What The Pros Know About Drum Recording

In this episode I will show you all the steps to getting great drum sounds. We will cover Mic choice, Placement, EQ, Double Mic'ing, Phase and Tone.
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[@jerryedwards3030]

Hey Rick, just wanted to tell you that a drummer passed away tonight, Ron bushy from the Iron Butterfly died at 79. He was a good friend of mine I played music with him in the 70s

[@Jonathan-dj5ry]

Man that sucks. Sorry for your loss.

[@impactmusic6009]

Sorry for your loss

[@Randgalf]

Sad to hear, the architect of one of the most renowned drum solos ever.

[@osiruskat]

@@Randgalf In A Gadda A Vida, baby forever. Ron Bushy, great drummer for heavy psychedelic Iron Butterfly, first classic extended drum solo that will live forever. R.I.P.

[@Rompler_Rocco]

Very sorry to hear it. I hope Rick somehow pays his respects here & might end up getting some new ears appreciating Ron's legacy.

[@CoachNation]

This is a terrific video that Rick has produced here! I would add, for your consideration, the following: On most drums, the two heads are significantly separated from each other and, as a result, the resonant head will naturally vibrate a fraction of a second later than the batter head, and then some of this sound bounces back re-implicating the batter head. This means that baked into the drum when played are complex phase relationships that also, to some extent, vary by the set of frequencies emanating from the batter head and the shell as sound reaches the resonant head. These phase effects are relatively complex, and are also dependent, as a factor, on the type of heads used, stick type, playing style, how tight the snares are (for a snare drum), shell material, the head tensioning, the type of bearing edges, and if any dampening/muffling is used. My point is that the "natural" sound of a two-headed drum has baked in numerous phases cancellations "and" boostings going on that depend on the factors I've mentioned above. By "boosting" I'm referring to the extent that increases in amplitude occur when phase frequencies become aligned; cancellations happen to the extent that phase frequencies are non-aligned. It can get more technical but that's an overview. The mics (their number, type and location/position) have their work cut out to capture a simulacrum of the drum's sounds! We're all trying to capture an instrument that itself has phase problems or delights, depending on one's perspective.

[@johnballs0540]

I don’t even record music, I just like hearing Rick talk about it.

[@rohanroll]

If Rick told about numismatics and stamps, I would still watch his videos in complete awe. He is a born storyteller. He could recite the Tokyo phone book and make it interesting enough!

[@paulknight5300]

I don't record music either. I was curious about how many mics and channels it would take to record drums. I was definitely enjoying and very interested in everything he had say. This is the first time I ever came across this guy. He's good!

[@davehamrick5028]

That's for sure.

[@ringojoejoe]

well yuh dude that's what being a musician is

[@lisapatscheider]

I'm 22, budding interest in music production and I have no idea what he's talking about like 70% of the time but I really appreciate this exists 🥺🙏❤️

[@dfinma]

@Lilly Liz, do you have any specific questions?

[@lisapatscheider]

@@dfinma Ohh specifically where he talks about his pre-amps. I know roughly why it's good to use them but I've never seen any in your typical minimal/beginner setup videos and I can only suppose different preamps work better with certain mics but I have no knowledge whatsoever. And at what point between making music on a laptop in your bedroom and recording a full band should they get introduced? 😅 Sorry if this is super dumb.

[@dfinma]

@@lisapatscheider Every microphone needs a preamp (except for ones w/ built-in, which you generally don't want) and all audio interfaces and mixing boards have them. The question is how fancy do you want to be. Outboard preamps (and outboard gear in general) might be used by pros based on preference, experience, budget and equipment they have acquired decades ago before modern conveniences. But don't worry about it. The good news is modern recording equipment, audio interfaces in particular, are servicable well into the semi-pro range and fancy preamps are toward the end of the list of what you need for making a great recording. It starts with the material and performance, then recording technique, perhaps the room, mixing, instruments (as long as they enhance the performance), microphones, then maybe fancy preamps.

