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How to Close Mic Drums for Ultimate Tone Control

This Course Will Conquer These Problems:

  • Your drums (And mixes) don't translate well when you listen outside of your studio.
  • You only know how to get one type of sound, and it doesn't work for other styles of music that you record.
  • Drums sound flat in your mix
  • Snare doesn't sound big and full
  • Snare has a really bad ring
  • Kick is missing low end
  • Kick is missing punch for heavy rock styles.
  • Toms sound "Tubby"
  • Toms do not match each other

You could try to fix these problems with EQ, but it will often take longer to fix, and never sound as good as doing it the right way during tracking.

EQ is a Great Tool, but it Will Not Fix The Problems Above

  • EQ can't change how the microphone rejected other sounds such as a loud hihat in the snare mic.
  • The more you use EQ, the harder it is to make your mix sound good outside of your studio.
  • Cheep EQ plug ins, and bad acoustics in a mixing room only add to the challenge to make something sound good. Good mic technique will always win.
  • You can often go too far with EQ adjustments, and regret it the next day when you have fresh ears.

What you will learn in this course:

  • Learn how to expertly record each element of a drum kit with close mics, and how to adjust the sound to achieve a wide range of tones.
  • Learn how to get your raw drum tracks sounding amazing, simply by microphone position.
  • Learn to master the microphones that you already have, and get a wide array of sound and tones from a drum kit.
  • Learn what you should be listening for in unfamiliar microphones so that you can get sounds quickly.
  • Rely less on mixing. Rather than hoping you will find a way to fix drums in a mix, become a master of altering the position of the drum mics to get the sounds you want.

What is Needed?

You should be able to plug in enough microphones to record a whole drum kit. This is usually around 8 microphones for a 4 piece drum kit (Kick, Snare and two Toms) to be able to do all the things in this course. (Kick in, Kick out, Snare top, Snare bottom, Tom 1, Tom 2, OH L, OH R) You could complete the course with as little as 6 mics and inputs if you used just a single overhead mic, and didn't use an Outside Kick mic. (Kick in, Snare top, Snare bottom, Tom 1, Tom 2, OH)

What is in the course?

  • Over 2.5 Hours of Video
  • Text Articles
  • Listening Examples
  • Direct email support from me with custom step-by-step instructions

Unit 1: Close Microphone Techniques for Tone Shaping

  • Tom Mics (8:25)
    • Lecture on 3 factors that affect the low end, mid frequencies, and high frequency bleed.
    • Includes 4 extra video demos of microphone positioning on the toms
  • Snare Drum Top Mic (5:11)
    • Lecture on aiming the microphone, avoiding hi-hat bleed, and tone shaping.
    • Includes 4 extra video demos of mic positions.
  • Snare Drum Bottom Mic (3:21)
    • Lecture on using a bottom mic properly and how to remain phase coherent with the top mic.
    • Includes 4 extra video demos of mic positions - Does the distance have to match the Snare Top Mic?
  • Kick Drum Inside Mic (7:02)
    • Lecture on how to position the mic, what to listen for, and how the speed of the song will dictate the sound you want.
    • Includes a video demo of 8 different mic depth positions inside the kick drum.
  • Kick Drum Outside Mic LDC (6:02)
    • Lecture on how to set up a microphone outside the kick drum, and what to listen for.
    • Includes 6 extra video demos of mic positions for the outside kick mic.
  • Kick Drum Sub Kick Mic (10:33)
    • Lecture on what a sub kick is, how to make one from a guitar cab, and how the cabinet effects the sound.
    • Includes 3 extra videos demos of variou positions of a sub kick mic.

Unit 2: Drum Microphone Critical Listening

  • Tom Mic Shootout (Multiple Videos)
    • Compares 7 microphones on the toms, both soloed and in the context of other drum mics.
    • Includes short articles for each microphone that explains what to listen for, and how to apply what you are hearing.
  • Tom Mics LDC in Various Polar Patterns (Multiple videos)
    • Shootout between two microphones as they sweep through various polar patterns:
    • Omnidirectional
    • Subcardioid
    • Cardioid
    • Hypercardioid
    • Figure-8
      • Short insights are included for each comparison of the two mics.
  • Kick Mic Shootout (Multiple Videos)
    • 9 Microphones are compared on the kick drum in the same position
    • Includes short insights with each example.

Unit 3: Close Microphone on Cymbals

  • Hihat Mic with Small Diaphragm Condensers (6:00)
    • Lecture video on how to position the mic
    • 8 extra videos that show 8 difference mic positions on the hihat.
  • Hihat Mic with Dynamic Mic SM7b (2:25)
    • Lecture video on how to point the mic and benefits to using a dynamic microphone on hihat.
    • Extra video that shows multiple positions on the hihat using an sm7b.
  • Hihat Mic with Ribbon (6:41)
    • Lecture video on the benefits on using ribbons, and using the null of the microphone.
    • 2 extra videos that show the nearby elements reduced via the figure 8 pattern of a ribbon mic.
  • Ride Mic with Small Diaphragm Condensers (5:34)
    • Lecture on how to set up the ride microphone, how to alter the pitches and tones of the cymbal.
    • 8 extra videos that show 8 different positions on the ride cymbal

Bonus Unit - Understanding How Overheads Work with Close Mics

  • The Overheads are the Most Important to Get Right (8:25)
  • How to Mix the Close Mics in with the Overheads (3:46)
  • How to use XY Technique for Overheads (4:09)
  • How to use Spaced Pair for Overheads (8:17)
  • How to use ORTF for Overheads (2:16)
  • How to use the Recorderman Method for 2 Mic Drum Recording. (5:21)

Bonus Unit - Engineering Foundations

  • How to Develop Your Ears (8:09)
  • Why Do People Want to Record with YOU? (4:29)
  • It Is Never About the Gear (8:28)
  • Understand What Happens to Pitches at High Volume (5:26)
  • Being Unique in Your Field (4:23)
  • Are Headphones Good to Mix With? (4:23)
  • How to Know When Your Ears are Being Tricked (4:14)
  • The Middle Frequency Range is King (7:01)
  • Using Reference Mixes (7:12)
  • Low Volume = Good Recordings (3:52)
  • Cool Trick for Knowing if the Vocals are Too Loud (4:11)

Bonus - Step-by-step email support directly from me (Ryan)

  • Does the kick not have enough attack? Or perhaps the low tom doesn't have a full sound, and you can't figure out why?
  • Just email me a short audio file of the drum mic. Let me know what you want it to sound like, and I'll give you a custom step-by-step process on how to improve.

Access:

  • You get immediate access to all the videos. Total video time is 2 Hours, 35 Minutes and 13 Seconds. (02:35:13)
  • You never expire or go out of date. You have this course for life.

30 Day Money Back Guarantee

  • I want you to be completely happy with the course and coaching. If you are not happy for any reason, just email me within the first 30 days from your purchase and I'll refund 100% of the purchase price for this course.
  • No risk. The only thing you risk is not getting the course, and allowing unsure microphone technique to hold you back the sound of your recordings.

Price shown is in USD (United States Dollars).