Compressing and Panning Glynn Johns

[Snarl 12/8]

Hey,

Do you people usually use a linked stereo pair of comps on the over and side mics, or just separate mono comps?

Also, do you pan them hard left and right, or is the over one in the middle and the right one hard right?

I like them panned hard, personally.

I'd like to experiment with the compression thing, except I record myself in a single room so it's hard to try different settings easily AND I compress at so many different stages of the process that it's actually not that easy to switch around the scheme. I've just been using linked compression channels, sortof by default since I switched from xy overheads, but I just the other day realized that this might not be appropriate anymore considering that the mics are doing different jobs now.

Obviously, "it depends" applies here. But I'm wondering what the usual approach is, if there is one.

Thanks,

[palinilap]

I usually pan the middle mic to the left about 30%, and the side mic to the right about 50%, checking the meter for L/R balance.

When I compress the OH's it's a stereo comp, but lately I've just been compressing spot mics and a stereo mix of the entire kit in parallel. Separate mono comps might be cool for floor tom-heavy stuff though.

[Marc Alan Goodman]

Do whatever! Sometimes using dual mono comps causes the image to swing around too much and can be distracting. However sometimes it actually can help solve phase issues by changing the dynamics of one mic without effecting the other. This will cause things to cancel differently and can help you out of a jam sometimes.

Usually if I'm micing a single source I'll use a linked compressor, but since that's not true with drums (I'll compress mics differently on them pretty much every mix) it's really anyone's game.

[Snarl 12/8]

Thanks guys.

[jgimbel]

I've been wondering about the panning myself. I've been kind of skipping out on the Glyn Johns lately because the over-snare mic always seems to get so much more snare (a'dur) than the other, so if I pan that mic anything more than 20-30% left the snare starts to stick out on that side. Which sucks because I generally like how it picks up the kit a lot. Maybe I'm not doing it right, that wouldn't be unlikely, but I've read about how to do it many many times and I can't find what I'd be doing wrong. I've done the whole measuring from each mic to the snare and to the kit (same as in the "Recorderman") with the Glyn Johns and it can help but I feel like I don't hear about doing that as much with that setup.

[Chris_Meck]

no, it does lean that way. I think it has to do with the directionality of the sound coming off the snare drum. I do one of two things:

I either turn that side down a little, or the other up until the snare is centered-

or usually I pan them a little asymmetrically so the snare sits in the middle. This makes sense to me as a drum set is rarely perfectly symmetrical anyway. The ride side usually sits much further away from the snare than the hat.

I then tend to pan little percussion things to the 'hat' side of the image too.

I don't know. my .02

[mvollrath]

I've been wondering about the panning myself. I've been kind of skipping out on the Glyn Johns lately because the over-snare mic always seems to get so much more snare (a'dur) than the other, so if I pan that mic anything more than 20-30% left the snare starts to stick out on that side. Which sucks because I generally like how it picks up the kit a lot. Maybe I'm not doing it right, that wouldn't be unlikely, but I've read about how to do it many many times and I can't find what I'd be doing wrong. I've done the whole measuring from each mic to the snare and to the kit (same as in the "Recorderman") with the Glyn Johns and it can help but I feel like I don't hear about doing that as much with that setup.

I usually set the gain such that the snare snare hits the same level on both mics, to keep it centered. Is that cheating?

[roscoenyc]

I go hard L/R with the panning and comp in linked stereo.
Tape measure keeps the snare in the center for me.

[ott0bot]

I've been panning the snare overhead left just a little bit maybe 10-20% and hard panning the right side mic. But i've done them both down the gut and complete hard panning too. As far as compression.....who knows. I've done seperate mono comps, stereo summed, parallel on one, and none on the other. I just mess around until it's feels right. I tend to do that with everything. Grind it 'til you find it, right.

[Recycled_Brains]

I've had more of a hard time keeping the bass drum centered in the OHs than the snare. I use a tape measure to center the snare, but the BD always leans on the floor tom side. Best solution I came up with was to bring the OHs in a bit (pan 70/70, give or take, rather than hard l-r).

Any tips for getting the BD more centered in the overheads?

[alkooloid]

Sorry - am I missing something? I thought there was always kick and snare mics with this setup. I've been doing it that way, and can usually overcome leaning problems by bleeding in these to taste and panning to the opposite side of the lean. Not that I give a sh*t too much about that stuff - but some clients get all anal. I have one client that INSISTS that drummer perspective is correct. Whatever....

[Recycled_Brains]

I have one client that INSISTS that drummer perspective is correct. Whatever....

Just one?

Most drummers I know prefer their perspective, as do I.

Far as kick and snare mics go.... I think, traditionally, there were 3 mics used. OH, Side, FOK/K. I use a kick and snare mic, but not always in the mix (song dependent).

Regardless of what type of OH setup I use, I feel like the snare should always be centered. With GJ, it seems like it's more important, since the OH/Side mic comprise such a huge part of the overall drum sound. It's that damn kick that's tricky.

[roscoenyc]

I've had more of a hard time keeping the bass drum centered in the OHs than the snare. I use a tape measure to center the snare, but the BD always leans on the floor tom side. Best solution I came up with was to bring the OHs in a bit (pan 70/70, give or take, rather than hard l-r).

Any tips for getting the BD more centered in the overheads?

Do you have the front mic measured from the center of the snare also?
Try flipping the front mic over so the diaphram is on the bottom but still
measured. The "Front Mic" has more kick this way but the snare phase
is still spot on.

That wont change your OH's but it will put that kick in the middle when
you have all 3 mics on (which is what counts to me)

[alkooloid]

Man, you guys are smart! Thank you. What's the best place for the "front mic"?

[Recycled_Brains]

Do you have the front mic measured from the center of the snare also?
Try flipping the front mic over so the diaphram is on the bottom but still
measured. The "Front Mic" has more kick this way but the snare phase
is still spot on.

That wont change your OH's but it will put that kick in the middle when
you have all 3 mics on (which is what counts to me)

I haven't measured the front mic, but that makes sense.

Just to be sure I'm clear on what you are saying... You simply flip the mic upside down, so that the capsule is lower (closer to the kick's front head), but do not adjust the height/distance to account for the lowering of the mics diaphragm and its subsequent change in distance from the snare?

So technically, the mics capsule is slightly further from the snare's center than the OH's.

I know I probably just typed exactly what you did in different words, but it helps me "get" it.