pan your drums out of the center

Recording Techniques, People Skills, Gear, Recording Spaces, Computers, and DIY

Moderators: drumsound, tomb

User avatar
joninc
dead but not forgotten
Posts: 2100
Joined: Mon Jun 09, 2003 5:02 pm
Location: canada
Contact:

pan your drums out of the center

Post by joninc » Thu May 07, 2020 4:48 pm

i dare you. :P
the new rules : there are no rules

User avatar
losthighway
resurrected
Posts: 2347
Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:02 pm
Contact:

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by losthighway » Thu May 07, 2020 5:53 pm

I often have overheads about 60% on each side (depending on the overhead technique) and toms about 30% does that count?

I've been doing some weirder quarantine indulgent recording where there's second snare parts. I panned the snare for that.

User avatar
markjazzbassist
tinnitus
Posts: 1050
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:33 am
Location: Cleveland

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by markjazzbassist » Fri May 08, 2020 5:16 am

listen to jazz man, they are often panned outside of center (the whole kit). i dig the whole pan it how they are setup physically thing.

User avatar
losthighway
resurrected
Posts: 2347
Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:02 pm
Contact:

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by losthighway » Fri May 08, 2020 5:20 am

markjazzbassist wrote:
Fri May 08, 2020 5:16 am
listen to jazz man, they are often panned outside of center (the whole kit). i dig the whole pan it how they are setup physically thing.
Yes, and in terms of audiophile perspective, some of those Blue Note and Impulse albums are untouchably perfect sounding.

User avatar
vvv
zen recordist
Posts: 10139
Joined: Tue May 13, 2003 8:08 am
Location: Chi
Contact:

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by vvv » Fri May 08, 2020 10:58 am

I'm into old 'trane and Monk and Miles and lotsa that stuff - love it, and the panning just seems right, especially on the live recordings.

But, I cannot listen to Jeff Beck Group in cans.

My typical drum panning is OH's at 8:30 and 3:30, with HH at 10:30, toms and cymbals somewhere between 11:00 and 2 or 3:00, snare and kick mostly centered or just a RHCH off.

Percussion is my stunt trick - lately I do back-n-forth for shakers and tambos, etc.
bandcamp;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

drumsound
zen recordist
Posts: 7474
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:30 pm
Location: Bloomington IL
Contact:

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by drumsound » Fri May 08, 2020 6:31 pm

A lot of the old jazz records have drums slightly off center, and sometimes the lead instrument is the other side. There are times when there's a cool ambience of drums in the lead instrument that spreads it out.

For me, generally I'm stereo micing the whole thing so BD and SD are straight up, and everything else is in relation to that FROM THE DRUMMER'S PERSPECTIVE. :P

User avatar
DrummerMan
george martin
Posts: 1436
Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2008 12:18 pm
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by DrummerMan » Fri May 08, 2020 9:58 pm

These days (meaning the past few years) I almost always hard pan the OHs, which are often Recorderman-ish. Last recording my band did I decided I wanted to add some some tom mics to the rack toms and I had to premix them in with the overheads. I didnt think it through and I didnt pan everything wide enough on the sub mix and am now kicking myself that they're not as wide as our previous recordings. My band partner noticed too and we're considering some artificial stereo widening to compensate. I tried it out on the mix myself and liked it but we'll see if the mixing engineer is down...
Geoff Mann
composer | drummer | Los Angeles, CA

User avatar
digitaldrummer
ghost haunting audio students
Posts: 3476
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 9:51 pm
Location: Austin, Texas
Contact:

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by digitaldrummer » Sat May 09, 2020 9:01 am

drumsound wrote:
Fri May 08, 2020 6:31 pm
everything else is in relation to that FROM THE DRUMMER'S PERSPECTIVE.
I know this is a religious war but I've never understood that. You and I (as drummers) may get to see about half our shows from either side, but most people are not in the band. They are in the audience, so I always mix "audience perspective" or if you are a left handed drummer than you can pretend I'm mixing drummer's perspective for you... but then again if I knew I was mixing a left-handed drummer I'd still mix audience perspective.

