AKG Acoustics Micing manual Introduction

INTRODUCTION:

In the modern studio there is no more complex job for the engineer than micing the drum set. Musically, the drum set and bass form the rhythmic underpinning of any jazz, pop or rock musical performance. In the final mix, it can be in the back- ground, foreground or well out front, depending on the needs of the music.

The job for the engineer at the tracking stage of album production is to store the necessary sonic elements, both stereo and mono, that will allow the mix engineer to put together a coherent rhythmic sound structure for all possible options that the artist and producer may want to experiment with as the album project approaches completion.

The tracking engineer must have a good knowledge of the drum set and how a drummer goes about setting it up. It’s not all that simple; a drummer may take a good bit of time setting up his instruments and may damp the various drum heads to min- imize ringing. It is rare for a drummer to come into a studio and be up and running in a few minutes. At a rehearsal, possi- bly -- but not for a recording session. The artistry of an accomplished drummer is truly awesome. The really good ones show a degree of independence of feet and hands rivaling that of a pipe organ virtuoso.

You will find that the drummer is often the first musician to arrive at the studio, often a couple of hours ahead of starting time. This extra time is essential in setting up the drums and making sure that all spurious resonances and extraneous nois- es have been worked out of the system.

The drummer should maintain eye contact with the other players and not be shunted off to a distant drum cage or isolation booth. For certain kinds of music the drum set will have to be isolated with goboes, but the drummer should never feel out of contact with the other musicians. There are of course exceptions, and many a drummer has played alone in a big studio, adding his tracks to pre-existing bass and other supporting tracks, often taking advantage of the acoustics of a large empty space.

THE BASIC MAKEUP OF THE DRUM SET:

Although the actual instruments and their arrangement will vary from player to player, the drum set will have the follow- ing basic elements:

Kick Drum: The kick drum is played with the right foot using a spring-loaded pedal. There may be heads (the striking sur- face) on both sides of the kick drum, but some players use a single head. Another variation is the use of a full head on the playing side, with a head on the opposite side that has a medium sized hole in it, providing a limited degree of tuning of the inner cavity. The larger the drum and lighter the tension on the heads, the lower the pitch will be. Some players go for a higher pitched, highly damped sound while others prefer a lower pitched sound. In either case the player will most like- ly want the sound to be fairly well damped so that it will not overhang and possibly interfere with the bass line.

Snare Drum: The snare is played by both hands using a pair of sticks or light metal brushes against the head in a circular motion. The “snares” themselves are actually multiple sets of thick gut or metal strings that rest against the bottom head of the drum, and they give the characteristic “burr” to the sound of the instrument when it is struck. They can be disengaged, in which case the sound of the drum is like that of a high-pitched tom.

Hi-hat cymbals: The hi-hat assembly is made up of a pair of face-to-face cymbals, one on top of the other. A pedal operated with the left foot varies their separation slightly, and the drummer plays them with a stick in his right hand while holding the cymbal pair by their edges lightly with his left hand. The sound is light and very articulate for off-beat rhythmic patterns, since it reflects movements and positions of both hands.

The toms: The toms (officially known as tom-toms) are one-sided drums, slightly deeper in size and pitch than the snare drum, which are placed left to right behind the snare and high-hat and over the kick drum. They are normally tuned low, mid and high, but without definite pitch. As a rule, there are three of them, but some players may add a fourth.

The cymbals: There are usually three cymbals arranged at the upper level of the set and directly above the toms. They

have various names: the crash cymbal is large and is used for musical accents; the ride cymbal, usually higher pitched, is used in continuous passages, and a sizzle cymbal, with small metal pins loosely fitted on its periphery, is used for light pas- sages where an increased degree of high frequency “shimmer” is desired. Cymbals are among the most expensive items in a drum set. Many excellent ones are made in near-eastern countries, such as Turkey, where the art has been handed down in families for many generations.

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