

[@samuelloomis1119]

Francis yeah, you’re right.