I'm not sure if this is for you, but how
would you feel if you knew exactly where to put the microphones on the drum kit to get the sound you hear in your head?
Instead of wimpy drums that sound like a toddler playing pots and pans with a cardboard kick drum, you'd get thick and punchy drums. Drums that add energy and excitement to the mix instead of making you plug your ears to make the beat stop.
I bet you would feel pretty great
knowing that you don't have to worry about your drums sounding like shit.
You'd know exactly how to get a kick drum that's big and powerful, a snare that's snappy and an overhead sound that sounds balanced, with smooth sounding cymbals devoid of any harshness.
I've tested a lot of overhead techniques over the years, and I think they're all great for one reason or another.
Any of the traditional overhead techniques are usable in a session, and none of them have any serious drawbacks per say.
Here's a quick list of the most popular overhead techniques:
- A/B - The typical stereo overhead technique, one mic on each side of the drum-kit. Great for focusing on capturing the cymbals with more precision.
- X/Y - The perfect drum overhead technique for the phase-phobic engineer.
- Recorderman - One of my favorites because it works well in bad sounding rooms.
- Glyn Johns - A staple Led Zeppelin drum overhead technique.
Those techniques are very different from one another, but I
wouldn't use any one of them for every genre. Some genres require a different approach, and even though drum sounds come down to taste, they still have to sound like the genre they're playing in.
Rock and metal drums can't sound like a folk record. And a punchy kick drum with a whole bunch of boosts in the high-mids for the beater click sound will sound out of place on a pop song, even if it's the most perfect sound for a metalcore
song.
Get Great Rock Drum Sounds
Drum sounds are varied and diverse, and they should be. It would be straight up weird if you heard the same drum sound on every record.
So just imagine if you knew exactly how to record the drums so they sounded like a mixed record, straight at the source.
If you're doing any sort of rock
music, Hardcore Tracking is designed to help you do that.
Just the drum tracking module has some great information on getting great sounding drums:
- Ideal mic selection and mic
placement for a tight, controlled and heavy drum sound (with real-world step by step walkthrough)
- Signal chains and outboard gear for drum tracking
- Checking and correcting phase on drum mics
- Comping and punching in drum takes seamlessly
& capturing great takes
- Mixing on-the-fly to get your drums sounding close to a finished record before you track the next instrument. *This makes everything easier!*
Not only that, but he includes two drum tracking bonuses you won't want to miss if you're doing drums in a small room with amateur drummers.
BONUS: TRACKING DRUMS IN A SMALL ROOM
I make do with my small home studio and I've gotten pretty good at making my drums sound good by using my room to my advantage. Tight and punchy drums is what I get easily, so I won't even worry about trying to get big and spacious drum sounds.
Jordan's bonuses tackle small rooms
specifically. He'll teach you how to optimize your space like I do, and you'll learn how to get a usable drum room sound that feels much bigger than it really is.
BONUS: DRUM TRACKING HACKS
If you want to overcome the struggle of dealing with sloppy drummers, and finally get record-quality tracks even if the drummer sucks, then you're in for a
treatt.
You'll learn tempo hacking tricks, how to overdub drums for realistic results, and how to hack double kick patterns that the drummer can’t nail themselves.
Record Tracks that Sound Like a Record, Straight at the Source
This isn't just a bag of unrelated tricks. Hardcore Tracking is a complete roadmap to making better sounding tracks, better than even some people's final mixes!
If you think you won't get any results from taking the course, don't worry. Here's what people have been saying about Hardcore Tracking:
"The Hardcore Tracking course changed a lot about my way of starting a record. Beyond technical tricks given through the videos, there's a full philosophy of how to approach the different recordings of various instruments and how to manage musicians during them.
Thanks to that course, I found the nerve to work with bands and offer my services to them, More and more come to build their projects with me. I now have the feeling of getting solid knowledge which will let me explore the infinite possibilities of recording. Thank you Jordan for your time and letting me live my passion." -Bastien Renon
"Jordan's Hardcore Tracking course was indescribably beneficial. Being able to watch and walk through an
entire pro level tracking session from start to finish helped me to tie up so many loose ends in my recording knowledge. Jordan's ability to communicate and teach the overall basics needed for a good tracking session, alongside the little tid bits of practical knowledge that he has gained from years of experience is truly invaluable. Not only that, but Jordan has been fantastic about staying in touch and providing answers to the questions I've had during and even after finishing HXC Tracking.
The course has allowed me to grow in confidence as a engineer and producer. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to expand and enhance their audio abilities, whether you're a beginner or a seasoned vet. You'll benefit greatly no matter what." -Cody Hunter
"Hardcore Tracking took my recording abilities to a new level. The way Jordan explains and presents things makes it very easy to absorb and the information provided is
priceless. The techniques for recording guitar were a game changer for me, but I think one of the most important things I learned from the course was seeing how Jordan required the tracks to be absolutely perfect before moving on. I struggled with the 'fixing it in the mix mindset' and Jordan blew that out of the water. I can't even find the words to describe how beneficial this course was for me. My recordings are so much better now and that immediately translated into better mixes.
Thanks Jordan!" -Nicholas Chamberlin
If that sounds like something you're interested, head on over here and join the course before it closes tomorrow.