But I suppose the truth is on a recording most people don't know (or care) if the drummer was setup right or left handed so it probably doesn't matter. :lol:

sorry for the thread derail... and I will experiment with alternate panning for drums but find it usually only works for something spacey or jazzy where you want put the listener off balance.
Mike
www.studiodrumtracks.com -- Drum tracks starting at $50!
www.doubledogrecording.com

User avatar
vvv
zen recordist
Posts: 10139
Joined: Tue May 13, 2003 8:08 am
Location: Chi
Contact:

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by vvv » Sat May 09, 2020 9:05 am

For me, a non-drummer, "drummer's perspective" is better because, headphones.

I mean, whatever it is when the HH is on the left in cans, with a righty drummer.
Last edited by vvv on Sat May 09, 2020 9:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
bandcamp;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

User avatar
digitaldrummer
ghost haunting audio students
Posts: 3476
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 9:51 pm
Location: Austin, Texas
Contact:

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by digitaldrummer » Sat May 09, 2020 9:07 am

sure, but if I mix it then you'll still get the audience perspective in your phones. :-) unless you're wearing them backward..
Mike
www.studiodrumtracks.com -- Drum tracks starting at $50!
www.doubledogrecording.com

User avatar
vvv
zen recordist
Posts: 10139
Joined: Tue May 13, 2003 8:08 am
Location: Chi
Contact:

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by vvv » Sat May 09, 2020 9:08 am

As a "non-drummer", yer gonna mess up my air-drumming - don't do that. :twisted:
bandcamp;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

drumsound
zen recordist
Posts: 7474
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:30 pm
Location: Bloomington IL
Contact:

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by drumsound » Sat May 09, 2020 11:06 am

I've said this a TON of times. The only people who give a rat's ass about player's or audience perspective are engineers and some drummers. The reason I know this is because once upon a time I would ask clients if they had a preference. It was news to everyone that didn't have a little recording rig (back in the day ONE member of a band MIGHT have a home rig) that there was even an option. I stopped asking, and I've NEVER had a client even mention it, let alone ask for me to change.

I like to joke and say its the right way, but it really doesn't matter to most people. The true reason I do it is that it helps me retain focus on the mix. If I have the drums audience, it distracts ME. Therefore I'm not doing me best on listening to the WHOLE MIX because I'm distracted by the hats on the right side. I owe it to the song and my clients to not let something so simple to avoid to get in the way.

MoreSpaceEcho
zen recordist
Posts: 6671
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 11:15 am

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by MoreSpaceEcho » Sat May 09, 2020 11:30 am

Mildly amusing story about audience perspective.....years ago, recording a friend's band at my old loft, we were fortunate to have the estimable Zach Barocas on the drums. One of my favorite drummers, an old friend and a big influence. So we record some takes, they all come into the control room to listen to playbacks.

I had the drums panned audience perspective because that is the correct way, no one's ever imagined they were standing BEHIND a band while listening to a record. However I knew that Zach, being a drummer's drummer and a man of strong opinions, liked drummer's perspective. And I knew he'd call me on it sooner or later.

So I sat my friend the bandleader down in my chair, and Zach and I were back on the couch. I'm like, any second now he's gonna bust me. Sure enough, by the time we're into the second verse...

ZB: These drums are panned audience perspective.
me: Indeed they are.
ZB: But that is incorrect!
me: I'm sorry but in this case you're wrong.
ZB: AND WHY IS THAT?
me: *points to bandleader* Because this is his record not yours.
ZB: *thinks about it for a sec, nods* OK.

I couldn't believe I got off that easy. :D

One of the tunes we did is still one of my all-time faves:

https://drewodoherty.bandcamp.com/track/the-robbery

User avatar
Nick Sevilla
on a wing and a prayer
Posts: 5555
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:34 pm
Location: Lake Arrowhead California USA
Contact:

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by Nick Sevilla » Sat May 09, 2020 11:36 am

You mean go back to the early days of Stereo Vinyl, where they accidentally remixed mono albums by hard panning stuff?

count me in
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

User avatar
losthighway
resurrected
Posts: 2347
Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:02 pm
Contact:

Re: pan your drums out of the center

Post by losthighway » Sat May 09, 2020 12:07 pm

MoreSpaceEcho wrote:
Sat May 09, 2020 11:30 am
Mildly amusing story about audience perspective.....years ago, recording a friend's band at my old loft, we were fortunate to have the estimable Zach Barocas on the drums. One of my favorite drummers, an old friend and a big influence. So we record some takes, they all come into the control room to listen to playbacks.
That guy is a monstrous player. I often think about how J Robbins has gotten to play with not one, but two of the greatest all-time rock drummers.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 44 guests