One Pre Amp...2 choices....

[RAMI]

I guess this will be a matter of opinion, but I just want to see if more opinions lean one way or the other. Also, someone might open my eyes to something I might not have considered.

I have a new Focusrite Voicemaster Pro. It will be the first time I do a drum track with it and I want to use it on either my kik or my snare. I'm going into a TASCAM 2488 which has decent pre's, but not compared to the Focusrite. Which would you give prioroty to and put through the better pre to warm it up and/or smooth it out? Kik or snare? Thanx.

 

[brandrum]

the most important drum on the kit....the snare!!

 

[RAMI]

Cool man, that was my first impulse. But when I plugged the kik into it by mistake, it made me stop and think. Thanx for the input, Bran.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

It's a great question but it's not a simple one.

What works best for one song is not necessarily what's best for another. Also what's best for the snare solo is not always what's best for snare when mixed with the overheads. Sometimes sacrificing just a taste on the snare mic and making up for it with the OHs in order to use the good stuff on an otherwise anemic kick can be worth it, especially if the kick is an amportant hook element in the song.

Also, some mic/pre parings are more effective than others. What is on paper a "better" mic pre might not give "that sound" when pared with a certain mic as compared with another mic.

What I'd do is try each pre on each drum and record them along with your OHs just as a test. Rough mix the drum kit just to see how they sound together as well as seperately. Then pick the combo which works best for how you want that particular song to sound.

G.

 

[xstatic]

My gut reaction would be the kick. The reason I say this is that so much of your snare sound comes from the blend of the other mics. The kick however is often (at least in most rock music) derived primarily (like 90% or more) from the kick channel.

My second choice would be a mono room mic, and then snare

 

[big country]

I usally gate the hell out of every thing but the hover heads .
I would use the pre on the kick. I have a sub kick mic so its more
important to get the levels perfect.

 

[RAMI]

Yeah I tried both and it makes more of a differnce on the kik. The snare sounds good either way, but the kik sounds way better with the good pre. I don't gate anything when tracking or mixing. Thanx alot, guys.

 

[brendandwyer]

what is the consesus of the voicemaster. i just used it on a snare w/brushes and loved it, but in nearly every other application i've tried it with, i haven't been satisfied. Maybe i've needed time to learn it, but i'm wondering what others think of it.

 

[littledog]

I agree with Xstatic, and I too would vote for the kick, because I get more than half of my snare sound from my overheads.

But the only way to really know is to try it both ways, and see what works best. Depending on what else you have, it may be a matter of not which drum the Focusrite helps the most, but which drum your other preamps hurt the least.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

it may be a matter of not which drum the Focusrite helps the most, but which drum your other preamps hurt the least.

Very nicely put!

G.

 

[RAMI]

Absolutely. It helped the snare a bit, but it REALLY helped the kik. I've been using the Focusrite on my vocals and guitars and I loved it so far. Now I'm very happy with it because it definitely brought that kik drum out.

Thanx for the advice, and even though Brandrum is right about the snare being very important, in this case it was perfect on the kik.

 

[soundchaser59]

Holy Cageebers! I'm sorry I'm late to this party, but......

My gut reaction to the original question was "Kick...of course!" But only because that is the drum I have the most trouble mixing in my own basement rig. Kudos to Glen for considering the song itslef as a huge factor. And to everyone who pointed out that the snare sound can involve the OH mics as much as the snare mic.

The other posters have already said it, but I think they are right.......I'd use it on the kick!

But your drum tracks are already so good anyway, Rami......can you make them better just by tossing in a new pre? Hat's off, man.....

 

[Dogman]

Rami, your drums always sound really good anyway, so I don't think your other pre's hurt at all. If you think the kik gets sounding better, and it makes less difference with the snare, go for it. You already have a great sound on the snare, and make it fit the tunes you do well, so it won't be like you are hurting the music by leaving the snare alone.

Just my $1.72.......

 

[soundchaser59]

Just my $1.72.......

That's almost 16 bits!

 

[RAMI]

Here's a dry sample. I'm sure it will have reverb once it's part of the mix.

Let me know if there's anything that stands out as needing improvement. Don't mind the playing, it was one take and I left it that way. Thanx for all the help on this one.

When you click on "Download MP3" and it tells you to right click to save, just left click if you don't want to save it.

(You'll have to turn off the site-wide music player in the bottom left corner to hear the drum sample)

SAMPLE DRUMS RAMI

 

[Dogman]

Here's a quick sample: Let me know if there's anything that stands out as needing improvement. Don't mind the playing, it was one take and I left it that way. Thanx for all the help on this one.

(You'll have to turn off the site-wide music player in the bottom left corner to hear the drum sample)

SAMPLE DRUMS RAMI

I think these sound pretty good....nice and clear. But what do I know.....

 

[RAMI]

I think these sound pretty good....nice and clear. But what do I know.....

How do I know what you know? I don't even know what I know.

Thanx Dog. I still find my high hats slightly harsh on all my recordings, but the high end in my ears is totally out of whack, so..........what do I know?

 

[soundchaser59]

Sounds great to me...........just not loud enough! (But it's never loud enough!)

If you can mix your whole tune and still keep the drums sounding like this, then there are people in Nashville who want you to sign up......

 

[RAMI]

Sounds great to me...........just not loud enough! (But it's never loud enough!)

If you can mix your whole tune and still keep the drums sounding like this, then there are people in Nashville who want you to sign up......

Hehe...Nashville? I'm in. You're right about the volume. I didn't master it to get the level up. It wold come up once it's mixed and mastered with a complete mix. Thanx alot Soundchaser.

 

[Supercreep]

Rami - I would use the focusrite on the source that you tweak on the most...

-Casey