This video helped me in so many ways!! By far the best video I've seen on the topic of recording drums. I really like the idea of working with the overheads as the base of the overall sound. I cannot wait to give all these tips a try!

@creativesoundlab

9 жыл бұрын

Mitch Dungy Thanks for such a high complement! I'm honored.

Ryan, I love your videos. Great job. I'm a huge Pensado's Place fan and I'm always on the hunt for great mixing/engineering videos. I'm definitely subscribed now.

Holy shit, you are THE MAN! I have not been recording in a long time. I don't even know how I stumbled upon your videos, but in only a couple I've heard you explain things that took me years to learn.and then some. I'm going to dig out all my mics and give them the love they deserve.

@creativesoundlab

9 жыл бұрын

+IsawUupThere This made my day! Thanks!

Wow! I've just started watching your videos and i'm blown by how usefull and practice tips you give us! I'm relistening to my old reorded tracks now, just some quick trashy 100% records from my band rehearsals but anyway!... I mean I can really hear the difference now! I feel like i adjust and listen to them with such more awarness, awarness of sound that develop with each of your video i watch! Great channel! You really infect people with passion! Please keep it up! Best regards from other side of the globe! :D

Great videos! Thank you!

Great vid! I'm so glad I found this. I went from tin to warmth! Still gotta figure out getting that click in the bass drum though...

@paulotonedef

5 жыл бұрын

High mids

man, this is great. Getting ready to do my first recording of a full kit for an ep I'm doing, and this is making it way less confusing.

@creativesoundlab

8 жыл бұрын

+Jon Bartel Thanks, I hope it goes well.

I luv this show!

Very good tips! Never thought about listeing to the snare leakage when checking the polarity of the hihat

@creativesoundlab

9 жыл бұрын

YoYo .Kidz Thank you. Yeah, this idea can be applied to any area in recording where you have bleed mixing in with the close mics of another instrument. Flip it and see if the bleed is fighting with the close mic.

awesome knowledge bro

Great tips. Thanks!

@creativesoundlab

9 жыл бұрын

Nils Thanks!

Thank you so much for doing these, I do drum covers, and these have really helped me out, although I still need more practice. Cheers!

@creativesoundlab

8 жыл бұрын

+Wei Lung Wong Nice. You're videos look good. Love that you're using sm57s for overheads. I've had to do that a few times and it works decently well. You might be a lot out of putting an XY over your head facing the front of the kit at a slight angle. Just did a test and was really happy with out stuff sounded over the drummers head.

@ArtOfDrummingHQ

8 жыл бұрын

+creativesoundlab I use sm57s partly because I don't have the budget to afford anything more haha. So just 2 sm57s and a beta 52 in my kick drum is my current setup, sometimes I use another sm57 on the snare but realised it didn't make much of a difference to my recording when mixed together with my other mics. My biggest problem is I feel the toms are really flat and I often have to over-EQ them. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong but I am not sure what it is. I'll give your over the head XY method a try in my next recording. Thanks so much :)

dude. ...very well explained. Horns up to ya. \m/-

Hey nice work! But what can I do to fix a phase problem with my 🎤 when my mixer does not have a phase reverse switch built in on each channel ? What do you recommend I get ?

Hi Ryan! Again amazed on how well explained this is, while for many other engineers this topic can be a tabo. Can this technique on working around the overheads be applied also in a live sound situation? Most engineers will drasticly cut the low and mid range of the overheads probably because of the bleed. Could it be possible to still use this method or it just isn't made to work that way in live sound and just for studio? Thank you!

@creativesoundlab

8 жыл бұрын

+Gregor Bajc I think the phase of mics is the fundamental of setting up a mic and turning it on. Even if you are not using the overheads for their low end, they are still fighting the close mics of the snare in the upper range that you intent to use. I would get everything phase coherant in a mono setting, and then cut the lows. Then worry about stage monitors, feedback, ect, that comes with live sound. However, this is me talking from a concept in a studio setting, and Dave Rat talks in detail on the concepts that matter the most for live sound here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/poSs2tysp9zVhso.html

A great example to learn how to listen phase cancellations.

