Tips and Tricks To Recording Heavy Rock and Metal ?
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Posted on Dec 27, 2003 05:08 pm
Sds2000
Member Since: Jul 17, 2003
Hey guys
just wondering if any one has any little tips or tricks on recording Heavy Rock/Metal music manly to do with drums guitar and bass and vocals eg compreson a major one aye and any others cheers
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TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
Dec 28, 2003 12:24 am I think that doubling your rythm guitar tracks is one of the easiest things you can do to beef up a guitar track. Record the part once, then record yourself playing the same part along with it again. Pan one left and the other right and you should end up with a thicker sound.
Also, there are some great articles here that'll give you some ideas: www.homerecordingconnecti...at&cat_id=1
good luck!
Dec 28, 2003 02:05 am yes, and compress your vocals and bass.
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Dec 28, 2003 03:09 am and wear spandex whilst youre doing it...
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 28, 2003 01:12 pm And a big one to not forget is to make sure everything has its place in the mix. The one thing that you can run into with a heavy sound is the instruments going over the vocals and not letting them through. Use the EQ judiciously to set each instrument track into its own place in the mix. The link Tadpui gave you contains all the info you should need to get a great start.
Dec 28, 2003 04:50 pm Lotsa high end on the bass drum! Make that thing punch through the mix and make sure it's tuned down low, miked close the beater (inside the drum) and compressed good. (about 4:1 ratio, low threshold)
Dec 28, 2003 05:36 pm really? high end on the bass? what freq range?
Dec 28, 2003 07:09 pm 3k or so is usually the snap of the batter.
For kick I often scoop the EQ from around 200-300Hz to around 1k-2k scooping gradually between those frequencies.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 28, 2003 08:45 pm That EQ trick dB mentioned will give the drum a good thump without sounding muddy. You will want to mess about with the amount of cut you use when using the scoop dB advised. It will vary on the type and sound of the drum used. It allows for a good thump with a bit of bite.
WaltChief Cook and Bottle WasherMember
Since: May 10, 2002
Dec 29, 2003 07:09 am If you are looking for tips on the actual recording session. take a listen to "HuH" posted in my music profile. If you like the recording I will be happy to elaberate on how I captured them. But check first. We all have a different sound in mind.
Dec 29, 2003 03:10 pm Yeah, have you ever listened to the bass drum in most heavy music? It sounds more like a snare drum, really! You want to have a good low end thump, but it's all about the beater smack. Hearing the higher frequencies makes distinguishing double bass hits much easier, as well. Same deal if you're mixing punk music.
Dec 29, 2003 03:46 pm A trick I have also used and mentioned here before is taping a quarter to the kick head right where the batter hits it on the opposite side of the head, this works especially well with double kit sets as it gives it a sharp edge and really help separate and define the sound(s).
juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Dec 29, 2003 07:15 pm same as what he said, but just for the hell of it...
mic: just inside the kick (just behind front skin) pointed towards beater - if there is no hole in the kick drum then consider taking the front skin off. I use a D112, I am lucky - SM57's work sufficiently.
eQ: boost at 80hz (approx 3dB) - low end response. cut at 230Hz (approx -6-8dB) - Kills the mud. boost at 2-3.5Khz (approx 3-5dB) - adds some attack. High Shelf above 8Hz (approx 2-4dB) add some air to the kick sound. Consider a cut at 1Khz-ish if things are too "baggy".
comPression: high ratio with a strong threshold setting (deep then) - calibrate the attack to your personal preference (I find around 9-15ms is the best) and a release of about 40-50ms dependant on material - you want the kick to get a more defined thump to it via compression - oh and boost the output gain till it pops your speaker cones.
post comP eQ: another cut around 230Hz and possibly a bit more high EQ if she needs it. If you find the kick to be too light in the bass department, add more bass on the way in.
enjoy
jues.
Dec 29, 2003 11:23 pm I think everybodys pretty much coveded the kick drum, and quite well I might add so I'll leave that alone. Make sure you don't neglect the snare. Give it a good crack. Maybe a nice gated reverb on it. If you want that tight guitar sound throw an SM-57 right on the grill. Depending on how the guitarist's sound is I usually aim it right where the outer cone meats the inner cone. For a more open sound move the mic back. If you have a Senhieser 421 that would be another good choice for a guitar mic. If you have the means to double the rythm guitar track thats a plus. If you don't have the tracks avalible you can run it though a harmonizer if you have one and pan original, and harmonizer to oposing sides. If all you have is a delay, you can use that to double it... it works just not as well as a harmonizer. When I use a delay to double I will EQ the delay side a little differently than the original track. Also keep the delay time between 10 ms and 30 ms. Down around 7 ms you will start to get some unpleasent phasing. above 30 ms you can get some comb filtering. A little high end on the bass is nice too, but that depends on the player and his setup. I just like to hear some tappety tap of the strings for metal.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 30, 2003 05:33 pm And you can always try a bit of chorus on the guitar as well. It can thicken the sound as if you double tracked it if applied judiciously. Not to much but not to little either.
Dec 31, 2003 10:01 am you will need a red light bulb, beer and an unhealthy love of gore flicks.
there you go, job done!
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Jan 01, 2004 09:31 am id love to do a eighities tastic metal album one day, just for a laugh...
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 02, 2004 08:13 pm Tuna and I watched VH1's I Love the 80s series while I was coherant yesterday and last night. Very kool as they went through it year by year. I laughed so hard remembering some of the stuff. Pity is Tuna has seen pics of me from the day, and he just roles his eyes and goes tell me I would be better off to forget those days.
But Im with ya flame, Id love to go back and do some of that stuff again with todays tech toys it would be kool.
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Jan 04, 2004 08:08 am definately...thought The Darkness seem to ave a bit of a head start on me...
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 04, 2004 05:57 pm Ya, but you can always grow your hair out and such and probly look as good as they do. Im guessing for them it is a lot of studio magic that is giving them and edge. Not saying they arent talented, just they got a bit of an edge.
