Enlist an Actual Drummer
We know. Shock horror. An actual drummer. In real life. Playing drums. On your recording. The stuff of nightmares, eh.
Whether it’s a mate, or a gun for hire, you can’t beat an actual drummer (at least that’s what your dad says, who’s been annoying the neighbours since 1981 with his Phil Collins impression). As much as you might hate to admit it, he’s right though. As good as the above options are, none of them can accurately recreate the feel, touch and unique style that a drummer brings to any groove. Any percussionist worth their salt will add heaps of character to your recording.
But how do you go about recording said drummer? Your dad is back again. He’s telling you about how engineers achieved John Bonham’s monstrous sound on ‘When the Levee Breaks’ by capturing the natural resonance of a stairwell. Well, that’s all well and good, but most of us don’t have a massive country house to record in. Or know one of the best drummers in the world, for that matter. However, there is one super simple technique that requires minimal amounts of effort and equipment.
Glyn Johns
Assuming you’ve got access to an acoustic kit, one of the simplest ways to record it is using the Glyn Johns technique. It was first popularised by the likes of Led Zeppelin and The Who. What makes it great is its simplicity. You only need three mics for it to be effective.
Firstly, you need a pair of condenser microphones that’ll work as your overheads. Just like it sounds, these will sit above the kit. One needs to be placed 4 feet over the set, aimed squarely at the middle of your snare; the other should be positioned next to your floor tom, 6 inches over the rim and pointing over towards your hi-hats.
Both will need to be panned and should be of an equal distance from the centre of your snare. You should use your third mic (a condenser or dynamic) to capture the kick drum. If you have one, place it slightly inside the port hole. If not, make sure it’s angled slightly off centre over the head of the drum. A fourth dynamic mic can also be added to capture the snare, if you so choose.
If you want to get even more in-depth with recording drums, you might want to invest in a mic set that specifically caters for the instrument. After all, more microphones mean more options!
Drum Mic Sets