V-Drums from a sound engineer's perspective

A few days ago I got a last-minute call to engineer front-of-house sound for a local band at a fairly high-level corporate event. Their drummer used the Roland TD-9 kit on this particular gig.

It's worth noting that the room was about about the size of half of a basketball court, with high ceilings and real wood paneling on all of the walls, and that the sound system consisted of Mackie's DL 1608 iPad-based mixer, and their DLM series powered speakers (more on the Mackie gear in another post). I was able to mix from all over the room with my iPad, so I got the full-range perspective on the band's - and each individual player's - sound.

Here are the bullet points:

• Individual drum and cymbal sounds were fine. In the context of the mix, they actually sounded a lot cleaner than many acoustic kits I've mixed. 
• I absolutely hated not being able to adjust the volume of the individual parts of the kit. During sound check I asked the drummer to manually turn up the kick drum on the TD-9's brain. That helped, but once the show started I basically had no way to deal with imbalances. 
• Likewise, any EQ, effects or other manipulations happen across the entire kit. You can't do anything to the snare drum (or kick, toms, etc.) without it affecting the entire kit. 
• We were able to quickly adjust the pitch of one of the toms - again, on the brain - to eliminate a sympathetic vibration without drastically affecting the overall sound of the drum and kit. This happened in seconds, rather than the several minutes (or longer) it would have taken to similarly adjust an acoustic drum. 

In the long run, I'm sure that a good engineer and drummer would be able to dial in the sound they need from a particular room very effectively, but the aforementioned frustrations kept me from feeling like I had achieved the best sound possible in the situation. 

As expected, the major benefit of the V-drums in this situation was the low stage/house volume. Especially for corporate and casual events, volume levels can be a very big problem. The drummer also effectively used many electronic sounds that would have been impossible on an acoustic kit. 

As technology improves, it will become more and more common for electronic percussion instruments to be integrated into all kinds of performances. I will continue to explore their application, benefits and drawbacks as the opportunities present themselves. 

Happy drumming!

Gear Up: Microphones Part 2

Last week, I mentioned a few suggestions on some microphones to get started with for drums.

This week, where in the world do you place them? What will get the best and most consistent sound?

First, don't reinvent the wheel. Whenever you work with a good sound tech, watch what they do, and ask them questions (nicely, at appropriate times, and respectfully, of course) about why they do it the way they do. Listen and learn. There are also myriad websites that have very clear, complete information.

I'm definitely not a sound engineer, but there are a few really simple concepts that I have used for years that have produced good, consistent results. Again, there are a lot of factors at play here, including your drums/heads, tuning, the size and shape of the room, how loud you play, other sound sources on the stage, etc*.

One semi-funny story: Back in the day, I played with a band called Hillside Nine. We got a gig playing at a high school for a huge senior party. Lots of fun. After sound check the engineer asked if there was anything else we needed, and I jokingly said, "Just make us sound amazing, okay?" He replied without missing a beat, "Ah, okay. I'll turn the 'Talent' knob all the way up, and the 'Suck' switch completely off. Will that work?"

Oh, if only it were that simple! Anyway, on to the good stuff.

Snare and Toms
Line up the end of the microphone (the end where it captures the sound - it usually has a screen) with the hoop/rim of the drum, at least an inch above the hoop - mine are about 2-3" up - and angle the mic at the dead center of the drum. The microphone will end up at about a 30ish degree angle up from the plane of the drum head. Try it out. You'll like it!

Kick Drum
My drum's resonant (front) head is ported. That means it has a five inch hole cut in the head, at about the 4 o'clock position. I have had good results putting the mic through the port, with the end of the mic (again, the screen/capture side) about three inches inside the drum, pointed at the dead center of the batter head. If your kick drum doesn't have a front head (or if you've removed it for recording), move the mic to about the halfway point of the shell, right in the middle, and point it at the center of the resonant head.

Overhead/Cymbals
I like to use two identical mics to capture the cymbals and full kit sound. One mic sits over my left hand area, pointed at the place where my left side crash overlaps my hi-hat. The right side hangs over my ride cymbal where it hangs over my floor tom. Both are just above head level, out of range of an errant stick stroke.

Especially if you're using mics a lot, and even more especially in a recording setting, it's worth experimenting with different placements - angles, heights, alignments and how far over the drum it sits.

Happy drumming!


*Okay, one MAJOR tip: the best mics, sound engineer and placement won't make your drums sound good if they don't already. Before you go to the gig, make sure that your instrument is in good working order - heads in good shape, and well tuned. This will have the BIGGEST impact on how good you sound. That, and the P word: PRACTICE!!

Gear Up: Microphones Part 1

Although it's a joke in the professional music world, it's incredibly true: Don't ever tick off the sound engineer. If there's one person you should be bringing donuts and Diet Coke for, it's your sound engineer. No matter how great your equipment is, how well tuned your drums are, and how much you've practiced, there are some external factors that can make or break your sound. Not only the engineer, but the equipment being used.

Make no mistake, in most live settings larger than your living room, some sound reinforcement is necessary - even for drums - to get your best sound. Keep in mind that the job of the sound equipment isn't only to make things louder, but to give the audience true, high quality sound.

Let's talk about one of the most important factors: microphones.

This subject is debated by drummers, engineers, techs and manufacturers pretty heavily. Which mics do you use? Where do you place them? How close should they be? Today we'll take a look at the first of those questions.

Which mics should you use?

The first thing is to use the right type of mic for the application. For example, don't use a vocal mic on your drums! This seems basic, but just like some people think all drums are the same, a lot of drummers think that all microphones are the same. But in today's world, there are very specific microphones for each type of drum, and for overhead applications.

This seems like a pretty simple thing, but if you're buying mics, just ask the salesperson (or look on the box, for heaven's sake!) what the mic was designed for, and what its best uses are. Even better, go online and spend some quality time with Google doing some research.

Basically, you want three or four different microphones for a basic drum set up. Here's a list and some common models used for each*.

Snare Drum:

• Shure SM57 (or Beta 57)
• Audix D1
• Sennheiser e604
• AKG C418

Kick Drum:

• Shure Beta 52A
• Audix D6
• Sennheiser e602-II
• AKG D112 

Toms: (many engineers use a kick drum mic on any toms 14" or larger)

• Shure SM57 or Beta 98
• Audix D2
• Sennheiser e604 or e608
• AKG D40

Overhead/Cymbals:

• Shure KSM 
• Audix ADX51
• Sennheiser e614
• AKG C430

All of that said, probably the easiest thing to do, especially if you're just getting into playing with mics, is to purchase a "drum pack" from one of the companies on my list. I've been through three of these packs, one from Audix, another from a company who shall remain nameless, and a Shure kit, which I still have. Although I really do like the Shures, I'm not one of those guys who will only use one brand. I've found that I can get good sounds with almost any mics if the drums are tuned well, the placement is good, and the engineer knows what they are doing.

So, step one: get good mics. The rest? We'll cover that later.

Happy drumming, and good sound to you always!

* I know that I'm probably leaving out some great mics, so let me know what they are in the comments below!