With all the music recording discussion, lately, I figured I'd invite you guys to hear what I do when I'm not making sawdust.
I'm playing drums for Nashville singer/songwriter, Amy Stroup.
We're on at the top, 8pm central.
\
Mike Radcliffe, eh?
Well done. Your drumming was spot on ... just what the songs called for!
Impeccable!
Did you make the snare that was used on the show? Very nice snare sound throughout.
No, but yes it was nice. I brought one just in case, if fit her music so I kept it. It was the headliner's drummer's.
For most radio shows, you end up sharing a kit because of time constraints. I like to have as few things to swap as possible, to make the changeover as quick as can be.
The drum was a deep brass shell... just a "Black Beauty" clone, if you've heard of that snare. I'm sure you've seen or heard one, even if you don't recall, from your days.
I guarantee the sound man was grateful for that! :)
Sure have. Not a drummer, but a student of drums, of all kinds, out of sheer economic necessity ... if I had a dollar for every kit I've mic'ed, both studio and live, I'd be a rich man.
The drum sound on a record is the most important, and challenging, task a recording engineer faces, regardless of type of music. On "acoustic" music like Irish, Celtic, Renaissance, Early Music, Salsa, etc., the ability to make the indigenous drum, like bodhran or doumbek, sound on a recording like it does to the player, can bring in beaucoup bucks. BTDT :)
I agree with Karl that the snare sound was great (I expected nothing less from Mr. Radcliffe), but the sound coming from the toms was pretty awesome as well. Mike, any words about the tuning of the kit? Were you free to tune it the way you wanted it, with the next guy in line doing the same, or were you kinda held hostage by how the headlining drummer wanted things to be?
I usually *hate* being in an opening act situation and having to play somebody else's drums, especially if I have no control over the tuning or positioning. A fairly recent gig comes to mind where I used the headliner's beautiful DW kit; luckily it had the sizes and layout similar to what I prefer, but the tuning was AWFUL. He gave me the go ahead to change the tuning, and I'll bet I cranked every tension rod on every tom at least a full turn before the drums had any kind of tone or volume at all. The drummer was running the sound during our set, and I think he left them that way when it was his turn to play. :-)
Were you there, Steve? :-) The guy sort of apologized for have worn out heads. (They weren't bad and weren't anywhere even near the same dented up, stretched out ballpark as most club house kits, here.) He said, "Go ahead and tune 'em up the way you like, I'd love to hear what you come up with." He was very accommodating and cool about sharing his kit....
...which was a Keller Kustom (Steve knows that inside joke) out of Utah called "Tree." Same shells and hardware all the other guys are using, but he does *really* cool, aged, vintage finishes. This kit looked like it came right out of a Civil War museum... in a good way.
So... yeah, I tuned them a bit. Couldn't get as deep as I'd like, since they were 10 & 14, but when I heard him playing, they sounded great in the house. I'm *really* glad to hear you say they sounded good on the radio.
I never got on that DW boat. They always sound tubby to me.
Man, I love, and appreciate a good recorded drum sound, probably more than most drummers! Had what started out as a "Ringo Starr" kit, and upgraded by various drummers, in the studio for years that sounded awesome on records ... the mic's didn't move from that kit for 15 years.
No doubt you guys will laugh at this, but I date an epihany with drum "sounds" to the first time I heard Paul Simon's "Graceland" over studio monitors ... it was every thing I'd always wanted to do with drums on a recording, particularly toms, but wasn't allowed to do by clients.
There were a lot of sonic things about that particular album that were awesome for its time, but really had to be heard over studio monitors in well designed control room to be fully appreciated. IIRC, it was recorded mostly on a 2" 16 track at 30 ips ... there has not been bottom end on recordings like that since that particular technology got supplanted.
And, a bit before that, of course, Dire Straits ... then those Muscle Shoals guys before that.
Hard to believe that was almost a quarter of a century ago, and longer.
Any way ... back to woodworking.
Mike,
If you need a studio musician, check out this kid. He lives >With all the music recording discussion, lately, I figured I'd invite
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.