Also, at the end I couldn't hear your ride cymbal. Is that the sound you were going for? I only ask because so far that is my hardest thing to get right in a mix...bloody Ride Cymbal. Any suggestions? Thanks again, Steve

Excellent video as always! Quick Question: During a session, do you ask the drummer to hit each drum a few times and go through the process in step 3 before recording the first take?

@creativesoundlab

8 жыл бұрын

+Tag Ryan I usually have them play a little bit and just listen back. I almost never have a drummer hitting one drum "Until I say". I can just solo stuff of the test recording, and then I know what to do to adjust.

I love your videos, they're great. I was curious if you've ever tried the Auto Align plugin and what your opinion on it was?

@creativesoundlab

8 жыл бұрын

Hmm, I haven't tried it. I've tried aligning stuff by zooming in real tight it it sounded different, but not any better I don't think. That raises the question, why didn't it sound way better and not just a little...

@sundownchasing

8 жыл бұрын

+creativesoundlab well I must say, the plugin is pretty impressive, but I 100% agree with you on getting it right on the way in.

Hi Ryan, So, when you flipped the polarity on the OH, did you do both the Left and Right channels? Thanks, Steve

@joshuabrown6256

4 жыл бұрын

Steve Stockmal you probably should to avoid frequency cancellation.

Ok this may be a dumb question , or maybe I just missed it in the video, but here goes: I did a stereo pair of over heads and am unsure if the peaks and crests should in sync, meaning they rise and fall at the same time, or should be going in opposite directions.

@creativesoundlab

8 жыл бұрын

Hey nick, they should rise together so they work together.

@Noeway22

8 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I couldn't remember for the life of me.

What type of audio program are you using?

Another great video! Viva la Reaper! ;-)

@creativesoundlab

9 жыл бұрын

Stephen Tack Thanks! Yeah I'm still learning Reaper, but it's got a lot of things I like.

@StephenTack

9 жыл бұрын

creativesoundlab If you ever need some Reaper tips or tricks, I've been using it as my DAW of choice for about 7 years now.

@creativesoundlab

9 жыл бұрын

Stephen Tack Yeah sure! I can manage during sessions and mixing, but I still seem to find my limit with certain things.

@StephenTack

9 жыл бұрын

creativesoundlab I think it was probably easier for me to learn Reaper, back in the day, It had a lot fewer features...So, I spent a chunk of time and learned them all (which was doable in V2.x), then diligently (as possible) read the change log of every update to discover the new features...though I still learn something new from time to time. :-)

A good trick is add a lot of low end on the channel you are checking, so the phase cancelling gets more pronounced.

@creativesoundlab

8 жыл бұрын

Yes, that might help, but EQ introduces it's own phase shift, so you may be confusing the issue. In general, I think that you can learn to hear when something is out of phase even if it has no lows.

hey Ryan, justto let you know, when you click the pdf download for this video you get the guitar reamping pdf! maybe you accidently linked the wrong one?

@underpressureman

7 жыл бұрын

at least for me anyway! i tried it twice! and both links, the one at the beginning and end!

You can use the virtual mixer in your daw to adjust polarities if u don't have a mixer right? I only have a interface.

@creativesoundlab

9 жыл бұрын

Larry Tate Yes, in your DAW (best if you're by yourself and can't monitor in real time as you record), at the pre (If you are able to monitor in real time as your drummer plays) or make a XLR cable that is wired flipped (Last ditch option but still works).

