10 Steps For Recording Better Sounding Drums
- Practice! If you don’t practice you won’t sound good. Bottom line. If you are planning to use a click in the studio, learn how to play with one.
- Tune, tune, tune! If you don’t know how to tune, check out this link or ask a friend who does. When going to record in a studio, work with an engineer who knows how to finely tune your kit.
- Put new heads on. That said, if the existing heads aren’t excessively worn or dented and you like the way they sound, they are probably ok. Keep in mind new heads may need a couple days of playing to break in. Check and tune as needed in between takes/songs just like a guitarist would.
- Try tuning the drums to the fundamental key of the song played on. When drums ring in the key of the song, the ring is more pleasing to the ear.
- Lube your kick pedal. No one likes a squeaky kick pedal unless you are listening to Zeppelin.
- Tighten up the nuts and bolts of your lugs and make sure nothing is loose.
- Pick up new sticks. Try wood and nylon tips. Sometimes the song warrants one or the other. Or one wood and one nylon in different hands.
- Use gaffers tape and a bit of a sponge and/or wallets placed on a snare to provide some muffling as needed. Ringo used a pack of smokes. Moon Gel works great too and doesn’t cause cancer.
- Change the tension of the snares to fit the song. If you have more than one snare, don’t be afraid to use them at different times to fit the song.
- Move your kit around the room. Drum sounds vary depending on how they are bouncing off the walls. Experiment.
Posted by Mat in In General | No Comments »
Tags: drums, snare, tuning
A Recording & Mastering Studio in Baltimore