[@lisapatscheider]

@@dfinma Ohhh thank you for the insight!! Yeah that explains why I haven't seen them, I've mostly been experimenting with interfaces 💕

[@CNCTEMATIC]

People talk about the piece of gear that got away. Looking at the drum set reminds me of mine. When I was 18 years old I played drums, and somehow ended up with a Paiste 22" ride that had been Mick Fleetwood's. I sold it with a whole kit a year later to pay for a trip. It also had a vintage A Ziljian 18" cymbal.

[@rawhead66]

As an audio engineer I must admit ,that this is a good entry into drum recording knowledge...Within the years , you will get more and more wisdom but in the end , always trust your ears and dont get lost in the technical jungle ...

[@kevindube7096]

This is incredibly helpful. I’m only a few years into mic’ing & mixing live drums and it’s the straightforward detailed videos like yours that are the most helpful to get a grasp on technique. Appreciate ya!

[@evanmatthiesen7478]

Great video- one thing I had to learn over time that its not just about flipping phase, often two signals have the same "type" of phase but they are just out of alignment with each other. In fact, the opposite phase phenomenon is usually only encountered when micing bottoms of drums, and behind open back guitar cabinets. 90% of the time, Im zooming in and nudging waveforms to fix phase problems, not flipping the phase. A waveform thats 50% off axis with another will sound just as out of phase when flipped.

[@jensharald9091]

I know the stuff already, but just wanna compliment you on this fabulous tutorial you've made! The topic litterally cannot be condensed into a more concise and clear and accessible video. 14 minutes with an hour of info. With such a great player and kit and setup, it's also an awesome demonstration (and reminder) of how great a sound you can get at the source!

[@micheleparker8123]

Thanks, Rick. Love the behind the scenes workings of how you capture the best sounds.❤️

[@ddrumdude]

Brilliant video, Rick! Really puts into perspective how your techniques make the sound of the drum recordings better overall.

[@stefanoc663]

Thanks for this Rick! We may not have the same gear as you but at least we can learn and use what we have properly. With your content , I suspect that home demos and recordings are going to be next level!

[@chuckkirkpatrick6712]

Thank God somebody addressed the issue of phase relationship, which is the single most critical factor in recording anything, let alone drums. Brilliant presentation, Mr. Beato. As a 50+ year, gold awarded engineer, I can appreciate this a lot. I would like to address the use of the overheads and what I believe to be the best possible placement thereof. For maximum stereo separation with the least amount of phase cancellation, the plane of the mic diaphragms should be exactly perpendicular - 90 degrees to each other. The ORFT method / system called for a separation of about 7 inches and an angle of 120 degrees, supposedly most closely approximating the way human ears receive sound. When overheads are properly placed, the overall drum sound from these mics alone is the purest and most natural.

[@minhuang8848]

This is my broken record spiel, but I kind of want to point out how "approximating the way human ears receive sound" isn't necessarily the way to go. I mean, there is a lot of truth in there as far as typical recordings, genres and settings are concerned where you want to fall back on an "optimal" way to mic your drums, but at the same time there is just so much in the way of stylistic emphasis and articulation that begs for people to just do everything to taste; it should fit your arrangement and your mix more so than cookie-cutter conventions people have come to accept over the years. In my book, there is no such thing as purest and most natural. The thing most closely matching this description is whatever fits your song or performance, and that is just not something you can capture in specs... at least not quite.

[@chuckkirkpatrick6712]

@@minhuang8848 Excellent comment, Min!!

[@TearsDesigns]

@@minhuang8848mess with them until they sound correct. Got it. ❤

[@derekpink]

Jack’s got a great groove to his playing. Some meaty chops too.

[@johnsguitarmusicanddemos]

Thank you very much Rick! I always take what I learn from your channel and apply it to my own. I like the way you break everything down to make it very simple until even I can understand it.

[@billjacobsen9716]

Hi, Rick I’m not a musician but your videos, on this and your other channel, have helped me appreciate the technical and performance subtleties that I might have overlooked or not known. Thank you.

