How do you get that Led Zeppelin sound? Who is Led Zeppelin anyway?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rickson Gracie
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Rickson Gracie

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Seriously, I was listening to "no quarter" and am amazed at the drum sound.

Whats the secret?
 
I believe I picked that line up from Fletcher. Credit where credit is due.
 
The secret? John Bonham. Generally there were only one to three mics on the kit. They'd record a bit, listen to any drum problems, adjust his playing to compensate and do it again till it was right.
 
Ronan's got some kick-ass low key photography on that site.
 
you get nice big power toms made from acyralite then but remo power dots on adn tune HIGH! even tune teh kick HIGH. thats all you need. then with some good mics and your sorted.

again the drum tech is jeff ocheltree.
 
drummerdude666 said:
you get nice big power toms made from acyralite then but remo power dots on adn tune HIGH! even tune teh kick HIGH. thats all you need. then with some good mics and your sorted.

again the drum tech is jeff ocheltree.
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That was only one of the albums. Most of them he was using a maple kit. It just goes to prove that the equipment and recording technique had very little to do with it.
 
i totally agree that the performance of the artist is a major factor BUT what if we had put Bonham in a shitty room with shitty mics and shitty drums and shitty mic placement onto a shitty tascam cassette 4 track and im pretty sure we're not going to get the "no quarter" drum sound no matter how well bonham played that day.
 
If you put a boombox in front of John Bonham in a basement it would sound like John Bonham. It would not sound like the 'No Quarter' but neither does 'When the Leavey Breaks'.
Against modern recordings, Zepplin albums sound a little screechy ( I haven't heard the remasters) and the drums are boxy sounding. The feel is what everyone wants. The sound is really not that good and would not work on anything that doesn't sound exactly like Zepplin.
 
Farview said:
That was only one of the albums. Most of them he was using a maple kit. It just goes to prove that the equipment and recording technique had very little to do with it.
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yes sorry thats true, thats the kit most people know as the bonham sound. thats why i used that.
but yeh that was only one. (although im pretty sure the sound everyone knows and loves is gained by using that kit)
 
drummerdude666 said:
yes sorry thats true, thats the kit most people know as the bonham sound. thats why i used that.
but yeh that was only one. (although im pretty sure the sound everyone knows and loves is gained by using that kit)
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The sound that everyone knows and loves doesn't have anything to do with the kit. 2 of the songs that were mentioned were No Quarter and When the Leavey Breaks. They were not played on the same kit, in the same place, or recorded the same way. They don't sound all that much alike (recording wise). But they both sound like him.
 
I agree with dot's link. the credit goes to bonnham himself. His playing is so dynamic. he hits everything at the right volume. His balance is perfect. Only 3 microphones as ledgend has it is proof.

while gear/recording techniques may play a small role, i think his drums sound huge because he doesnt let his cymbols drown everything out in the mix, and when he hits his heads he hits them in the right spot at the right volume, so he has a very balanced big sound.

its all in his arms and legs, kinda like vanhalen on guitar, he somehow squeezes tone from his fingers and playing technique first, then his equipment enhances it all.

peace to all
metalJ
 
I've posted this before.

A Major factor in Bonham's sound was the way that he tuned the kit - He used big drums and tuned them high. Then, he listened to what was coming through the overhead microphones, and he balanced his playing himself. This is exactly how i learned to record and play to the mics.

I put a mic in the kick, and an over head directly over my head - aimed straight at the top of my head from behind. Then I listened through headphones as I played. It really helped me balance my playing alot, and concidently - the main thing that people tell me is that , yes - I play like Bonham....which is funny, because even though I loved Bonham - I've only ever covered one Zeppelin song through the last 20 years - Rock'n'Roll.

Any time I would break out the Ocean, or The Rover, my guitarists couldn't play them - which was kind of depressing. You haven't seen anything until you've spent the time learning "Out on the tiles" or "Black Dog", and you find you've got a band who can't play anything outside of straight 4/4.

I always wanted to be in a band that could actually play Achilles Last Stand live.

So, while I did learn a lot of Bonham's stuff, it's really more that he influenced me in tom licks and kick and hi-hat work, as well as snare to tom rolls.

Of course, I've got that grooving "stomp" from "Trampled Under Foot" down Pat.

My brother says that is really wghat it is - I tend to play with a swing or Groove, instead of "straight" time... my playing has that swagger to it.

Plus- having a 28" Kick drum helps a lot. LOL!

Tim
 
Farview said:
If you put a boombox in front of John Bonham in a basement it would sound like John Bonham. It would not sound like the 'No Quarter' but neither does 'When the Leavey Breaks'.
Against modern recordings, Zepplin albums sound a little screechy ( I haven't heard the remasters) and the drums are boxy sounding. The feel is what everyone wants. The sound is really not that good and would not work on anything that doesn't sound exactly like Zepplin.
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Yeah I actually prefer Bonham's sound, his snare in particular, from the early albums. Songs like Your Time is Gonna Come & Immigrant Song has a relatively crisp sounding snare. Contrast that with the dull sound on In Through the Out Door
 
Rickson Gracie: I suggest listing to "Fool in the Rain".

Yes John Bonham was definitely a force of nature.
 
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