Mixing Tambourines

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Seafroggys

Seafroggys

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A couple of recent songs I recorded involved some tambourine action. Compared to, say, a snare drum, tambourines have very strong transients. Lots of energy in the high end. They're one of the best instruments to cut through a mix.

I haven't been quite sure on how to tame these transients without limiting the crap out of them. Some compression helps, but having a short attack doesn't make the tambourine 'snap' as much as a slower attack. How do most people mix their tambourines so their transients don't stick out so far that in 'mastering' you can barely get a few dB before having to brick wall limit?
 
I never put much thought into it, to be honest. I use tam a lot, and will be watching this thread.
 
I use tambos somewhat frequently. Crazy as it may seem, you have to play a tambourine. It's not just a noise maker. Use consistent hits and even shakes. If you have wild spikes in one section and can barely hear it in another, you're doing/miking it wrong. Stay still and play it like an instrument. Also, you don't need to mic them close. I mic mine from about 3 feet away. That helps with the crazy transients. I never compress it. I've tried compression, and I always end up just turning it off. I use EQ to roll off the highs so it can sit in with the drums and not clash with the hats or ride. Then give it some big ol reverb to really make it stand out while not being overpowering. I figure if I can hear the tambo, snare, and hats/ride all at one time, I'm doing something right.
 
Greg_L said:
I use tambos somewhat frequently. Crazy as it may seem, you have to play a tambourine. It's not just a noise maker. Use consistent hits and even shakes. If you have wild spikes in one section and can barely hear it in another, you're doing/miking it wrong. Stay still and play it like an instrument. Also, you don't need to mic them close. I mic mine from about 3 feet away. That helps with the crazy transients. I never compress it. I've tried compression, and I always end up just turning it off. I use EQ to roll off the highs so it can sit in with the drums and not clash with the hats or ride. Then give it some big ol reverb to really make it stand out while not being overpowering. I figure if I can hear the tambo, snare, and hats/ride all at one time, I'm doing something right.
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Exactly what this guy said ^^^^^^^. :)

I've never done anything to tamborine other than adjust the volume fader.
 
Just a little aside, sometimes playing a tam to a shuffle or odd time signature can be difficult.

When it is, I place the tam atop a towel on some elevated platform like a table or chair-top and play it with my hands rather than shake it.

You can play some cool accents that way.
 
my egg shaker and tambourine make it on most tracks, now thats value for money! techno tambo :)

...i use some reverb and nothing else, I always make sure somethings balancing it on the otherside...either the shaker or hats
 
+1 on all of the above. I did the tambo thing for the first time only a few months ago and followed a story very related to the feedback above.

Recorded it, listed to it, compressed the hell out of it, was unhappy with it, re-recorded it (.. and re-recorded it ... and re-recorded it) with care and ended up with a much better result.

It was one of those humbling moments where "that uncool tambo that no one want's to be seen playing" is actually a tough instrument to play into a mic, at a consistant level, *in time*.

... especially if you have odd meters ;)

Cheers,
FM
 
I use tambos somewhat frequently. Crazy as it may seem, you have to play a tambourine. It's not just a noise maker. Use consistent hits and even shakes. If you have wild spikes in one section and can barely hear it in another, you're doing/miking it wrong. Stay still and play it like an instrument. Also, you don't need to mic them close. I mic mine from about 3 feet away. That helps with the crazy transients. I never compress it. I've tried compression, and I always end up just turning it off. I use EQ to roll off the highs so it can sit in with the drums and not clash with the hats or ride. Then give it some big ol reverb to really make it stand out while not being overpowering. I figure if I can hear the tambo, snare, and hats/ride all at one time, I'm doing something right.
From Greg:




I agree with this 100%.
I've never used compression either when recording a tambourine.
I also record it at least 3 feet away and add a lot of reverb....maybe try adding 'shimmer verb' to it if you have that setting.


YouTube - Please Tell Me Why
 
RAMI said:
I've never done anything to tamborine other than adjust the volume fader.
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Same here ~ that and a little panning. It's one of the most underrated instruments out there. You also need a strong enduring arm and a truly steady sense of timing and good concentration. This is an instrument that can hurt if you play without stopping for five minutes, let alone 30. And few things can wreck a song like an out of time tambourine.
 
Ah good feedback. Yeah I have the nice reverb already going, it sounds great, this is more of a technical issue.

However, I do mic probably 6-12" away from the mic, I'll try the 1 meter method and see what I get with that. That might fix my issues.

And for those that are curious...adding percussion to an arrangement really livens up a mix, let me tell you. Don't just stick with drumset for everything.
 
grimtraveller said:
Same here ~ that and a little panning. It's one of the most underrated instruments out there. You also need a strong enduring arm and a truly steady sense of timing and good concentration. This is an instrument that can hurt if you play without stopping for five minutes, let alone 30. And few things can wreck a song like an out of time tambourine.
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or record 8 bars and loop it <whistle>
 
I like what some solo guitarist do with the tambo is to set it on the ground and play it with your foot (the tambo being the kick drum pedal) as if you were playing a kick drum.
Try micing that up and see what ya get.
 
