Kick Drum

[remo_marbleblue]

I'm having a REALLY tough time getting my kick to sound good during jam sessions with a guitarist. I have a D112 right outside the hole, like an inch off. I'm waiting for a boom stand to come in so I can get the mike inside. I'm using a Berringer compressor on it, and I get a lot of slap (which I'm looking for) in the headphones while playing. All connections are balanced up to the headphones, but I'm using unbalanced RCA cables from the board to the CD recorder. It sounds ok on CD until the guitar comes in, then I loose all slap and just get a short boom which really pumps the car sterio speakers when cranked.

I'm going to get an EQ soon and sidechain it, but there must be something else that I'm missing. Any ideas? I'm looking for a nice slap that will be audible with a guitar, and some low end kick.

Thanks!!

 

[dripgoss]

Sounds to me like a frequency in the BD is being cancelled out by the guitar. I would experiment with the mix a bit and remember, across the sonic plane of a recording, you need to find out where each instrument fits. When instruments start sharing frequencies, you get cancellation and even feed back sometimes.

Also, if you're recording "live" (ie in the same room), you may want to considertrying to isolate your kit and'or his cabs by some baffling or plexiglass to get some separation. It's vary possible your mics could be crossing each other's fields and are causing an out of phase effect...

Just some ideas for you...

 

[wjgypsy]

Yeah, Your guitar and kick are Fighting over a freq. Try placing the mic real close to the back head if you want more slap. For bottom end/slap take the front head off and when you get your lo-profile stand, place the d112 right infront of the beater, but set it on the outside of the kick. Use heaver compression if your using overheads. The overheads will pick up the natral acoustic sound if you place them right. but don't let them pick up the kick too much or you'll have a really boomy sound. But with the kick compressed and the overheads picking it up a little, you'll be getting the punch and slap from your kick but the acoustic sound from your overheads.

Z

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

Use heaver compression if your using overheads.

Huh?

If you're a rookie, I wouldn't recommend you use compression at all while tracking -- too much chance of fucking it up and overcompressing, which can't be changed.

 

[remo_marbleblue]

I'm recording in stereo onto a CD so I have to compress while playing. Plus it sounds a hell of alot better in the headphones.

 

[wjgypsy]

Huh?

If you're a rookie, I wouldn't recommend you use compression at all while tracking -- too much chance of fucking it up and overcompressing, which can't be changed.

I meant AFTER the recording. And it always worked for me. I wouldn't "Sqush" it but i'd pull the treshold down and turn up the ratio. Here's the sound i got: www.nowhereradio.com/zeke/singles listen to "waiting for the messiah" THe kick has been compressed and the overheads are picking up most of the kick's natrual sound, while the kick mic (beta 52) is picking up slap and punch. This is by no means ment to be a pro sound (Duh? ) but i think it's sounds "OK"

Z

 

[wjgypsy]

I'm recording in stereo onto a CD so I have to compress while playing. Plus it sounds a hell of alot better in the headphones.

I would start saying for a multitrack recorder. While recording direct to cd can sound good, if you mess up, you mess up the whole cd. And if you have to compress while recording, i would try difurent settings on the compressor, and record a few seconds of each one of them and see which one i liked and record with it. While this is the long way around and does not promise anything, it will work if done properly. Up until a few months ago, i had to use compression in my signal chain. Then i got acid 4.0 Now i just record on my vf-16 and import it into the acid software and eq and compress.