Paramore (self titled album) room drum sounds

[Paper Fairy]

Hey Justin, love your work.

I produce a lot and am getting more and more into mixing- I absolutely love the mix/production/drum sounds on Paramore's self titled album, and I know this is really more of a nitty gritty mix/engineering topic but I'm sure from your years of experience you can shed some light on it despite the fact that you didn't mix the record.

Any secrets you can spill about getting the huge "room" sounding drums that still smack? Often times I have trouble with the washyness of cymbals and other muddy stuff when really I want the room sound to speak most in the snare.

I have some more questions about that record but I'll leave it there for now.

 

[jmjbassplayer]

Mixing was the final 10% polish to the drum picture. What you hear is largely what was created in the room at Sunset Sound 3.

We had a pair of C12's very far away, about 25-30 feet.

But the secret to the room sound a few things working together:

1) A pair of 67's, in cardioid, pointed straight at a pair of 4ft. go bo's that were arranged about 8 ft. away from the kit. Those 67's were placed low, maybe 12"-18" off the ground, and again: pointed straight at the baffles. Somehow it just absorbs less cymbal energy.

2) I like to tape the f*** out of cymbals so they dominate less.

3) Altec salt shaker , laying on the ground, 4-6 feet out.

4) A stereo ribbon (R88, SF12 or SF24 - can't remember) as POV mic behind and above Ilan.

J

 

[Paper Fairy]

Thanks for the in-depth reply! You have a good memory haha. I have heard of someone wrapping 67s in sweaters before to dampen them slightly- the gobos trick makes sense and I'm definitely going to try that.

On a slightly related note, I am wondering if you added samples at all to the drums on that record, and if so, why, and what is your method for doing so? I'm also curious as to what your general outlook on adding samples to live drums is even if you didn't add them to that particular record.

 

[jmjbassplayer]

No samples. I've done it a few times with M83, but it's to add an electronic or dramatized character...so within that, there's a distinction between the electronic layer and the snare layer. If I have to augment my live snares with other recorded live snares, I don't think I've necessarily done a great job.