Drum Room

[MisterBlue]

I am working with a great sounding but very dry drum kit. What kind of a drum room do you "put this kit in" in a mix ?
Do you let it share the "main reverb" (minus the kick drum)?
Do you give it a separate (smaller...?)drum room ?
What kind of parameters do you use for such a drum room?
Do you treat instruments separately? Ambience or gated reverb on Snare and Toms ...

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience,

MisterBlue.

 

[Peter Lancaster]

MisterBlue,
I would say that what you do depends entirely on what you want the finished product to sound like.

Have a listen to some of the songs on [="http://www.mattargyle.com/html/producerpete.php"]my web page[/]. If you like any of the drum sounds I'll be happy to share with you how they were achieved.

Pete.

 

[RecorderMan]

one to try is a "Plate" sound set as short or near as short as possible. You'll be able to have it louder in relative balance than a typically longer tailed verb.

 

[Davedog]

Try the length of tail on a verb to be as long as the basic beat rate in the song or maybe a multiple or a division of.....and have it be a deep verb..ie plate,room of size...etc.

 

[cruisemates]

In the old days if you didn't have an EMT Plate reverb (the actual analog sheet of metal with a driver and pickups on it, cost about $4000) you would never get the snare sound you heard on every record made. Vocals usually had it also.

For drums, my favorite sound is that single, quick reflection you get from a mostly wood-surface room. Gives them a live feel, but they don't sound like they are in a canyon. Drums-sets reek havoc with reverb units unless the decay is very short, (but if you can limit echo to the snare (and toms) then it sounds good).

Depends on the music, though. For rock you might want to use an empty garage. For jazz you might want the deadest room you can find.

 

[billsnodgrass]

try this
If you got a room micmics delay 10-20ms or if you got just OHs try it this will put some life into the drums

 

[Doc@BeefyTreats.com]

I long for the days of BIG drums, with three verbs (short, medium, long) for just the snare. Top and bottom mics on all five toms, three pairs of room mics at twenty foot intervals, stereo pair of SD condensers tucked behind the drummer's ears...
David

 

[billsnodgrass]

David
sounds good to me