Hi
Stuart - Thank you buddy, much appreciated and glad you enjoyed!
To be honest I pre-empted someone asking about the mics, and how it was done, so I took some pics to explain. (You know I like my pictures, and nothing makes it clearer!).
I decided to 'lose' the cymbals for ease of illustration.
OK, so here we go. Firstly, apart from my Neumann's all the mics here are Sennheiser (still waiting to justify my AKG 414's).
This first shot shows four of the 7 toms used for that session. They're all mic'd with E904's. (dynamic) Awesome mics, not cheap, but so inconspicuous, and the separation between them is mind blowing! Note the 'O' rings on the top heads including snare, but if you look carefully at the 15" on the right, you'll see I put one inside this tom as well, to dampen the lower head. I had to cut 1/2" out of it so that it would sit correctly, but this is common practice (as long as you know about the idea!)
Then the first of two E914's (Condenser). These are just great for anything really, but especially cymbals, brass, percussion - Upper transient stuff in general. This one is for the hi-hat, (almost vertical, slightly away from the snare and NOT too close (about 1 1/2" above).
Then the second E914, but this time underneath the snare, again NOT too close! (Note the E904 clipped to the top) Using upper and lower mics on the snare, (for me) is essential, as it gives maximum flexibility in the mix process.
The kick drum was mic'd with an E902 (dynamic). This baby really handles some punch and is also great for bass cabs, cello, and baritone! Again, slight angle and NOT too close. Perhaps I should explain why I keep saying Not!
I've witnessed so many occasions where a producer is arguing with an engineer over the thinness of a sound. 99 times out of a 100, the mic position is so close, it doesn't capture the full sound and is 'chocked' at the same time (ie it aint working properly), especially true with condensers.
Finally - My 'babies' A matched pair (sequential serial numbers) of Neumann U87's for overheads. These have been industry standard for decades, for good reason and of course, need no explanation. Note the positioning BEHIND the drums, and fairly high to capture some of the natural room ambiance as well - Standard cardoid configuration. Angled down like this gives an amazing balance between cymbals and toms, and truly 'reflects' what the drummer hear's
The three toms we didn't use for that session - 12" 13" and 18"
And 1 more for luck!
So there you go Stuart (and for anyone else) that's how it's done! Simples
Later dudes!
Lou.