[@MdhLV]

This is pure gold. We are so lucky to have access to this level of detailed knowledge and experience recording drums. Until you’ve spent countless hours trying to get good balanced live drum recordings you don't understand just how valuable this is! You'll recording something and compare to another drummer you admire and wonder how the heck did they get that drum sound. This is how! And it isn't something you can learn from a textbook. Maybe you can figure it out on your own but it will take decades of trial and error. Thank you Rick from the bottom of my heart for making this video!

[@jeffcole2860]

Rick, you are the best! Love the way you get into it - every second is useful and informative. Thanks so much!

[@genodamico2108]

Rick! I’ve been watching your stuff for years and it always inspires me. Musically speaking, you are the man I’d like to be when I am grown up! (I am 30 but I’ve got time to grow up again.) Your breadth of knowledge on music and the industry is staggering, and you are an inspiration to us all. Thank you for what you do!

[@vbarrto]

Rick shows how hard work is recording, produce music is. Produce music is like play different (another or all of them ;-) ) instrument, with knowledge , passion, discovery-journey thing. Very exciting and productive. There should be more videos about creation process of the music (art overall, movies etc) to show people what they paying for. For hard work and dedication/passion. From "A" to the "Z". It gives awareness for all those easy grabbing/sharing art stuff. Its normal, standard work to live from (for all of them, artists) and should be payd and appreciated. Thankful & Greatfull. -Bart

[@nathansteele1169]

amazingly helpful and cant wait to try it. Thanks!!

[@RickK1988]

This felt like a physics course on recording/miking drums. I understood everthing. Excellent stuff.

[@liquidsolids9415]

Very cool. Thanks for showing us the behind-the-scenes stuff. Great drum performances too!

[@ccdrums1290]

I am a long time drummer, live here in the Atlanta area, and I always find your videos to be informative, with similar techniques (tuning, micing, etc.) that I employ as well. Glad to know I have validation through your experience and teachings!

[@SavvyTurtle]

Thank You for taking your time on this video.

[@1shannonleggette]

Awesome video. Very helpful. Thanks Ric

[@OliKember]

Been looking for a good video on drum recording and phase everywhere. Thanks Rick!

[@rsi1964]

Once again, Rick explains what for us in magic into something that I can understand and employment in my music. thank you Rick, just great stuff

[@r3m014]

This is incredible. Thanks a lot for sharing your expertise. Most valuable video explanation I have seen yet! And this in almost no time. Incredible.

[@the_travelers_band]

Yes! I have missed the recording tips videos. Great one!

[@Boleskinebeatz]

Great video Rick, I think it would also be helpful to people who are relatively new to mic'ing drums in the studio to emphasis how crucial the room sound is to a good drum recording. A small room with super fast reflections will often kill a drum sound stone dead. I built a few studios back in the day and the first one took me a long time to accept that my live room was just too small to create a useful drum sound. In the end I added a ton of Rockwool panels in mesh liners and it changed the drums, ( especially the toms) out of all recognition. One of my most successful Metal albums was done with the kit in a VoiceOver booth completely covered in acoustic tiles ( I only accepted the session on condition the booth stayed put due to other commitments and it was a beast to dismantle!) I added a great studio reverb and it absolutely killed.. no one was more surprised than me.

[@PorcupineFern]

Thanks Rick! These music production vids are super helpful

[@DP-hw9uq]

Really love the sound you got here! Kick drum sounds amazing!

[@alechadrums]

Amazing Rick, I need to listen that OHs, and if you can, show the signal flow, pre/insert! I do this technique at work all the time.

[@splashesin8]

I'm glad to hear this again!

[@creativesoundlab]

08:37 That kick really does sound good. It might need a little more clarity/attack in a mix, but it sounds so gooey and nice.

[@gangofgreenhorns2672]

More drum recording and mixing videos would be amazing!

[@doknox]

Super informative! Thnx again man.

[@howtoalternatepickandmuchm660]

Loving this Rick. Andy Johns was a genius and had a very scientific approach to recording drums. Well worth checking out too. Thanks again Rick ...brilliant post as usual.

[@rhythmsaint73]

Fantastic Rick I appreciate this not just as a drummer but also technically . Thank you . As always stellar video

[@crestiferj2689]

ages ago i saw nick didia and brendan o'brien double mic toms with 421's and nick just used a simple y microphone cable with one side wired out of phase. that way you get the top and bottom sounds, but use only one mic preamp. been doing this for years. works great. thanks for such great stuff, rick.

