Apologies in advance for this thread but I can't post pics in PMs and I'd prefer to keep it out of other forums................anyways, how much more analogue can I get than drums
The pics show cutting jigs on the router table, turning jigs, a Sapele shell in a Sleishman Free Floating frame and the same shell with it's own hardware, etc. I have to import most of my hardware as there's virtually nothing in the way of lugs, etc., available locally.
Also, what is happening in the second photo...is that a bearing-edge being shaped?
Third photo...what is the third mic on the snare? I see the 421...wait...that isn't a 421...what is that? And the 57, but the third looks like a Studio Projects C1, or is that Neumann?
I'm really curious how you craft your shells, because it looks very different than how I do it. I built an internal chuck system that can hold shells from 6" to 26". The design was inspired by how Ray Ayotte of Ayotte Drum Company was doing it. I just used that for sanding and hand finishes. The shell truing and and edge shaping all takes place on tables, but it has brought very accurate results...
This is off topic isn't it??
Sorry folks.
Ausrock, I'll PM you, but this is really fascinating and I appreciate you sharing.
Pic 1....Routing jigs for a mold. Pic 2.....turning MDF discs for a different approach (this hasn't been tried yet due to the issues mentioned in that link), the mics are an MD-441, SM57 and SP B1.
The basic method I was using is to lay up plies inside a female mold. Different people each have their own ways of doing it but ultimately, all we're doing is making a piece of cylindrical plywood I also have the options of stave construction and/or steambending but for now, it's just one thing at a time.
Okay...441...and a B1...so what is the capture focus with each of those mics? And are they being tracked separately? Is the 441 a dynamic like the 421?
From memory, I mic'd the snare to assess the difference between the free floating setup and the same shell with hardware as the Sleishman system has the shell totally suspended between the batter and reso heads with nothing touching or attached to the shell itself but I wasn't happy with the sound of that specific shell so I didn't worry about further experiments and yes, I was tracking each mic seperately.
The MD-441 is arguably one of the best dynamic mics available.
As to your PM question about micing.........a lot depends on the specific drum. I always head straight for a 57 in fairly standard positioning, although I have used a B1 aimed at the side of a snare a couple of times and if I trust the drummer, I'll use the 441 in place of the 57. That said, my first priorities are getting the o/heads right, then the kick. One of my son's mates had his cheapish Mapex kit in a couple of years ago and the o/heads (Oktava 012's) were that good on that kit that we could have dropped all the other mics out of the mix and not lost much details or stereo imaging.....................you just have to suck it and see .
I also have the options of stave construction and/or steambending but for now, it's just one thing at a time.
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