Reprinted
with permission from Sarit Zadok of AudioFanzine
Recording
Drums, Part 1 of 2:
Recording is an art and often a matter
of experience, and so what better way of gaining some
understanding of what's involved than by listening
to the prestigious American engineer Michael Wagener
talk about his recording tips and secrets. Starting
with mic placement for drums...
Michael Wagener: If you like rock
in general and metal in particular, you probably know
his name, because this engineer has worked with some
of the most prestigious artists such as: Metallica,
Ozzy Osbourne, Queen, Alice Cooper, Megadeth, Helloween,
Testament, Dokken, Mötley Crüe, Skid Row,
Accept, Extreme, Janet Jackson, King's X. Quite simply,
the list of albums and singles he has recorded or
mixed is simply staggering...
So when Royer Labs
and Jukebox LTD invited us to meet him while he was
in the studio with the band Cockpit, we jumped at
the opportunity and decided to film the whole experience,
to better show you how he does his thing. And needless
to say, we weren't disappointed. We were even surprised.
Not by Michael's skill (he has little to prove), but
by his affable manner and willingness to share his
wisdom.
So, we were able to ask him almost
anything we wanted about microphone placement, or
about the gear he uses. The result is a kind of Masterclass,
that we will unveil, episode by episode, in the coming
weeks.
Michael Wagener is quite exhaustive
on the subject of mic placement, and his views are
all the more interesting since he uses ribbon mics
quite extensively. He therefore dispelled certain
preconceived notions about them: no, ribbon mics are
not only for jazz, no, they are not limited in the
high frequency range, and no, they are not as fragile
as we're led to believe, you can even record a bass
drum with them.
But let's listen to what he has to
say in this first episode!
Watch
Video Part 1:
Recording
Drums, Part 2 of 2:
After
explaining how he mics up drums, Michael Wagener now talks
more about ribbon microphones, which he considers much less
understood than their condenser or dynamic counterparts.
Watch
Video Part 2:
In
fact, the subject almost creates a debate: whereas some
say that ribbon mics inhibit hi frequencies, Michael feels
that it's the other way around; condenser mics exaggerate
hi frequencies, and they sound less natural and are more
difficult to use correctly...
This
second part also gives us an opportunity to: go into further
detail about some of his choices (why use a stereo mic for
overhead?), to see how he sets up drums in a room to get
the best possible sound, and especially to hear the result
after recording and mixing. Does he get a huge sound? Yes,
that's the right word!
In
fact, we put the final drum mix into 24-bit 48 kHz, so you
can judge for yourself. You can download it here
A special thanks goes out to Sarit
Zadok for sharing this great 2-part drum recording
series!
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