[@99beatmonster]

superb video, many thanks

[@ronaldronaldson9126]

Amazing drum sound! Very open sounding and natural.

[@willwbelcher4638]

This is a fantastic video, thank you!

[@sergio_grez]

Rick, listening to you speaking about these techniques and hearing how incredibly marvelous and thick those drums sound is like spreading melted butter on warm toast on a beautiful spring morning. Man, those drums sound sick without even putting any process on them, wow! It's like it already mixed itself. That's amazing engineering there.

[@maxjjk]

Kick drum sounds incredible. I've been wanting to try double micing toms a la Steve Albini. It seems so much easier to get a balance of snappy attack and fat sustain

[@nicolasblanckaert2035]

I'm drummer... And the 414 / 421 combination made me go like "WOOOOOW"

[@truefilm6991]

Great video as always! Firt thing I automatically do is cleaning the toms by editing out the spaces (rests). I personally hate the boxy-boomy resonance, especially the floor tom resonating with the kick drum. Then probably gating the kick drum. So if the drum kit already sounds this great without any clean up: hats off, it will sound amazing after editing, EQ, compression and adding reverb.

[@davegordon6737]

Great stuff buddy thanks!

[@ribbyT408]

Pure gold! Those toms got BEEFED up with that bottom mic :)

[@markhedges1194]

Superb! Thanks Rick for a cracking video on Production and Mic placement! I'm doing a degree course in Popular Music Production and Performance, and it reminded me of exactly what our tutor Alex says is very important about placement! As you rightly say, that mix of resonant and playing side of the drums, truly enriches the recording, and it would be foolhardy not to include it to get that fuller sound!

[@enigmaticx326]

Your knowledge of this stuff is impressive Rick. Hard not to get gear envy even if I have no use for a pro setup like this.

[@jaylevert2312]

Beautiful, to the point, presentation and explanation of some extremely important studio recording techniques. I don't like ProTools but I really appreciate your Pro Tips. Shalom.

[@andytupaia]

Thank you Rick for the video I learned some today

[@johnnyresistance]

great sounding toms, the 414's on top and 421's on the bottom are a great combo.

[@DMDvideo10]

Cool stuff! Some of us don't have access to all the double miking, so it would be also cool to see a video on a more basic approach to getting a great drum sounds.

[@GTRRACING393]

Nice one Rick, just watched it twice. The double mic'ing sounds much better, sounds like when playing my kit, much fuller & rounded. The single sounds a bit short & the slight delay between top & bottom helps to lengthen the note. Keep up the good work.

[@renflot8545]

Thanks for the info, I will definitely explore the bottom mics on toms technique.

[@charlestea3642]

Incredible drum sound & playing! This is the best info. Cheers from an old Las Vegas drummer!!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Great video! Cheers

[@CircuitBendingFool]

Straight forward and on point.

[@tinman3000]

Would love to see a video for a 'budget' rig. I'm rocking a bunch of SM 57-58's, a D112 and a couple of cheap, large diaphragm condensers through a MOTU 8-pre. No outboard gear... just plugins. I record because I love it but am trying to get the best sound I can.

[@JamieDrumz]

ace video thank you! Didn't realise until now just what a difference having mics on the bottoms of the toms makes

[@patrickwayne9074]

Wow! What can you say?? I enjoy this stuff that’s way beyond my understanding, but there’s so much content on this channel for amateur music guys like me to actually use also. This is really the best KZbin channel for any of us to get straight to the point on any subject the title mentions. Bad ass!!!

[@chuckkirkpatrick6712]

Again, a most intelligent presentation that should be required watching by all young engineers.

[@MrGidella]

This is so important to know!

[@echoheadband]

Love it!

[@blackcreekmusic783]

Fantastic!! Love seeing this stuff and would love seeing more. Any chance of doing one with your B3?

[@drumwolf100]

Damn Rick! I’m really enjoying your video catalog - one of the coolest channels on KZbin!

