'70s drum sounds?

??????? · Post by **???????** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 9:49 pm

Remember drums from the 70s:

Concert toms.

That's what you are thinking of, I bet, when you say

Often the drums have a really quick decay but a really clean attack.

.

I mean, that describes concert toms to a "T." You could try taking the bottom heads off and seeing where that gets you.

Also, if you are using some modern deedub or tama drums or something with the long tube-shaped kick, you are at a bit of a disadvantage. Most drums in the 70s had skinny bass drums... usually 14" depth. Not the 20" and 22" deep kicks that they are making today. That makes a big difference, even with the front head off.

Once again we have to remind ourselves that recording equipment is designed to capture and reproduce sound. If we want a specific sound, it's often far more productive to go to the source than the medium.

cgarges · Post by **cgarges** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 10:47 pm

What a beautiful set of North drums. Man, those things sounded like ass from behind the kit, but great in front.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

Packy · Post by **Packy** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:02 am

yeah I've got a 22x17 kick (Yamaha Stage Custom Standard), not quite the monster deep Tama bass, and currently both heads on all of my toms...time to alleviate that problem, haha...But really you all have some really great ideas and I hope I can find the time to implement them. That and the mics, gobos, cymbals, tape machines......ahhh crap

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:47 am

Carl Palmer?!?

??????? · Post by **???????** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 6:34 am

Packy wrote:yeah I've got a 22x17 kick (Yamaha Stage Custom Standard), not quite the monster deep Tama bass, and currently both heads on all of my toms...time to alleviate that problem, haha...But really you all have some really great ideas and I hope I can find the time to implement them. That and the mics, gobos, cymbals, tape machines......ahhh crap

Give it a shot! You may hate it, you may love it... but take care to protect the bearing edges on the drums with the heads off. If you can afford it or have some old heads laying around, you might just want to consider cutting extremely large holes in the bottom heads and leave the flesh hoop (is that what they call those on plastic heads?) and the rim on the drum, just to protect the bearing edge.

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 9:50 am

joel hamilton wrote:adam deitch playing drums, which helped...

that guy is a RIDICULOUS drummer. i remember seeing him play at Wally's (teeny tiny hole in the wall jazz/funk club for those who don't live here) like....eeek...12 years ago, when he was a teenager, and he was amazing even then. super deep pocket and the good sense not to bother with any of the stereotypical berklee 64th note bullshit.

that band lettuce used to be called Fat Bag. haha.

Packy · Post by **Packy** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 10:41 am

Just had a great (read:horrible) idea in the shower--if we're way close micing everything, why don't we take it one step further...has anyone here put a piezo/contact pickup directly on a drum head? I'd be very interested to hear that. It'd probably sound like ass, but maybe cool ass. I should shower more often.

Artifex · Post by **Artifex** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 11:34 am

I think they did that on the first Cure album. Probably not what your going for.

kdarr · Post by **kdarr** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:39 pm

Packy wrote:Just had a great (read:horrible) idea in the shower--if we're way close micing everything, why don't we take it one step further...has anyone here put a piezo/contact pickup directly on a drum head? I'd be very interested to hear that. It'd probably sound like ass, but maybe cool ass. I should shower more often.

...and then run it through a guitar amp. With tons of spring reverb.

[<|>]

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:23 pm

kdarr wrote:
Packy wrote:Just had a great (read:horrible) idea in the shower--if we're way close micing everything, why don't we take it one step further...has anyone here put a piezo/contact pickup directly on a drum head? I'd be very interested to hear that. It'd probably sound like ass, but maybe cool ass. I should shower more often.
...and then run it through a guitar amp. With tons of spring reverb.

[<|>]

and then put THAT through a triggered flange.

akg414 · Post by **akg414** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:33 pm

Packy wrote:Pink Floyd (Dark Side, Animals),

Often the drums have a really quick decay but a really clean attack. It even sounds to me like there's almost a pre-attack--it's hard to explain, it's like the drums know they're about to get hit and there's a little "fffft" upon the attack. I can't seem to get a good balance between that attack and decay when using T-shirts, towels, wallets, etc.

I think I can hear a fair amount of compression on various elements of the kit sometimes(especially on earlier records in the cymbals), but if I try to introduce compression to fatten it up or get that cymbal response it seems to bring a bunch of liveness/ringing into the overall mix, which is what I'm trying to avoid.

On Dark Side Of The Moon, there was very little compression. Allen Parsons is very much against compressing anything.

The FFFFTTTt sound - I've gotten by using a Plate for my reverb. It has that electric-sizzle in my opinion.

DGoody · Post by **DGoody** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 11:23 pm

One particular oversight is that most people think they did the drums in small tight rooms..... rather, the drums were usually in larger spaces, but with a fair amount of deadening immediately around the kit, and above...... they made lots of canopies in those days..... it remedied the unusual tonal balance of a small dead room, and added a slight bit of "air" around the drums.....

I certainly know and love that type of drum sound, and have adopted that approach into my productions....... always have found that playing the tea towel sucks.... instead, take two tea towels and keep the middle of the drum head open...... basically tape each tea towel to the sides, that way you don't have to hit the towel itself. You'll still get the stick sound on the head, but the drum will sound dead AND fat. Basically section it in thirds......

Also, many a cymbal I have still has tape on the bottom side from the 70's...... contributes in part to the more "stick" on the cymbal sound......

that's my .02 for what it's worth....

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'70s drum sounds?

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