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Ok, so my bassist and I starting recording today for our next CD. We're doing it at home using my PC and my Delta 1010. We're using 8 inputs, Bass/Snare/Tom1,2,3/Hihat/Overheads 1/2.

We did some test recording today after getting some decent drum sounds, and when isolating the overhead mics we heard this strange... humming. Not buzzing from a cable. More like someone was in the room humming along to the beat. It's mostly pronounced when playing something on the hi hat. Listen below. You can immediately hear it at the 2 second point.

http://home.comcast.net/~russell_gellman/Songs/StrangeNoise.mp3

We have no clue what it is. We thought the ringing from the ride cymbal (we put tape on the cymbal). Bad Mics (we swapped out the mics), vibration on the drum rack (move the mics off the rack).

Does anyone have an idea what may be making this noise?

Thanks

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anonymous Fri, 07/29/2005 - 17:05

No. the PC and the mics are in seperate rooms.

I think we may have narrowed it down more. The bassist came into the room while I was playing, stood a few feet away, and said he could hear it through his own ear! I guess it's either some sympathetic vibration from maybe a tom or something vibrating the hardware or something.

I'm going to break down the entire kit tonight, and set it up again using stands instead of a rack and see if that isolates it.

I might also put a dab of tape on the bottom heads of the toms to stop sympathetic ringing.... any other thoughts?

anonymous Wed, 08/10/2005 - 09:09

Wasn't able to hear the file, says it doesn't exist...

The humming could me from the floor tom, or any other drums. I once got something like this and found it was from the floor tom, ringing even when it wasn't hit. I cut out the parts on the floor tom track that weren't used...like Kurt said i think.... :)

therecordingart Thu, 08/11/2005 - 22:35

It's always that damn floor tom at my place....solo each track one by one and find the culprit. What bugs me is that I'll get a floor tom tuned perfect and the sucker rings like hell when not played....so I do what Kurt advised. Either use gates or actually edit between hits.

There were a few times that the kick was destroyed by a ringy tom so be careful.

anonymous Tue, 08/16/2005 - 08:16

Hi, I also couldn't get your sample to play but it sounds as if your describing tom overring.I would start with retuning those drums to try and solve the problem, making sure that the kick and the floor tom are not causing each other to ring.
If that doesen't work try this. I have had good luck damping a floor tom without putting anything on the heads! I used 2 1 foot square pieces of old 2" acoustic foam and stacked them on the floor underneath the floor tom. This quells some resonance but does not affect the strike sound at all.
Lastly, there is a product called Moongels that are a sticky vinyl square that stick to anything when clean. These are great for taming toms, snare and hihat/ride bells. I usally put 2 on a floortom (12 and 3 o'clock) if it gives me trouble and the client won't spend the time to retune. Good luck!! Dave