Sujet Prise de son et caisse claire : Conseils par Steve Albini

Citation :
From: electricalaudio (sa@electrical.com)
Subject: Re: steve albini's snare sound.
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Newsgroups: rec.audio.pro
Date: 2001-10-29 02:55:58 PST


rockmusic510@aol.com (justin pizzoferrato) wrote in message news:<20011026025650.11678.00000147@mb-ml.aol.com>...
> i was just wondering if anyone has any idea how steve albini gets such a good
> snare sound. -justin

Jesus, there really _is_ a thread asking about me recording snare
drums...

Doing anything (like recording a drum of any kind) is never a
one-solution-for-many-problems scenario. I'll give you a few specific
things I've tried with success (and failure -- that's just as
important) in the past:

Because I often have to bus several mics to a single channel, and
because I hate making the session more complicated than necessary, I
almost always use the console preamps and routeing for the close mics
on a drum set. I'm happy with the console mic amps here at Electrical
(Neotek Series II and Elite/custom), but because I try to avoid a
convoluted signal path when I can, I'll stick with console preamps
even if I'm working on an SSL, MCI, Amek or the like. If the desk is a
real piece of shit, then it's unlikely there is anything better in the
rack anyway.

The first step is to listen to the snare drum in place for a while and
try to discern what the drummer's intent is. Ask him pointed
questions: Do you like a ringing sound or a short one? Do you like a
lot of stick sound and top head, or do you like a lot of the snare
wires and crispy ghost strokes? Do you usually play with a rimshot or
only occasionally? Have you done anything special to the snare drum
that is new to you? What are some of your favorite records? Will you
be using brushes? After a little listening and conversation, you
should know where to go.

If you hear something (good or bad) about the snare sound that strikes
you as exceptional (rattle, strong note or after-ring, unusual
tightness or looseness), draw the drummer's attention to it, and ask
if he likes it or not. What you think is an irritation may be the
drummer's favorite thing about his snare drum. Don't suggest making
any changes to the snare drum unless the drummer agrees that something
is wrong. I like to think that the sound of a drummer's kit is an
extension of his playing style, and changing things on him is as weird
as asking a guitar player to play ukelele -- it should only be done
for cause.

For a cracking, attack-strong sound, lately I've been using an Altec
175 or 165 with a 29a or 29b capsule. A good substitute for this is a
mic I'm trying out (as a prototype) from Shure -- it doesn't have a
name yet, but I'm sure you'll hear all about it when they're ready to
sell. I have had mixed (occasionally good) results with AKG C28, C60
and 451 mics, but they're not usually the first thing I try. I have
(in a pinch) used Shure SM98's by themselves.

For a thicker sound, especially in a dead room with a dampened snare,
I'll use a Sony C37p or a combination of a Beyer 201 with a Shure SM98
taped to the side of it (align the diaphragms or the high-end sounds
funny). I used this setup almost exclusively for years because most
other things I tried didn't sound as good. Lately I've found a few
more.

I often have a bottom mic in place, but I don't always find a need for
it.

For brushwork, I really love the Manley/VTL/Langevin CR3A and the
Audio Technica 4051, and I have had good results with AKG 414s and
Schoeps 221b.

If the room sounds good, I always try to record the ambient sound as
well. The ambient sound can be a big part of the sound of the kit, but
not necesarily -- don't force the issue. If the room sounds good, then
the drums will sound good with the room signal, but if the room sounds
bad, then settle for good-sounding drums with little room sound.

I haven't used a reverb unit on a snare drum in a long time (probably
4 - 5 years), but I used to like short EMT or Echoplate plates, the
EMT 250 and the Klark Teknik DN780 on snare drum sometimes. It's been
a while though, and I honestly don't even think about reverb any more.
Fewer drummers ask for it, that's for sure.

I don't compress or gate the drums to tape, but in mixing I'll
occasionally use 3dB or so of an expander (Valley Dynamite or Kepex
II, DBX 172) to tame the hi-hat, and occasionally use a peak limiter
if there is a specific reason to do so.

Honestly, I've used so many different things (as the case requires)
over the years that I don't think there is a single answer to
recording anything -- even something as simple as a snare drum.

I do know that the answer probably doesn't include an SM57.

good luck,
-steve albini
electrical audio