How do you get that Zeppelin sound?

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capnkid

capnkid

Optimus Prime
I have a computer and will soon be getting a mixer and some sort of computer recording program like the delta 1010. last year I was recording on an old fostex 4 track tape and put one mike up in the general area of the drumset, and it sounded pretty good, I took the bottom heads off and put apillow in the bass drum, but nowI will be getting more technical with the computer set up and was wondering what to expect.
 
OK, what you do is get a drumset with really big drums (14,16,18 and a 26 X 14 bass drum and a ludwig supraphonic 6.5 x 14 snare) Tune it really high and ringy and don't put a hole in the front head of the bass drum.

Now, set it up against one of the stone walls a castle. It needs to be a mediuns sized room (for a castle). Mic the kick and snare and use 2 room mics.

Record them hard to analog tape with John Bonham playing them and compress the crap out of the room mics on mixdown.
 
Farview said:
OK, what you do is get a drumset with really big drums (14,16,18 and a 26 X 14 bass drum and a ludwig supraphonic 6.5 x 14 snare) Tune it really high and ringy and don't put a hole in the front head of the bass drum.

Now, set it up against one of the stone walls a castle. It needs to be a mediuns sized room (for a castle). Mic the kick and snare and use 2 room mics.

Record them hard to analog tape with John Bonham playing them and compress the crap out of the room mics on mixdown.
Click to expand...

and play LOUD!!!!!!!!
 
ahh, the holy grail of drum sounds!

to get that true zep sound all you need is two things...a plane ticket to england and a shovel to dig up the corpse of bonham. also, to revive him you might need the stank of a 14 year old groupie.

seriously though, bonham sounded like that b/c he hit the drums harder than just about anyone else. it has more to do with the drummers style than it does the micing.
 
I notice A LOT of guys are using the Bohnam/Old School Jazz Drum set ups these days. The Two big Floor toms and the isolated Kick drum. Is that just for looks or does a kit sound better that way?
Mapex has a nice maple oversized kit in musicians friend catalogue, 24x18 bass and oversized toms for $999
 
Getting that drum sound

I'm not a drummer, so I rarely read this forum, but I saw zeppelin play 5 times in Seattle. I also used to play in a zep-like copy band with a drummer who idolized Bonham. He converted an old ludwig 28 in marching bass for his kit.
Looked really neat and was it ever deeeeeeeeep. Seriously, if you want to know why zep sounded the way they did, seek out evey interview you can with Jimmy Page. He was a genious in the studio.

good luck

kandinsky
 
The best trick I know of is recording in a big room with lots of reflection. Set up a pair of room mics far away from the kit. Then start blending the room and close mics. The more room mic you mix in the more zep its gonna sound. Buy an LA2a and compress the shit out of the room mics. You don't really need an LA2a but it sure does sound nice. Oh yea also try using ribbon mics for the room. 2 Beyer M160s sound really nice. God I love that Mic.
 
man, i thought this thread was going to turn into one of those lame "u have to be bonhom..." threads (almost did) but instead people gave some great info.

that link was very cool.
 
Ludwig is actually reproducing the Bonham-set lately, with the original colours (see-through orange).
 
Bonzo

Read "Hammer Of The God's".
He lined the inside of his BD with foil. Also, I think he used MS1 marching sticks or something like that. :)
 
man........first post here.

Been a LURKER for awhile, and what an informative place it is.

All aside, I was JUST listening to "when the levee breaks"....that is my holy grail of drum sounds.

You find me a way to do that without a castle & Bonham...U just let me know

The posts & links above were inspiring though

:p
 
People always ask me "What Zeppelin song is that?" when I play drums. I'm usually just rockin' out and not playing anything in particular though, so I think it's more about how you play than what you're playing.

For the record, I beat the living hell out of drums when I play. It may be poor technique, as many people say, but I'm really not concerned with that. I'm not a drummer primarily, and when I play hard as comes natural it gets me the sound I'm after. :)
 
first, get a shovel. then, et a map and figure out where John Bonham was buried, cuz you need to dig him up and u se him to track for you.

the rest is cake from there, but you need to probably go o barne's and knobles and get a book and ressurection of the dead.
 
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