Is it the engineering, or the drums?

[Prism]

I listen to a lot of music, and there seem to be certain unclassifiable "styles," if you will, that distinguish certain drum sounds from others...particularly the snare - there are the "bang" ones, the "whack" ones, the "oomph" ones, the "plap" ones and the list just goes on and on... I've played a number of kits, but there's a particular drum sound that strikes me as more "expensive-sounding," for lack of a better term. I could think of some examples, but I'm too tired right now. I guess what I'm wondering is - is the sound more about the mic technique/compression, or the drums themselves? I imagine it a combination of the both to some degree, but there are so many different sounds, it's hard to tell sometimes.

Isaiah

[Gidge]

definitely a combination of both....picking the right drum for the sound you are after and tuning it correctly is essential......then, its up to the engineer to capture the sound of the drum correctly to tape (or hard disk)......

[dr.colossus]

yeah i agree with gidge, its a matter of the right drum, tuning and heads for the job.... one time in a studio there was a black beauty snare sitting in the corner and i decided to whack it on my kit but it didn't work....i went with a pearl forum and stuck a square inch of gaffer tape across the rim and the head, it came up a treat... so its a matter of experimenting with different tunig and drums in relation to the room in which you are recording... sometimes too big a snare sound in too small a room can loose its crack and become somewhat annoying...but by the sound of it i'd try a nice deep 6 1/2" snare for that warm sound... geez i hope this helps and hasn't just made it more confusing... i'm am very good at complicating things you know!

[Prism]

Hey, I am the KING of making things sound more complicated than they really are!

I think I know what you mean, though... it would probably help to spend some time in an actual studio and see what they do. One of my favorite drum sounds is the stuff from Aerosmith's "Dude looks like a lady"

Isaiah

[ametth]

Dont forget to take into account the player. *Who* is playing the drums have everything to do with the drum sound.

[Track Rat]

IMHO, the player is most important to the sound, drums next and mics/ gear/ engineer.

[dr.colossus]

agree and disagree track rat, it would be a matter of these things working together would it not? i've heard some very amatuer drummers pull of some damn nice sounds... remember this is music we are dealing with, and there are no rules, nothing is set in stone

[Queue]

You can't overlook the room.... Some things cannot be overcome...

Great drums + great drummer + great micing + shit room = Bad sound

Queue

(who has
shit drums + non-drummer + poor micing + shit room = gets someone else to do drum tracks
)

Any of you drummers wanna contribute to some internet collaborations?, point your browser to Collaboration Central (FREE website, FREE server space, fun collaborations going on)

[ametth]

I disagree Queue, I have got some good sounds out of bad rooms before.

[Queue]

Then perhaps the room wasn't so bad?

I mean REALLY bad!!

Queue

[aheard69]

drums are a weird thing ..yet wonderfull when they go right. drums are most definately to do with getting the right sound (or damn near it) at the recording phase.this will mean finding what mic does best and where to point it. i usually spend around 2 hours. setting up and checking the sound son each part of the kit..during this time theres a lot of moving mics to try and get the best result.
you'll learn your own technique in time and will learn to know how things will sound if you do it a certain way.

[Krystof01]

Or buy an electronic kit an let the module do all of the work (room, tuning, mics problems sorted).

For those who don't play drums primarily and are on a budget.

[ametth]

Originally posted by Krystof01
Or buy an electronic kit an let the module do all of the work (room, tuning, mics problems sorted).

For those who don't play drums primarily and are on a budget.

Except that you'll have a drum sound that sounds like an electronic drumset.

It's cheaper to buy a drum set than a *good* electronic drum kit. (If they even exist)

[Prism]

Agreed, Ametth... even the best Yamaha kits ($5,000+) don't sound all that great, although they are fun to play and wouldn't make noise to make your household members complain. I prefer traditional stuff over electronic stuff any day!

Isaiah

[Gidge]

Ok, almost anyone can get a good guitar sound,regardless of the room, when micing an amp by slamming a sm57 on the grill, and taking the room factor out of the equation.....

so this would be a good place to post ideas on how to get a decent drum sound in a BAD room.....what mics/placements/room treatments can you do, especially in a small, BAD room?.....