We’re again at Standing Stream at Wise Music, due to Maverick for letting us use the room once more whereas we end organising the brand new house. This week’s FAQ Friday is all about sensible choices that come up continuously in periods, drum spot mics, section alignment, whether or not to attend mastering and why so many engineers obsess over overhead placement.
Why will we usually use dynamic mics as drum spot mics somewhat than condensers?
More often than not it comes right down to sample management. Many dynamic mics have tighter, extra managed cardioid patterns which helps you goal on the drum and reject extra of every little thing else round it. On a package, “every little thing else” is quite a bit, hello hat bleeding into the snare mic, snare within the tom mics, cymbals in every single place plus no matter is going on within the room.
There’s additionally the sensible actuality of sturdiness and danger. You most likely don’t need to put a fragile classic condenser inside a kick drum the place air stress and fixed affect could be unforgiving. A dynamic mic is normally the safer good friend in these excessive stress excessive SPL positions.
That stated it’s all the time style and purpose dependent. If you’d like one thing extra open and pure particularly on jazz or sparse preparations you may use fewer shut mics and lean on a condenser exterior the kick, a mono overhead or a clear stereo overhead method then add only a contact of shut snare if wanted. You may also mix a dynamic and a condenser on snare taped collectively or with a goal constructed twin possibility providing you with two flavours to mix. If the condenser brings a bit an excessive amount of spill the dynamic could be your managed anchor and you may gate or form round that.
The easy takeaway, dynamics for tighter directionality and management, condensers if you need extra openness and element and the association and style let you know which issues extra.
When correcting section on a drum package ought to we align waveforms by eye or use pattern delay and align by ear and why?
Use your eyes to get you shut then use your ears to determine what is definitely proper for the track.
There’s a actual lure right here, “good” on the display screen will not be all the time good within the audio system. A kick drum is not only the direct hit it is usually the reflections and the room and the best way that power blooms over time. For those who make every little thing mathematically equivalent you’ll be able to by accident make the package smaller or much less thrilling as a result of you might have eliminated the pure time relationships that create depth.
A sensible methodology that works effectively is to select a reference usually the overheads as a result of they are often essentially the most trustworthy image of the package. Then use a time adjuster, pattern delay or equal software in your DAW to nudge shut mics into a greater relationship with that image. You possibly can measure the offset and transfer one thing by 100 samples and also you may instantly hear the low finish and physique snap into place. Nevertheless you continue to need to superb tune by ear as a result of the “greatest” alignment is usually a contented center not essentially the most visually satisfying one.
An incredible cautionary story is when somebody aligns a DI to a bass amp recording and all of a sudden there may be hundreds extra low finish. It appears to be like sensible nonetheless the tone stops sounding just like the report as a result of the unique sound was formed by tape and compression and EQ on the best way in. The purpose is to not manufacture the utmost low finish it’s to maintain the character and intention intact.
Two guidelines that can maintain you sane:
- Repair what you’ll be able to hear. Don’t go attempting to find issues you don’t hear.
- The order is all the time, does it sound good, then alter whether it is genuinely wanted.
It’s the identical philosophy as tuning vocals. Wait till one thing is definitely out of tune then tune it. If a efficiency feels expressive and proper belief that first.
A helpful monitoring mindset right here is spill administration. There’s an old style method some engineers lived and died by, ensuring successful on one drum doesn’t print too loudly into the opposite shut mics. The much less undesirable crossover you might have the much less “section correction” turns into a rescue mission later and the extra your EQ strikes keep centered.
Is it vital to take a seat in together with your mastering engineer when potential?
It is dependent upon finances and on what you are attempting to get out of it.
An attended mastering session usually prices extra and that is smart since you are turning a quick environment friendly course of into an extended one. If you’re sitting subsequent to an excellent mastering engineer you’ll naturally ask questions and it’s best to, that’s a part of the worth. Nevertheless time is time and attended periods take extra of it.
My most popular compromise is easy. Work with a mastering engineer you belief ship the mixes then explicitly invite suggestions if you ship them. One thing like, “For those who hear something I can enhance please inform me.” Nice mastering engineers will usually ship again a couple of notes, possibly one observe has a construct up in a specific space, possibly there’s a little an excessive amount of of one thing. That suggestions makes you a greater mixer with out you needing to be within the room for all the course of.
Additionally professionals normally don’t “let you know off”. Their job is to make it nice and to make it translate throughout codecs, streaming, vinyl, CD, radio, every little thing. For those who ask for notes you might be opening the door for constructive solutions and most nice mastering engineers are genuinely sensible at that.
So sure attended could be priceless in case you can afford it and also you need the expertise. Nevertheless if you need one of the best worth ship it to somebody you belief and ask for suggestions within the hand off.
Why do many engineers place overheads equidistant from the snare and what occurs if you don’t?
Equidistant overheads are a fast dependable approach to maintain the snare centred and section coherent within the stereo picture. If each overhead mics are the identical distance from the snare the snare arrives at each capsules on the identical time and it sits firmly within the center. That additionally makes it simpler to align your shut snare to the overheads in case you select to bringing again physique and weight with out bizarre smearing.
For those who place overheads extra typically that means not measured to the snare the centre of the package can shift. The snare may pull left or proper and the section relationship between overheads and shut mics can get much less predictable. Typically that could be a drawback and typically it’s precisely the vibe you need particularly if the association is sparse and also you need the package to really feel like a single instrument in an actual house.
That is the place you match the overhead method to the manufacturing:
Spaced pair measured to the snare nice for dense mixes. When you might have heavy guitars, keys, synths and a busy association a spaced pair offers width and power and the managed centre retains the snare punchy.
XY or a stereo mic nice when stereo accuracy is every little thing. Whether it is drums plus a small variety of devices and the overheads are mainly “the sound of the package” an XY or stereo mic method may give you that locked section stable picture.
Mono overhead nice for cohesion. A mono overhead could make the package really feel like one linked instrument. It may be good if you need the drums to take a seat naturally and keep away from a large hyped image.
And if you’re doing extremely dense metallic typically the overhead job modifications completely. You may even spot mic cymbals and place them intentionally and construct atmosphere with managed reverbs on kick and snare somewhat than counting on pure room spill. None of that is proper or improper it’s merely selecting the strategy that serves the track.
The thread that ties all of this collectively
Most of those questions sound technical and they’re. Nevertheless all of them come again to the identical precedence. Use instruments to help what you might be listening to to not change it. Tight patterns and dynamics assist with management and section instruments make it easier to get extra physique and focus and mastering suggestions helps you translate and overhead placement selections are actually association selections in disguise.
When you have extra FAQ Friday questions drop them under and as all the time have a marvellous time recording and mixing.
