Year of issue: 2021
Manufacturer: Mix With The Masters
Manufacturer’s website: Link
Author: Steve Albini
Duration: 2h 28min
Distribution Type: Video Tutorial
English language
Description: Join us at Studios La Fabrique for a detailed guide to drum recording techniques! Conducted by legendary rock engineer Steve Albini, this video series details fully analog drum kit tracking using a Neve 88R console and a Studer A800 MKIII recorder. Albini will walk you through the mic settings and locations for kick drum, snare drum, toms, overheads, stereo, and room ambience. It briefly describes the types of microphones used and their placement, while suggesting suitable alternatives. In addition, he reveals his processing techniques to reduce leakage, enhance natural reverb, control dynamics, optimize phase relationships, and more. He demonstrates the use of his technique by recording a live drummer and draws diagrams on the whiteboard to convey his vast knowledge in a visual way!
Content :
1. Bass drum – resonant & beater side, attack & sustain, mic preferences, phase, signal ducking
2. Snare – top & bottom side, condenser vs. dynamic mics, separation, positioning, expansion
3. Toms – perspective, mic pairs, level blending, summing, polarity, mic preferences
4. Overheads & Stereo Room – cymbal capture, high end detail, peak limiting, Blumlein
5. Ambient Pair – distance, bandwidth, elevation, Haas effect, boundary principle, delay
6. Internal phase relationships, absolute & microphone polarity, amplifier stages
7. Signal flow to console & tape, VU & peak metering, processing, calibration, recording
8. Compressor circuitry, parameters, preferred settings, limiting, dual mono vs. stereo
9. Room ambience, studio design, reflections, acoustic treatment, symmetry, material
10. Demonstration of simplified recording setup using only three microphones
11. Diagrams of ambient mic positioning with regards to boundary principle & Haas effect
There are subtitles in Russian, English and Spanish.
Sample files: not provided
Video format: MP4
Video: AVC, 1920×1080, 16: 9, 30 fps, 2000 kb / s
Audio: AAC, 48 kHz, 128 kb / s, 2 channels