[@JBastio]

Great kick drum sound!

[@brianbothwelldrums6801]

Loved this! Need to play with some bottom tom micing now

[@erictorres4889]

Now when I record I’m going to to that top and bottom heads thanks for video !!!!it actually makes sense doing it that way .

[@Ingdelavida]

excelente vide, muchas. gracias

[@AE-eo5ih]

thanks Rick! Love this type of content from you. My favorite modern drum sounds are on King Animal from Soundgarden. Would love to hear your take on those. Similar vive to what you have going on here.

[@CurtChambersMusic]

Great stuff

[@tomoconnor9164]

Excellent thank you Sir 🙏

[@johnpborden]

Whoa...that's a lot of mics for a 4 piece kit. If one can't get a decent sound from one mic, I'm not sure adding more is going to make it better. In my experience, close miking changes the sound of kit so much and adds a level of complexity that can be detrimental to the finished product. Why not treat the drum-set as one cohesive instrument rather than miking each individual element? Everything you talk about here is correct (phase relationships between mics, time arrival differences between mics, etc) and the solutions/rules you offer are correct, but in my 40 years of recording drums, I realized that less mics results in a more natural sound and is way less problematic in the final mix. I'm in no way try taking away from your experience or expertise. You do a stellar job in all your videos and are providing a great resource for audio education. I'm just surprised by the de facto approach that places so much equipment/so many microphones dedicated to a kit. At some point, and I speak from experience, one can get to the point of "diminishing returns" and frustration fairly quickly. Please don't take this as a negative critique. Once again, you're providing a great resource.

[@NicholasSatchell]

Awesome video!

[@salthedrummer1]

Fantastic !

[@kipmillwee6936]

These sound AMAZING

[@MercyNoMore]

Those drums sound fantastic

[@mikeloosen53]

thanks again rick!!!

[@ThePoisonDrummer]

Live studio drums that sound like live drums! What a concept! Love it!!!

[@Randgalf]

Now that's a killer drum sound going on there!

[@robandrews4925]

That is one beautiful Gretsch drum kit!!

[@gerardi2000]

Very good video!

[@Lou.B]

OK, this is like Han Solo sitting in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, and trying to explain to me how to fly the ship! 5:19 I don't always understand everything you're sayin' Rick (not a musician), but I ALWAYS love watching!

[@kalbogwapo1536]

thats th best word for it, "entire soundness of the drum"

[@SyeedAli]

It's a good explanation when it only _mostly_ goes over my head. :)

[@jamesha175]

my favorite drum sound is on the album YES "Fragile". whoever recorded that was an audio genius.

[@jamiemcparland]

God DAMN I love that record!

[@dfinma]

Any tracks in particular? I'd like to give a listen.

[@jamiemcparland]

@@dfinma heart of the sunrise is a masterpiece.

[@jamesha175]

@@dfinma the whole album. check out 'Long Distance Runaround'

[@GREGORSALSA]

I guess the geniuses are Eddie Offord and Gary Martin. That record is a cornerstone

[@Simonewhitesim-1music]

I even love your rocking Event speakers.

[@kevinsimon5391]

Fantastic, you save Listeners and Subscribers YEARS of Trial and Error, Recording-wise. Much Thanks.

[@dfgivens]

Excellent Recording Studio 101 science being taught here! Don't forget to mention that the same information 180-degrees out of phase cancels the signal when summed. That can happen by timing (distance from the source) or electrical flipping of the signal. Both can happen by accident! So, an engineer's ears are his most important tool. If something sounds thin or is vanishing, you may have a cancellation occurring.

[@Ezravagant]

Geez, I love this video! I am just a beginner in the recording world, but I am a drummer .......and just this whole new world! Phew!

[@EvanYako]

Amazing video 🤛🏼🥁🔥✨🎶✨

[@Haku_records]

We need more stuff like this

[@Terracraft321]

Very educative

[@TeddyLeppard]

This was posted some time ago. I remember this lesson from early on when I discovered Rick’s channel.

[@PSModernKitchens]

Wow this was great… now I need to gear up!

[@channelite]

Those drums sound amazing