Recording Vintage Drums

[oneflightup]

Hi all,

I recently had a rather enjoyable experience in the studio recording a wonderful Gretsch kit from the early 70's. The song was a laid back jazz standard, and the sound we were after was "vintage"....
It worked out really well and I decided to write it up.... thought some of you might be interested....

Recording Vintage Drums

I think if I were doing it again I'd use a different overhead mic to the 77..... probably a stereo pair of ribbons (Coles 4038s, etc)....

What have been your experiences of going for 'vintage' sounds?

Nick

[A.David.MacKinnon]

Nice job. I have an early 60's Roger's kit that is one my favourite things to point mics at. You didn't really get into it much but in my experience the kit and room are 95% of the sound. If the kit sounds right in the room you can mic it with just about anything and get great results.
That said, I like your choices. The 77 can be great as an overhead. I sometimes also use an RCA MI6203. It's got the same motor as the 77 but the transformer and housing are different and it's much more mid-forward sounding. It can be a good choice if the 77 feels to dull or has too much low end.
I never had much luck with D12s on kick but that's just me. These days I'm often reaching for a condenser for that job.
I haven't used my d19 in ages. I should really dig it out again. It's so great on floor tom and I'd bet it'd be great in the wurst position too. At the moment I'm using an EV 664 there and it sounds great.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

I'd also add that using the same kind of mic pre for the whole kit can also help with the vintage sound. Up until the late 70s/80's most studios were using the console pres for just about everything.
My favourite drum pres are from a 60's McCurdy PE2600 broadcast console. It's got germainium transistors, transformer ins and outs and sounds very present and huge.

[oneflightup]

Hey Dave,

Thanks for the replies!

Yes, I've had trouble getting a decent sound out of a d12 as well. Occasionally I hit on it, other times I go for something else.

I'm curious to know about the new D12 VR. I know it;s nothing like the original, but it looks like it could be good mic!

Nick

[Trick Fall]

Cool writeup, thanks for sharing.

[drumsound]

I like the approach and the sound. You writeup in nice and simple, but very informative.

I'd also add that using the same kind of mic pre for the whole kit can also help with the vintage sound. Up until the late 70s/80's most studios were using the console pres for just about everything.
My favourite drum pres are from a 60's McCurdy PE2600 broadcast console. It's got germainium transistors, transformer ins and outs and sounds very present and huge.

I think using the same pre on the whole drumset (and the whole record) is ALWAYS beneficial.