recording/producing drums like it was 85'-help me brainstorm

[nagnagnag]

Hey there, I'm trying to get an 80's metal drum sound for a throw-back project I'm working on. For reference, I'm thinking of the drum sounds off of 'kill em' all' and 'ride the lightning'. On these albums, the bass drum still has some boom to it rather than that annoying 'clickclickclick' bass drum sound that plagued metal recordings in the late 80's and 90's. On the recordings I'm going for, the cymbals are thrashy, the snare is dampened and nearly has the presence and thud of a bass drum, the toms are dampened but decay is created by adding some rather cheesy reverb. It sounds like overheads are in the mix way more on the early stuff than on 'and just for all..' where the drums are so isolated and snappy it practally sounds like matching band drums are being used..hehe. I have a good start but the demo results I've gotten aren't quite what I'm going for. Any ideas for mics selection and mic placement? Anyone knowledgable on the details of how they use to record these albums? I'd love to hear your feedback.

[bigtoe]

a classic trick by the big metal guy in town here is to tape a quarter to the beater and a quarter to the kick head to get that click...

Mike

[George Martin Hannett]

A lot of it has to do with the drums themselves. For sure you need a blanket in the bass drum(s), foam mufflers under the toms or dampening rings that can be set on top of the heads. Get a ring for the snare too or get one of those heads with the big dot in the middle. You want to avoid the click right? Use the blanket, use plastic beaters to get a bit of a snap, but pull the mic back a bit. 8" should do, and angle it toward where the head meets the shell instead of towards the beater. You'll pick up some more lo-end this way.

[chemicalpink]

gated reverb!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chetatkinsdiet]

right, the drums themselves are a huge part of it. Think power toms...think Tama Superstar birch shell drums. Ebony heads, double layer heads like remo pinstripes. And for the snare sounds...thick wooden shells. I'd not even consider a drum less than 6.5" and think that and 8" would be ideal. Deaden the drums a bit more than you're probably doing these days. Another key for that 80s metal sound is old 80s reverbs. BIG! BIG! BIG!
A lot of the cymbals used back then were stuff like Paiste Rudes or other thick, non-lathed types. I think the Zildjian Power Z stuff was just coming out....maybe a good choice.
later,
m

[@?,*???&?]

Two things. Run a PA in the room with the drumkit pumping through it from the console mix. Every major hard rock act did this. Biggest success to my ear was that first Bullet Boys disc. Yeow.

Another thing, rely on gated reverbs and gated room mic tracks heavily.

[tiger vomitt]

make sure the drummer is wearing a head band

[Roman Sokal]

try sampling some elements from said albums if there are clear enough bits that you can clean up more if need be through another app!
p.s. ...justice for all album- which i believe was mixed by the band- sounds like a rough/monitor mix for the most part to me!
and of course we'll never forgive them for being elitest mean pricks and turning down the bass guitar tracks!

[soundguy]

I feel bad for metallica. ever since their bass god died, they just cant catch a break. Justice sounds like a monitor mix, so it sucks. Black sounds like all glossy and "major label" so it sucks. Load sounds like a pop record, so it sucks. They listen to all this criticism and decide to strike back and take peoples faces off with pocket calculator record and its the worst thing anyone has ever heard.

but they are millionaires. And james caught on fire. and they hang out with a guy whose last name is "rock".

the balls.

dave

[hardLeft]

I seem to recall back in the day that you couldn't get away from the Remo Pinstripes with Dead Ringers on them for the toms. I don't know if either of those products are still made today.

[vvv]

"make sure the drummer is wearing a head band"
Hah!

I like Load and Re-Load, so maybe I'm not to be listened to, but Rock is the Mutt of the modern day... Justice sucks, for sounds (great songs, tho'.)

But the I like the last one, too, snare be damned.

"Deaden the drums a bit more than you're probably doing these days", and that "gated reverb" sounds right...

[marqueemoon]

right, the drums themselves are a huge part of it. Think power toms...think Tama Superstar birch shell drums. Ebony heads, double layer heads like remo pinstripes. And for the snare sounds...thick wooden shells. I'd not even consider a drum less than 6.5" and think that and 8" would be ideal. Deaden the drums a bit more than you're probably doing these days. Another key for that 80s metal sound is old 80s reverbs. BIG! BIG! BIG!
A lot of the cymbals used back then were stuff like Paiste Rudes or other thick, non-lathed types. I think the Zildjian Power Z stuff was just coming out....maybe a good choice.
later,
m

A friend has a Zildjian "Earth Ride" is the shit for this kind of sound. It's that big, brassy bell sound with hardly any wash. Fairly quick but hefty sounding crashes would be good.

[nagnagnag]

....thanks for all the replies everyone. All the metallica comments are entertaining. I'd have to cut those sobs' glory days off at 'and justice'. That last single they did had one of the worst snare sounds i've heard in my life. ringy, annoying, and WAY TOO LOUD in the mix! I'm getting better results since i started using the Rode NTK tube condenser as a room mic in addition to mic'ing individual drums. The down side is the cymbals are a bit too loud...it's hard to get them down in the mix. And the headbands, we already have that one covered! matching sets...

[Everybody's X]

80's? it's all about the gong dude!


seriously

I bet you could track down Flemming Rassmussen and ask him what he did, he doesn't seem to be doing much nowadays.

[tiger vomitt]

FUCK DAT

justice was my absolute favorite album when i was 15. i loved the sound AND the songs. i still love both. i hated all metallica after it

anyway, that sound is prolly not what yer looking for in the 80's metal drums sound anyway. i just had to speak my peace

dont forget to play the drums with chewed up sticks. a double bass pedal (NOT 2 bass drums IMO) will get you the sound. or, at least the sound i remember - no one had 2 fucking bass drums in their basment