A question for all you Studio Drummers. I run a small studio and record mostly Hard Rock and Metal bands. What are the best heads to suggest for my clients for the recording sessions?
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Originally posted by littledog, jr.: Originally posted by Kurt
Originally posted by littledog, jr.:
Originally posted by Kurt Foster:
[qb]If the kit sounds like sh*t you bet I would…
i guess that begs the question of who decides what is an appropriate drum sound: the drummer or the engineer?
Amen to that!
There's this style thing that happens each generation. Every decade seems to have a "style" to the different instruments that most musicians and sound engineers want to have as a standard. I can tell when a song is recorded by how they have modeled the drums. We seem to be relying on electronic tricks too much and not enough on capturing the sound of the drums and other acoustic instruments. Really great sound engineers can get that.
I applaud you for being sensitive to a musician's wants and choices. I also agree with your earlier post that if you feel the drums don't sound right, have a friendly sitdown with the drummer and make suggestions. If they have any brains and care about their music, they should listen, because you are a pro and have the ears for this.
-Jeff
People, Kurt's original comment was addressed at me - and you
People,
Kurt's original comment was addressed at me - and you will note that - after reading it - I backed off.
Now let me tell you why........ the way i read his post had to do with a studio drummer being brought in to work on a song...... and that being the case - i equate it to a painter being hired to paint your home.
I would think that you would be nuts if you began trying to tell that old painter how to go about doing his trade - but you damn sure have a right to tell him the colors you want on your walls.
I someone hires me to drum for something they're cutting - i guess they've listened to my work and like what i do - but the sound of the recording should be what they envision for their piece. After all - they are now the customer - and they should get exactly what they pay for.
That is how i read it - and in that light - i have to agree with it.
Rod
Originally posted by Kurt Foster: Originally posted by little
Originally posted by Kurt Foster:
Originally posted by littledog, jr.:
I guess the key word is "producer"... most of the time i'm the engineer, not the producer.That being the case, i feel free to suggest whatever I want to the drummer, with the understanding that he's perfectly free to ignore my suggestions.
Yeah, If you are not hiring the players, then what I said doesn't apply.. but I have and bands in before whose drums sucked.. and I would do all I could to talk them into using my studio kit. I was usually successful as my kit was a lot nicer that what their drummers would have, most of the time.. Even when you are "just the engineer' at the end of the project, if it sucks, the blame will fall on you 9 out of 10 times. In situations when there is no producer, the duty usually falls on the recording engineer, like it or not..
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Nope never used it! Never heard it! I don't know nothin' about it.. It could be the best thing since sliced bacon! (really!) :D Kurt a good engineer "should" know his room(s) and his/her job is to provide the "producer" with the best sound possible from those rooms. That being said...I personally like ambassador heads for toms and a frosted ambassadar head for the snare. IMO, these heads sound best when first put on a kit and "tuned" in a cycle of 5th's. I enjoy the natural sound of the kit I am recording.
uote:Originally posted by Downflow “I think the snare sound on Metallica's new album is pretty cool. In fact, St. Anger, #9 (Don't know the name), and the snare sound are about the only things I DO like about the album. Otherwise, I find it kinda stays in one gear. And I could be considered a pretty hard-core Metallica fan. Do you think the snare actually sounded that way, or did they boost the "bad" frequency?”
St. Anger is IMO, the worst produced Metallica album so far. I am not a fan of picollo snares. I have been asked to get that ping, or poink sound and when I do agree, I try to let the overtones ring in the same key as the dominate major chord of the song, anything else is to annoying for my taste.
Just my opinion. :roll:
Treena :h:
Originally posted by Kurt Foster: If the kit sounds like sh*t y
i guess that begs the question of who decides what is an appropriate drum sound: the drummer or the engineer?
"sorry elvin/philly joe/roy haynes, etc., but I don't particularly care for your sound. You'll have to play my kit or we'll just get someone else... maybe Rod is available?"