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"Hey Dec.
Happy new year to you!

 

Just wanted to add my two penneth concerning recording live drums.
I learnt the hard way too. I booked the drummer from my show to put down a track for the remake I´m making for Marcel.
Even though my drummer did turn up on time, was rehearsed and was massively experienced I couldn´t believe how sloppy the drums sounding in comparison to my super tight guide drum track.

 

I am now convinced that for pop it´s fine to take the sound of real drums but the timing has got to come from the computer.

 

Here endeth the lesson......All the best and wish you a superb 2005

 

regards
Ian"

 

<<<<<<convinced that for pop it´s fine to take the sound of real drums >>>>>>>>>
 
Have you really listened to the sound of real drums?  I would no more use real drum sounds than fly to the moon!  Even with a live drummer I will use triggers [small pads stuck to the drums which send an impulse] and replace the sounds.
 
Get yourself Black Butta 3 sample CD by Madjeff....or Abstract Hip-Hop.....or get the Yamaha Motif module [my current favourite].....you will never even contemplate using live drum sounds again!  Trust me!  Or the Alesis DM5 ....it uses multi hit sample techniques...8 per sound....stunning!
 
You never get old skins or excuses from a sample!  "The kit sounded great on the session I did last week, Mate"..... "Oh yeah, was that on the Beyonce session or was it with Black Eyed Peas... or maybe Justin Timberlake?"
 
The biggest problem is that a real drummer will always play a rim shot...no matter how many times you ask him not to.  There has not been a record in the Top Ten with a drummers version of a snare [that horrible cracky rim shot] ... never for 20 years!  It is the one sound that is always out of context in a major 'live' event.  Unless the drummer uses his own rack of modules [as many top guys now do].
 
In the extreme case when you have to use it [say a live gig] simply undermike the snare...close to the wire part of the snare.  You will be astonished at the difference.  He will hate it, but you will get a 2005 snare sound.  Over miking will only pick up that horrible 'tock' sound that is impossible to use in a mix.
 
    George Day, our current drummer...in full flight...triggers and all!

To avoid this annoying overly loud sound [which is uncontrollable in a small intimate venue] our drummer always uses a cane brush on snare.  The snare has a trigger [as all his drums do].  The only live mic. is on the High Hat, very close in at the crack between the top and bottom.  That way we get the exact snare sound we want for each particular song and it is totally under the control of the F.O.H. engineer.....clever...eh?

 

Regards

 

DEC [Cluskey]
dec@makehits.co.uk

 

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Help from fellow 'One Minuters'?

PETE BOOT  www.fillyourheadwithrockinternational.com
FILL YOUR HEAD WITH ROCK  BECOMES "INTERNATIONAL"
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and more UK venues are to be announced, a fantastic success story made possible only with your kindness, you make it happen, I only ask you give.
 
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A word from a Marketing Guru:

You will know that I consider 'business' to be so important in running your own music business...and that what you run....believe it or not.  I come across brilliant articles by successful business gurus...and I like to pass them along...you can learn a lot to improve your success chances.

Are You A Copycat With Your Business?
 By Alan Cheng

I guess the majority of people reading this article will be looking for tips on how to be original with their music business.
I'm so sorry to disappoint the Smart Alec out there because I'm going to tell you to do the opposite. Everyone thinks they have to be original to succeed with their music. Well let me tell you that you don't.

Reinventing the wheel and coming up with something original will waste a lot of your valuable time. Some may hit the jackpot with their ideas but the majority fails and start all over again.

What you should learn to do is to think of a profitable style of music you like and then find ways to improve it. This is the key to making a living and eventually a $fortune from music.

This applies to everything in your music business. Whether it is adverts, products, concepts, tools used etc...

Let's discuss advertisement. How do you write your advertisements? Think of an idea from scratch? What you should do is copy other people's work.

We see a lot of adverts in magazines, newspapers and classifieds. Some adverts appear every week over a long period of time. These ads are successful and you should take note of them and use it when appropriate. Use a notepad and continue to write down all ads which you like. When the situation requires choose one of the many ads you have written down and improve it.

For example "The leather chair designed for the hardworking Dad" can be changed to "The classy sunglasses designed for the fashionable father". Get the idea? The notes you keep for ads will be valuable to you and can give you inspiration in times of dumbness. This is called a Swipe File. All good copywriters have their own Swipe Files.

Similarly you should have Swipe Lyric files .... same idea.  a great line can always be subtly altered and used as a blockbuster 'hook'....get it?

"Why invent mediocrity when you can copy genius?"