Studio Secrets: Pro Drum Recording & Electronic Mixing Techniques

Exciting things are happening at Echo Bar Recording Studio in Los Angeles. We're gearing up to record a new course on how to capture drums using just an 8-mic setup and your interface's stock preamps. This course will dive deep into mic placement, experimenting with different mics, and finding the perfect snare and kick drum for the room and player.

Key Takeaways

Drum Recording Course: Focuses on a basic 8-mic setup with stock preamps.
Mic Placement Focus: Explores various microphone positions and techniques.
Gear Selection: Includes trying out different snares and kicks from the studio's vault.
Electronic Music Mixing: A massive upcoming course on mixing electronic music with male and female vocals.
Raygun Romance Project: Mixing the first single for Ty Oliver's new band.

Recording Drums: The Pro Approach

In a few days, we'll be filming a new course for Pro Mix Academy titled "How to Record Drums." The goal is to show you how to get great drum sounds using a basic setup: just an 8-microphone configuration and your interface's eight stock preamps. We'll be using a Gretsch drum kit in the live room at Echo Bar. The real magic in this course is going to be in the mic placement. We'll be experimenting with different positions and microphones to see what works best.

Before we even get to the mics, we'll be tuning the drums and selecting the right snare and kick. Echo Bar has an impressive vault with 11 different snares and three kicks to choose from. We'll try them all out to find the perfect fit for the acoustic rock sound we're going for. We also have a great mic locker here, and while we'll mostly use condenser mics, there will be a wildcard microphone thrown into the mix.

Mixing Raygun Romance: A New Electronic Project

Today, however, it's all about mixing. We're working on the first single for the band Raygun Romance, featuring Ty Oliver, the guitarist from Powerman 5000, and producer on this project. This is going to be part of a massive upcoming course on how to mix electronic music. This project has two singers, male and female, and we'll be using a ton of tricks to get it sounding great.

I've brought some of my own gear, even though Echo Bar has plenty of equipment. I like to use my usual "glue" for the mix bus: the Neve 1073 preamps and the West Audio Dion summing mixer. It's all about having those familiar tools that help you get the sound you want quickly. We're excited to get this first single mixed and ready to go. Stay tuned for more updates from Echo Bar, the channel, and these new courses!

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