@larrytate1657

9 жыл бұрын

When do u know if u have to do that? I just got the audix drum mic pack and a focusrite Safire 40 interface. Everything sounds pretty good but not much better than it does unmicd. How do I improve the sound in my in ears. I'm running my in ears into the interface. Also the levels clip pretty easily. Like the bass drum for example, I turn the gain to about 7 on the interface where it sounds good in my in ears but then the red light pops on the interface showing it's clipping. I then have to turn the gain back down and then the bass drum gets weaker in my in ears and doesn't sound as cool. I appreciate any tips you can give me. I've been a drummer for 12 years but I'm a newbie to mics and recording. Thanks

@creativesoundlab

9 жыл бұрын

Larry Tate As far as WHEN you need to adjust the polarity...check out my demo at around 5:00 in the video above of what each (Flipped and unflipped) sound like and what to listen for. I also address when you should do this in one of the three main points, "Flip Polarity to Add Strength to the Sound". Does it sound stronger or weaker? Listen at low volumes to make decisions. Don't let volume fool you that because it's loud in your ears that it is sounding "good". Always listen and make decisions at low volumes. For the kick drum, if it's clipping at "7", then try recording around a "3" instead. Aim for around -20 dB from clipping. You want the headroom, there's no reason not to have it. You can check out this video for why you would want that: kzread.info/dash/bejne/m6eJuMGaorrZZaw.html

@larrytate1657

9 жыл бұрын

Thanks I app it.

The dynamics of the recorded drum is changing often, even when not switching the Phase buttons. The sound could be only one same sample repeating multiple times, making a homogeneous sound without the dynamics.

@creativesoundlab

7 жыл бұрын

I think I've read this 6 or 7 times since this afternoon. It sounds interesting, but I really have no idea what you are saying here.

@WaltonV

7 жыл бұрын

Gentle words =) . The drum played by a human always has a dynamic sound. Never heard about that? Volume is not constant and even the rhythm isn't, as well as the tone, that changes by the strength of the hit on the drum. SO when you changed the Ø, the sound was not accurate enough at the point to not difference whether it was the dynamic or the Ø. You could do a sample of one note to repeat on and on, as a unique reference point. So the sample would still be the same, and would be a reliable test, without letting the dynamic to confuse the viewers. The sound sometimes was "Thin" even when the sound was not changed to Ø.

Hi, what do you think about phase plugins? I tried Auto-align (www.soundradix.com/products/auto-align/) and its not bad for me. Is it better to do it manualy or this could help a lot? Sorry for my english - i hope you understand. :)

@creativesoundlab

8 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I'm sure tools like that would help. For me I've always just adjusted the mic until it sounded right.

@Artesound

8 жыл бұрын

Do you have video with voxengo pha 979? I try to found something for manualy correct phase and the most people talk about this, but i have not found any video about...

This is awesome!! But I was wondering, do you have any video on how to record bigger kits? A double bass drum kit like Ginger Baler's, Loui Belson's, or Keith Moon's, that'd be awesome.

@creativesoundlab

8 жыл бұрын

+Victor Carrillo Very similar technique. I'd keep the snare centered, and try to keep the overheads equidistant from that snare so that it reinforces the fullness of the snare. Increase the distances from the snare to the overhead so that the mics can be further out.

good video but I think that reverb explanation has nothing to do with aligning OH with snare, actually naturally sound hits our ear en phase because there's no sum of tracks acoustically speaking, another scenario would be room mics where there's no case on aligning because in this case it would act as a reverb

@flos3328

6 жыл бұрын

Yes. If you align your room mics with your close mics/OHs you will lose the pre delay of your room sound. (though you can choose you pre delay freely with the mic distance or time shift in your DAW) (also the room mics don't really have a phase relationship with the other mics, but that's debatable) If you want the sound of your OHs and augment them with close mics, you will have phasing. If you like that, fine. But make it a conscious decision. If you phase align the close mics with the OHs you will get the most coherence. If you move your OHs or your close mics, not only the phase relationship changes, but the sound as well. You might get more bleed or sound in the close mics or your stereo image of your drums will change(as you tought in EP1) in your OHs, when your change the height of your OHs. If you want THE sound of your close mics and THE sound of your OHs, you can't change the positioning by considerable amounts. You only option is to accept the phase relationship or change it in your DAW.

