drum tracks - please listen

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postalblue

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hey guys, i need your input on this.
i'm trying to get a hold of how to record drums properly, and this is a sample of what i'm doing. this was recorded with 4 mics- 2 mxl 603s as wide spaced overheads (i tried to position them so i didn't get any phase problems, but also tried to capture a nice hihat/cymbal sound as well as the sound of the toms), 1 akg d3700 on snare, 1 sennheiser e604 on kick. they all went into my aardvark direct pro's pres. the drumkit is a yamaha custom model. we also used this very nice mapex fatback wooden snare, but it's been hell to tune it well (i haven't really managed to yet).
i used ultrafunk's eq on all tracks, sonic foundry's noise gate on snare and kick, timeworks' compressorx on kick and snare, and timeworks' 4080l reverb on snare.
please listen for phase problems, and whatever other problems you may find on the recording. i know i need to improve, i just don't know how exactly. i also need to get a grip on how to reproduce consistently some of good the sounds i occasionally get, which i haven't been able to do so far.
below is a link to a short sample of this drum recording i've done during the weekend.
it's for my band's album. we're an indiepop band, so bear that in my mind when you make any suggestions.
here's the link. you'll have to download it, since i can't make streaming mp3s, sorry. but it's only 285k-

if that link doesn't work, go here http://www.geocities.com/adriano_r/drums.html.

thanks,
adriano
 
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anyone?
maybe i should move this thread to the mixing / mastering forum?

adriano
 
Kick and snare sound fine the Cymbals sound cheap. Get some better cymbals
 
cymbals are zildjian. i think the mp3 encryption made the whole recording sound pretty crappy now that i'm listening to it from my work computer. i'm glad not many people listened to it yet. i'll try to get a better mp3 encoder and make a better quality sample.

adriano
 
I'll second that opinion on the cymbals. That crash sounds really washy - like a cheap cymbal. What kind of crash is that?
 
i'm not sure what kind of crash it is, but again i think it's the encoding, not the cymbal. the kick and the snare sound really different now from my work computer too. are you listening through phones or your computer monitors or through near-field monitors?
when i encoded it at home, it sounded good enough on my yamaha msp5s, but they sound like shit on this computer.

adriano
 
mics too close

could that be caused by mic distance? i guess i could hang the mics a little higher?

adriano
 
Could be. I guess if the mic is too close, it will be more apt to pick up sound based on how the cymbal is moving, which could give it that washy sound.

BTW, I listened on headphones.
 
Other than the cymbol problem, which I have found helps to have the mics further away, the drums sound pretty good. Is that the sound you were going for? Personally, I like the snare a little brighter and a little snappier, but it is all personal preference, whatever suits your style. The toms will be harder to hear in the mix once you move those mics up a bit.

Ian
 
imacgreg,

it think overall that's pretty close to what i'm looking for. the original uncompressed file had a brighter and snappier snare sound actually. i used quite a bit of reverb on it, but took the time to get the right settings on so it wouldn't drown it. the kick drum sounds a little boomy in the mp3. i think i've got to get a better mp3 encoder. as for the toms, it should work ok to move the mics higher because i actually had to do some automation to lower the toms in the mix.

elevate,

i think one thing that contributed to the washiness of the cymbals was the fact that i was pointing the mic at the cymbals edge, trying to get a bit more of the hihat too.

adriano
 
sounds great!

it's better than my sound buddy! can your please tell me what eq,compression,effects and mic placement so i can have a good sound?
 
I think the overheads sound a little too spaced out to me.

Ok, I am panning this from left to right - and it sounds kind of off balance. Everything on the left sounds much more alive....the right sounds deader. Even the crash sound is better on the left - than it is on the right (which is where it sounds like it is supposed to be).

I'd play with the overhead position definately. Maybe put them higher as mentioned and maybe closer together as well.

Overall it sounds pretty good to me - I think it would work in a mix.
 
zeke,

thanks, man. check my original post for the setup and effects.

wes,

i'll try a xy configuration, and also a closer spaced configuration, to see how it works.
 
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