The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
- wing
- on a wing and a prayer
- Posts: 5375
- Joined: Fri May 02, 2003 12:00 pm
- Location: brooklyn, ny
- Contact:
The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
I recently heard about the "Wurst Mic Technique" invented by Moses Schneider. Basically you use a dynamic cardioid like a SM57 pointed right at the drummer's knee, positioned kind of equidistant between snare/toms/kick. The idea being that it kind of rejects so much cymbal information (which you'll get in your overheads anyway) while adding a lot of punch and character from being kind of at the center of the kit.
I just tried it and I gotta say: WOW! It's pretty amazing even just from the humble 57. If I was limited or going for a simple 1-2 mic drum setup, this is the position I would use, or this plus an overhead, as it actually gets a surprising balanced blend of kick, toms, and snare punch too. Snare sounds especially fat from this position. I have a small (but treated) room, and it's pretty sympathetic to the acoustics overall. Definitely try it out if you haven't!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Bh3D_Pvt8 - also he's so enthusiastic and fun to listen to!
I just tried it and I gotta say: WOW! It's pretty amazing even just from the humble 57. If I was limited or going for a simple 1-2 mic drum setup, this is the position I would use, or this plus an overhead, as it actually gets a surprising balanced blend of kick, toms, and snare punch too. Snare sounds especially fat from this position. I have a small (but treated) room, and it's pretty sympathetic to the acoustics overall. Definitely try it out if you haven't!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Bh3D_Pvt8 - also he's so enthusiastic and fun to listen to!
- I'm Painting Again
- zen recordist
- Posts: 7086
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 2:15 am
- Location: New York, New York
- Contact:
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
Moses is the best.
I'm not sure he invented it? maybe coined the term..
for me that's a distorto-smash position for blending into a "traditional" placement sound
good with an omni dynamic imho
if you want to try and get the drums with minimal cymbals on a track to compress heavily try the old 57 stuck in a gardenhose that's strewn out around the kit on the floor - that works pretty great with some trial and error
I'm not sure he invented it? maybe coined the term..
for me that's a distorto-smash position for blending into a "traditional" placement sound
good with an omni dynamic imho
if you want to try and get the drums with minimal cymbals on a track to compress heavily try the old 57 stuck in a gardenhose that's strewn out around the kit on the floor - that works pretty great with some trial and error
-
- zen recordist
- Posts: 7488
- Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:30 pm
- Location: Bloomington IL
- Contact:
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
I've done this a ton of times with various mics, and processing. Its really great.
- losthighway
- resurrected
- Posts: 2351
- Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:02 pm
- Contact:
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
I used to do this all of the time. It often worked better as my destroyed by pumping compression or distortion mic to blend than the room mic did.
I don't know why I stopped, I'm gonna bring back the crotch mic!
I don't know why I stopped, I'm gonna bring back the crotch mic!
- A.David.MacKinnon
- ears didn't survive the freeze
- Posts: 3822
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 5:57 am
- Location: Toronto
- Contact:
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
A 635a into a Ross or MXR distortion pedal and right to tape was my secret sauce for a long time. Now I’m using a Western Electric salt shaker in this position. No distortion. It gets combined with a Reslo Beeb ribbon on OH and an EV 664 on kick. All three into a 4 channel ward beck mixer and onto one track on the tape machine. So great.
A Coles is pretty great in that spot as well.
A Coles is pretty great in that spot as well.
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
I’ve definitely done this as an ass mic before, works well.
-
- audio school
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Fri Apr 05, 2019 4:48 pm
- Contact:
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
Never tried this. Gonna give it a try. Thanks for sharing!
-
- zen recordist
- Posts: 7488
- Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:30 pm
- Location: Bloomington IL
- Contact:
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
That's me general M.O. as well. One of the BEST results I ever got was an EV408 into an ART tube pre driven HARD.losthighway wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2019 4:54 pmI used to do this all of the time. It often worked better as my destroyed by pumping compression or distortion mic to blend than the room mic did.
I don't know why I stopped, I'm gonna bring back the crotch mic!
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
I used a Neumann KM131 omni in that position as the only mic on a drum kit, sounded great, cymbals properly 'Back In Black' low but clear.
Doug Williams
ElectroMagnetic Radiation Recorders
Tape Op issue 73
ElectroMagnetic Radiation Recorders
Tape Op issue 73
- Recycled_Brains
- resurrected
- Posts: 2355
- Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 6:58 pm
- Location: Albany, NY
- Contact:
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
I think the best drum sound I've ever gotten was something similar to this. It was an M160 aimed between the toms at the snare, but further out, next to the side of the bass drum. That plus a kick drum mic. It's as close to a dirty vintage kit sound as I've ever gotten.
- digitaldrummer
- cryogenically thawing
- Posts: 3526
- Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 9:51 pm
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Contact:
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
The EV664 also makes an awesome "crotch mic". I haven't tried mine on kick yet. hmmmm....
- A.David.MacKinnon
- ears didn't survive the freeze
- Posts: 3822
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 5:57 am
- Location: Toronto
- Contact:
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
It’s good in a vintage, non-subby way. More thump than sub.digitaldrummer wrote: ↑Wed Apr 10, 2019 11:20 amThe EV664 also makes an awesome "crotch mic". I haven't tried mine on kick yet. hmmmm....
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
EV 665 or Senn 441 are my faves. How far it peeks over the rim of the kick determines kick/ snare balance, angling left to right balances the toms.
Village Idiot.
-
- zen recordist
- Posts: 7488
- Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:30 pm
- Location: Bloomington IL
- Contact:
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
I usually place the mic over the shell, I think I'll try past the rim this weekend.
Re: The drum "Wurst Mic" technique - Holy shit!
Drummer Atma Anur used the same exact 1-mic placement for recording his drums when we both played in DH Peligro's solo band project in the late 1990's and I recorded a practice with my Tascam 4-track to learn the songs. I used a SM57 mic, it captured the entire kit well.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 170 guests