MixWithTheMasters STEVE ALBINI Tracking Drums #3

Join us at Studios La Fabrique for a comprehensive tutorial on drum recording techniques! Hosted by the legendary rock engineer Steve Albini, this video series dives into great detail on tracking a drum kit in fully analog fashion with a Neve 88R console and Studer A800 MKIII tape machine. Albini takes you through his microphone preferences and positioning for bass drum, snare, toms, overheads, stereo drum kit, and room ambience. He gives concise reasoning for the types of microphone used and their placement, while suggesting suitable alternatives. Furthermore, he reveals his clever processing techniques to reduce bleed, enhance natural reverb, control dynamics, optimise phase relationships, and more. He demonstrates the use of his techniques by recording a live drummer, and draws diagrams on a white board to clearly impart his extensive knowledge!

PART 1
Bass drum – resonant & beater side, attack & sustain, mic preferences, phase, signal ducking

PART 2
Snare – top & bottom side, condenser vs. dynamic mics, separation, positioning, expansion

PART 3
Toms – perspective, mic pairs, level blending, summing, polarity, mic preferences

PART 4
Overheads & Stereo Room – cymbal capture, high end detail, peak limiting, Blumlein

PART 5
Ambient Pair – distance, bandwidth, elevation, Haas effect, boundary principle, delay

PART 6
Internal phase relationships, absolute & microphone polarity, amplifier stages

PART 7
Signal flow to console & tape, VU & peak metering, processing, calibration, recording

PART 8
Compressor circuitry, parameters, preferred settings, limiting, dual mono vs. stereo

PART 9
Room ambience, studio design, reflections, acoustic treatment, symmetry, material

PART 10
Demonstration of simplified recording setup using only three microphones

PART 11
Diagrams of ambient mic positioning with regards to boundary principle & Haas effect