MixWithTheMasters Tracking Drums #2 Tchad Blake [TUTORiAL]

Welcome to Studios La Fabrique for a comprehensive series on unorthodox drum recording with Tchad Blake! This two-hour workshop involves the boldly creative engineer sharing his approach to efficient tracking and daring signal treatment. Blake demonstrates the sonic versatility of his simple setup, then embarks on a journey of mechanical filtering, unconventional processing, and adding gated soundscapes. Tchad explains his workflow, suggests alternative microphones and gear, and imparts his extensive knowledge garnered over an illustrious career. He covers a variety of topics that comprises drum kit and room preferences, microphone selection, preamps, parallel processing, and a lot more!

PART 1
00:10:31
1. Room size, listener perspective, drum dimensions, heads, cymbals, preparation
PART 2
00:20:28
2. Mic choice & placement, alternate options, modifications, “bone” mic processing
PART 3
00:12:16
3. Console setup, Pro Tools levels, signal flow, outboard gear, mic preamps, gain structure

PART 4
00:25:07
4. Drum sound, EQ, phase, mic bleed, adjustments, parallel compression, distortion, effects
 
PART 5
00:15:04
5. Signal treatment & blending, alternate compression & saturation tools, recording ambience

PART 6
00:18:08
6. Mechanical filters, experimentation, EQ, positioning, panning, dry vs. processed kit

PART 7
00:10:50
7. Binaural street recording, triggering with gates, parameter tweaking, soundscapes

home page