ProSoundWeb Community

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Drum vocal techniques  (Read 4730 times)

lukebuckbee

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1
Drum vocal techniques
« on: April 28, 2011, 08:29:20 PM »

Hello all.
I'm currently mixing a band where the drummer does back up vocals, as well as some leads. He's a basher, has very loud cymbals, and we're playing mostly smaller rooms. My current method is a beta56, rolling off everything above 10ish K, and lightly compressing. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to reject enough of the cymbals for me to get a balanced mix.
I've searched the forum, as well as google and have found very little on this topic. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Luke
Logged

Phil Hornung

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 40
Re: Drum vocal techniques
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2011, 10:10:09 PM »

Hello all.
I'm currently mixing a band where the drummer does back up vocals, as well as some leads. He's a basher, has very loud cymbals, and we're playing mostly smaller rooms. My current method is a beta56, rolling off everything above 10ish K, and lightly compressing. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to reject enough of the cymbals for me to get a balanced mix.
I've searched the forum, as well as google and have found very little on this topic. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Luke

I've had decent luck in the past with Sennheiser's e945. It's a super-card. The pattern has rejection at around 120deg from the business end instead of 180. Since cymbals are typically to the left and right of the center of the kit instead of directly in front, this can be helpful. Also, in general, I find sennheisers vocal mics a bit "duller" sounding (not necessarily in a bad way) than the Shure beta series which seem to have some boost in the mid range. This probably also helps.
Logged

Dan Sego

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4
Re: Drum vocal techniques
« Reply #2 on: April 29, 2011, 02:30:12 AM »

Used on a lot of tours with hard hitting drummers.

http://www.crownaudio.com/pdf/mics/102546.pdf
Logged

MARK PAVLETICH

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 40
Re: Drum vocal techniques
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2011, 03:25:05 AM »

+1 on the Crown CM311, If he won't wear a headset mic see if you can find the handheld differoid sister to the CM311, the CM310A.
Logged

Gordon Brinton

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 553
  • ID Verified
    • Raw Depth Sound and Raw Depth Video, Carlisle, PA
Re: Drum vocal techniques
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2011, 07:58:42 PM »

...and lightly compressing...

Compression is likely making the problem worse by bringing out the cymbals more. If you use makeup/output gain after the compression stage, this essentially raises the lower level content within the signal (such as background noise) and brings it more forward so-to-speak.
Logged
Member since 2005.

Jerry Turnbow

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 53
    • Sound On Site Audio Services, LLC
Re: Drum vocal techniques
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2011, 02:08:42 PM »

Hello all.
I'm currently mixing a band where the drummer does back up vocals, as well as some leads. He's a basher, has very loud cymbals, and we're playing mostly smaller rooms. My current method is a beta56, rolling off everything above 10ish K, and lightly compressing. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to reject enough of the cymbals for me to get a balanced mix.
I've searched the forum, as well as google and have found very little on this topic. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Luke

I've had good success with the Audix OM7 on drummer vocals.  You'll have to make sure they"eat" the mic, though.
Logged
Jerry Turnbow
Sound On Site Audio Services, LLC

Jim McKeveny

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1454
Re: Drum vocal techniques
« Reply #6 on: April 30, 2011, 02:57:45 PM »

You say you are playing "smallish rooms". I have to assume that drum and cymbal content is making its way to front line mics also. Changing over to a differoid may not give you the magical isolation you seek. A singing drummer should think about his kit in context of its sonic signature all down the chain. In the past I have dampened cymbals with gaffers tape, which helps the entire stage, or simply make peace the imperfect nature of the live sound environment.
Logged

Cosmo

  • SR Forums
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 186
  • Northern Colorado, USA
Re: Drum vocal techniques
« Reply #7 on: April 30, 2011, 06:43:11 PM »


Another +1 for the Crown 311.  You won't be disappointed.

Logged
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.  Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.  - H.D. Thoreau

Drew Curtis

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 18
Re: Drum vocal techniques
« Reply #8 on: May 01, 2011, 02:03:53 AM »

try very thin strips of gaff tape on the underside of the cymbals (a very small amount will change things drastically) to help with bleed. as thin as you can tear the strips, maybe 2 or 3 3 inch pieces per cymbal.
Logged

John Chiara

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1157
Re: Drum vocal techniques
« Reply #9 on: May 02, 2011, 02:30:44 AM »

You say you are playing "smallish rooms". I have to assume that drum and cymbal content is making its way to front line mics also. Changing over to a differoid may not give you the magical isolation you seek. A singing drummer should think about his kit in context of its sonic signature all down the chain. In the past I have dampened cymbals with gaffers tape, which helps the entire stage, or simply make peace the imperfect nature of the live sound environment.

I found a better solution than gaff tape...moon gel. Years ago had a drummer I didn't know and I asked if he had any tape I could use on the cymbals....he said all he had was moon gel. It cut the volume of the cymbals in half without changing the feel. Surprised me...much better than tape.
Logged

ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Drum vocal techniques
« Reply #9 on: May 02, 2011, 02:30:44 AM »


Pages: [1]   Go Up
 



Site Hosted By Ashdown Technologies, Inc.

Page created in 0.037 seconds with 24 queries.