DRUMMERS....Must read!
Here's a great article/information from a successful producer/engineer "Glenn Fricker." This article will give a better understanding and great techniques for recording drums. This article is very brash but it lays out a clear understanding of what is necessary of drummers :
Written by Glenn Fricker:
"I hate drummers. I really do. These are the meatheads that show up to the studio with broken cymbals, a shit kit, with six year old skins held together by duct tape, give a crap performance, wonder why they don't sound like Lars on "the Black Album" then look at you, the engineer, like it's your fault.
The Kit itself:
Is it in good shape? Are there parts missing? Do the lugs rattle when the drum is struck? FIX IT! Most drummers I've worked with are notoriously cheap. They will try to get away with spending as little as possible, so don't expect much help from them. Broken cymbals? Don't waste your time with 'em. Have a set (yes, a full set) on hand, always. Not the cheapest solution, but absolutely necessary.
Skins: Are they ancient? Toss 'em. Are they broken? Toss 'em. Do they have divots? Toss 'em. Generally, I replace the skins on my house kit every other project. Not cheap, but it keeps the drums sounding great.
What skins to buy?
Toms: I like Evans G2 clears on the batters, but Remo clear Ambassadors are great too. Coated also works, but try to stay away from the ebony pinstripes. I like a "rolling thunder" sound on the toms, not "tick." Make sure your resonating heads are in good shape and not too old either. Evans makes decent tom reso heads if you need to replace 'em.
Snare: My top choice: Evans Coated Genera DRY with internal muting ring & vent holes. This is a great head if you want a 'snappy' snare and not a 'clanging' one. It's wonderful for getting rid of primary overtones. I've tried thicker & thinner ones, but I always keep coming back to this one. Evans translucent on the bottom skin as well.
Kick: Batter… Remo Ebony Pinstripe. For going after the click kick sound, this is what always works for me…. that, and I don't put a front head on, either.
The other option: House kit.
This is the route I went. I've got a 6 piece DW Collector's Series Maple kit on hand, and it sure gets a lot of use. Needless to say, I got tired of drummers bringing in utter crap and having to deal with it. I do all the maintenance, head replacement, tuning, you name it. The bonus here is I'm in total control over how the kit sounds. It never leaves the studio, so I know it's always in great shape. Besides, when I get some idiot whining that he wants to play his Tama Rockstars, I've got the ultimate comeback line: "You can't handle the DW."
I'd say that the DW kit gets played on 8 of 10 projects. I'll only let a drummer bring in his kit if it's equal or better quality. That's usually the drummer who has his shit together, has made an investment in his instrument, and knows what he wants. I love those sessions.
Ok, now a few last pieces of advice from Glenn Fricker:
LEARN TO TUNE DRUMS 19 out of 20 drummers will say they know how to tune drums. 18 of those guys are absolute total f#%ing liars. In 7 years of professional recording, I've met three (not a typo) yes, three drummers who know how to tune drums. Suffice it to say, it's not an easy skill to learn.
But you can do it. And if you want your drum tracks to sound great, you will learn. This, my friends, is what you need:
This is the Tama Tension Watch. An absolutely indispensable tool. It measures the tension on the head at the lug, and is really accurate too. Buy one of these, read the manual, and practice your ass off with it. Try different tunings, top/bottom head variants, you name it. You can't learn to work with it overnight, but it's worth it to put some time in with it.
I've had one of the best (IMHO) Swedish Speed Metal drummers tell me, "Dude, you can really tune drums." After he watched me go at it on the kit with the Tension watch. Practice, Practice, Practice. Learn how to use this thing. You'll be a hero to drummers worldwide
And finally, one last thing… and the most important. Make sure the drums are dropped off at least 24 hours before setup. If you don't have a house kit, or the drummer is bringing his kit, he must, absolutely, without question, always, always, always, drop off his kit 24 hours ahead of the session.
What? Why? Because drums need to climatize. The shells & skins must adjust for temperature & humidity variations. If there's one point you learn from all this, LEARN THIS ONE. You will save yourself no end of grief.
Just have the drummer set his kit down in the corner the day before the session. That's all. Not too hard. Tune them up the next day. Just make sure… 24 hours.
If not, you'll be fighting an uphill battle… Like trying to scale Mt. Everest on a unicycle. The drums WILL sound better if they have time to adjust. Try this out, you'll like the result.
How high is your drummer sitting? A lot of "not so great" drummers will sit very low. These guys also hit like wimps & can't seem to get the kit to sound good. Let me tell you from experience… the best guys I've ever recorded play "down" at the kit. I.E, their throne is set very high, with the toms set at a level so they're at the apex of a stick strike. One of the fastest double kick players I've had come in actually stacked books up under his throne to get higher. Let me tell you, even I could play double kick on this setup, and I'm probably the worst drummer in the world. One funny point: I've noticed low sitters cry about how much their legs hurt after doing extensive double kick runs. That's because they're playing "up" at the kicks. They have to raise their legs far higher to hit the bass drum…. and gravity is working against them. Have them raise up the throne. It's less work to play & will sound better.
Take a look at the rack toms. Are they suspended at an obscene angle? That ain't gonna work my friends. You're going to need to get them as flat as possible. The reason being, an angled tom will be on the receiving end of a 'glancing blow' The stick will hit the skin at an angle, and not deliver the full force of the strike. A flat tom will receive the strike straight on, transferring the energy of the stick into the drum with much more power. This means better sounding toms, folks. We're going for cannons here, not Kentucky-Fried Chicken buckets.
Now, I've had one drummer whine that he couldn't "play fast" with flat toms. Well, let me tell you, that's total bullshit. One of the fastest Swedish Death Metal drummers in the world (IMHO) came in an played with flat toms…. and they sounded fantastic. One interesting point: I noticed how he set up, and I mentioned to him: "Dude, that looks like Faith No More's drum setup." and he replied, "That's where I got the idea." BTW, go put on FNM's "The Real Thing" The drums sound fantastic.
As for the whiner, this guy just would not listen to reason. It had to be his way. Some days I wish I had a can of pepper spray in the studio… oh well. Consequently, I had to replace every piece of the kit with samples for his album. Kick, Snare, & toms. It remains the only record I've ever done where the drum elements were replaced… and it still pisses me off."
Full article here: http://noise101.wikidot.com/metal-drum-guide