Ok, I have to disagree with aligning the mics instead of aligning the tracks in DAW, but before I state my reasons, I'd like to say that if that's something we're going for, and we like the sound, it's fine by me to align the mics. Having said that, here's why I prefer to align the tracks after I've found the mic positions that yield the sound that I'm satisfied with. - I'm a bit bothered with an audible flam effect in the high frequencies of the attack when bringing in direct signals which is more audible when OHs are further away from the drum. The attack is just so much tighter if the tracks are aligned. - If we're to edit the drums (which is something I just have to do every single time I record someone). Than having the tracks aligned makes the editing much easier. - It takes so much more time to align the mics than the tracks. And if the sound is just right, moving the mics can change the sound. - If we have to disassemble the setup after the recording session and reassemble it for another session some time later, it's impossible to position the mics in respect to themselves the same way they were positioned on the last session which will in return yield a different sound. That's ok if consistency isn't important. But if we're trying to be consistent with the sound, than aligning the tracks is imperative. This will not be so obvious if we listen to that recording by it self. But if we compare it with the last recording, the difference would be clearly audible. That's why I align everything I record if I can, drums, choirs, chamber orchestras... - Direct mics should be used to complement the distant mics. Therefore if we hear them sooner than the OHs, they're not doing their job, but the situation will actually be reversed, and our ear can hear the difference. - The only thing I delay after aligning are the Room mics. That's because their initial position may yield a good sound, but maybe there's a better delay relation between the room signal and the rest of the signals which will give us a sound which we'll like even better. It may not be the case every time though. Sometimes the positions are just right so we may end up returning the signals to their initial timing position only to find about it later. :) So yeah, I'm for track alignment, but as I said, if we would like to adjust the mics instead, and we know why we're doing that, than that's the way to go. There are no rules. Heck, maybe someone will prefer the direct signals being heard first, than the OH mics. So be it. Nothing wrong with that if that's the way it should sound. Great videos btw, and that glass thing is very clever!!! I like that allot. :)

@creativesoundlab

9 жыл бұрын

ovo nisamja Thanks for commenting and this was a great example of how to comment when people have different perspectives. I really enjoy the community on this channel, and really polite feedback. You have a lot of really good points, but the most interesting one is about being consistent when you tear down the kit between songs. I like the idea that if you align the waves, you are sort of bypassing the variables that occur because slight difference in overheads/close mics thus creating diversity. The main reason why I discouraged people to not to that, is because I'm trying to stress the fundamentals first, and then resort to tinkering in the DAW. I'm sure there is a time and place for scooting tracks around, and I'm curious to try out some of these ideas you raised.

@ovonisamja8024

9 жыл бұрын

creativesoundlab Yeah, but than again this got me thinking too. And actually there's a way to align the tracks to match the last recording session. So I realized that aligning the tracks every single time the way I suggested, isn't actually that necessary for consistency. And I just watched a video where Fab Dupont says exactly the same thing you said so... I'm thinking if he does it that way, and he's waaaay better engineer and musician than me, than maybe I should rethink my methodology also. :)

2:10 Thank you for not moving the tracks! And also for prioritizing the kick before the snare.

@creativesoundlab

7 жыл бұрын

Haha your welcome.

Do a tutorial on how to quit smoking without losing one's mind......sorry, I guess you aren't the guy for that.

@creativesoundlab

7 жыл бұрын

Haha, man. You are great. I love your comments. Thanks for hanging out here.

@russwilson2305

6 жыл бұрын

Adam Rainstopper. I smoked for 19 years. The key to quitting is to whiteknuckle it for 3 days. On day 4 the spell is lifted. You can see it was all a lie. Cigs tell you that you will go crazy w/out them. After 3 days of mere agitation, the lie is revealed.

@paulotonedef

5 жыл бұрын

Russ Wilson 32 years on, 1.5 off. You’re dead right. I took a few goes at it, but eventually, I was too far ahead to go back to the start. My life has improved in so many ways.