My current favorite for drums is the Alan Smart C-2. I take the drum mix out on a pair of sends or buses, smash the shit out of them with the 'Crush' mode engaged, then add it back in on two additional faders. By doing this I find I can often keep the drums lower in the mix, taking up a bit less 'real estate', yet making as strong, in many cases a stronger impact.

Distressors work great in this application as well, as does the new Empirical Labs 'Fatso'.

The 'Fatso' is kind of a world unto itself...check out http://www.empiricallabs.com for information...it could take me a week to try to describe all that it does, and I'd still leave out something important. The thing really is a 'secret weapon'.

Another of my favorite secret weapons is the Crane Song "Trakker"...I can make it respond like a bunch of different units [copy/emulate...not really, none of them really emulate...but they get close enough to help cut down on purchases...being a man of limited remaining rack space, that's a good thing].

Depends on the scooter you have to trade. On a bored out 'blockhead', I've used a pair of MD-421-U's with great sucess. Shotguns? Single baffles? Or mufflers? Either way, 421's can generally handle the gig pretty well...oh, use a foam windscreen or two, I've never seen a scooter that didn't blow some kind of crap out the pipes...

And let's not forget that a pair of RNCs in series (using McQuilken's secret sauce) can also get you a nice fat drum sound. But if you can afford the kind of scooters that Fletcher rides, you can afford the other "big boy's toys" as well.

'93 FatBoy (evolution), bored out, S&S carb, screamin' eagle cam, HD offroad shotgun pipes (very deep tone as opposed to the higher pitched straight pipes). I believe there's a small baffle. And of course in black & chrome.

Thanks for the comp advise. I talked a bit about the Alan Smarts with one of your guys when ordering the Distressors. Jules recommended the same thing to me. (and curiously the same technique w/ mixing in the compressor setting w/ uncompressed drums).

I gotta check out the Fatso soon and the Crane Song stuff. (especially trackin in ProTools) :D

I'm really starting to thing that either a Crane Song "HEDD" or an Empirical Labs "Fatso Jr." is mandatory prior to a DAW.

The thing I'm working on now is in 'Digital
Performer', and I don't know what I'd do without both of those units.

They both do different things, and add different depths and dimensions to the music. One of my biggest problems with DAW recording is I feel a loss of 'depth' I was able to gain in the analog "storage" mediums of my youth [is that the longest way tape has ever been said or what?].

Between those two units, the project I'm working on right now has most of the tone, vibe and depth of 2" 24 (at least as much as I can tell coming back through the d8b). Perhaps some of it will be presentable when we con Harvey into putting together the 'Recording.Org' compilation CD sets :eek: !!

BTW, Harvey is still 'Pope' of the Church of the Devine Backbeat...nothing has changed!!

So this is just another Diocese? To add to the topic I would recommend a pair of DBX160 compressors, the old ones with meters, if you can find 'em. Another flavor with a lot of grab. But my own fave for kick is a Pultec EQP1 through an EAR660. Kaboom :D

Tonebarge

Im using the meek sc2.2, old dbx 166,fmr,volumax, the optical onthe meek vc6q
(you can get in and out via the insert points sans pre-amp), marti cla 40h optical, and a new tracker! I really love what I'm getting out of the tracker!
Again thanks Fletcher for the advice, I'm saving for my next one as I write this.

Dan

I've been using the above mentioned mixing trick w/the Smart for quite some time, and it almost always works for the song. Crush is an option, just adds some dirt that is not level dependant. SSL limiter is almost the same thing, but the Smart C-2 is better. Make sure you get your attack and release set up properly and you can tame even the flabbiest drums.

Hey Rob!! Good to see ya here, and with your insane schedule!! I know I'm flattered.

I could be wrong about this, but if I heard correctly, the Smart C-2's "crush" mode is similar to the 'talkback' compressor in the SSL desks. That is one hell of 450,000:1 kinda thing...