StevenJacksonMu said:
I use tambos somewhat frequently. Crazy as it may seem, you have to play a tambourine. It's not just a noise maker. Use consistent hits and even shakes. If you have wild spikes in one section and can barely hear it in another, you're doing/miking it wrong. Stay still and play it like an instrument. Also, you don't need to mic them close. I mic mine from about 3 feet away. That helps with the crazy transients. I never compress it. I've tried compression, and I always end up just turning it off. I use EQ to roll off the highs so it can sit in with the drums and not clash with the hats or ride. Then give it some big ol reverb to really make it stand out while not being overpowering. I figure if I can hear the tambo, snare, and hats/ride all at one time, I'm doing something right.
From Greg:




I agree with this 100%.
I've never used compression either when recording a tambourine.
I also record it at least 3 feet away and add a lot of reverb....maybe try adding 'shimmer verb' to it if you have that setting.


YouTube - Please Tell Me Why
Click to expand...

By micing a tambourine from distance, you're using what is called acoustic compression. The sheer distance tends to reduce drastic dynamic differences, and will even out the tone. Unfortunately, there will also be a ton of room information, particularly if you have a fairly live recording room. Excess room information can be a positive attribute, but that depends purely on the track. A roomy tambourine on an R&B track typically sticks out like a sore thumb.

There's nothing wrong with compressing a tambo that's a bit too dynamic (or inconsistent where balance is concerned). Tambs offer high end information to your mix, and generally you can make them insanely loud, particularly on rock tracks, but not if the instrument is overly-dynamic. If you find you don't need compression for a tambo, it's usually because the player was consistent in their performance. But I would advise against avoiding a compressor as a matter of course. Compressors are a valuable tool for mixing effectively.

As important as a tambo can be for lift in a track, it's a somewhat unimportant instrument in the grand scheme of a production and a mix. It's better to get that sucker to sit in or above the track as you like it, and to forget about it other than adjusting it's overall level throughout the track. You might, for instance, bring it lower in the verses and louder in the chorus', but let's face it, the listener's focus shouldn't be on the tambourine. It should generally be on the melody instrument (like the vocal!).

When mixing, it's important to understand and recognize the function of each and every instrument in your mix. I go into function and focus in great detail in Zen and the Art of Mixing[i/], and I can't go into it all (I mean I devoted an entire chapter to this), but I'll give you the five basic functions directly from the book:

From Zen and the Art of Mixing (Copyright 2010 - All Rights Reserved):

"Function

Placing the vocal prominently in a mix establishes its importance. This is the primary method of harnessing the listener’s focus. While the vocal carries the all-important melody and lyrics, it’s still only one part of the total production.There are other parts in a track, and not only do those other parts have important functions, but our brains can actually decode them all at once. There are five basic functions in any given arrangement: melody, harmony, rhythm, response, and countermelody."

<snip happens>

"Any given part can play more than one role in an arrangement. A guitar playing a countermelody or harmony could also offer rhythmic support, depending on the part. Even a tom beat can function as both rhythm and countermelody. The Genesis song “Mama”is a good example of a tom beat playing a countermelodic role in conjunction with its rhythmic function within the track.

If you view a mix from the perspective of these five functions, you simplify mixing considerably."

Now I explain each of those functions in the book, but clearly, the tambourine usually falls within the "rhythm" function. How loud you place that tamb in your mix has to do with a number of things, including how critical the rhythm is to the track. In modern pop and rock, rhythm tends to play a prominent role. But ultimately, we want to cause the listener to sing AND some other physical reaction (dancing, head banging, toe tapping, goose bumps, etc.). If you bury the vocal with the rhythm, or if you allow the rhythm to distract from the focus, you risk an ineffective mix. Likewise, if you make the vocal so loud that there is no physical reaction caused by the rest of the track, you once again will find yourself with an ineffective mix.

It's the mixers job to balance the mix in such a way that it not only enhances the songs forward push, but forces the listener's attention on the most important part at any given moment. That's typically not the tambourine. This doesn't mean you can't mix the tambo loud, but if the stupid tambourine is popping in and out of the mix because it's inconsistent, it will only serve to distract the listener from the proper focus. There really are only two fixes for this problem. Mute it, or limit it. Of course, I suppose there is a third. You could spend all day and ride it, but that would be counter to the other main goal of mixing: Working fast!

Slap a compressor and or limiter on that bad boy and place it in such a way that it performs as intended, as a rhythmic lift without distracting from what's most important at that particular moment.

Enjoy,

Mixerman
 
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"Mixing Tambourines?"

I think the REAL question is...

Will It Blend?
 
squibble94 said:
+1 on that... No one will ever know. shhh
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Actually, tambourine is possibly the one instrument that you may well be able to tell was looped because it is not easy to play and the variations and fluctuations are obvious-ish tell tale evidence of sweat, pain and concentration !
 
grimtraveller said:
Actually, tambourine is possibly the one instrument that you may well be able to tell was looped because it is not easy to play and the variations and fluctuations are obvious-ish tell tale evidence of sweat, pain and concentration !
Click to expand...

Hmmm... I would have to disagree. If you play a decent length and loop it, it's not too noticeable. It works even better if there are different tambourine parts. So I would say it can go unnoticed as long as it's not the same part throughout the whole song.
 
transient shaper, lower the attack.

compressor, shortest attack time.

editing the wave of the transient in a wave editor.

multiband compressor.

dynamic EQ.

enough ? ;)
 
I have found that getting a GOOD SOUNDING tambourine helps. Crappy ones sound crappy no matter what you do.
 
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