The questions I get the most are about overhead mics. What to use, where to put, them, how to angle them, etc.. I also get a lot of questions from people that have rooms with very low ceilings. Similar to the ceiling heigth of a bedroom or garage.
There is a simple, and cheap, trick to keep the reflection off the ceiling from wrecking your overhead sound!
Here’s a drum recording quick tip for dealing with low ceilings. Watch the video!
FullOnDrums.com has launched a new video series called “Session Report”.
In this new series Charlie will document actual sessions at Ultimate Studios, Inc. He’ll talk about choosing microphones to fit the artists sound, micing techniques and concepts, gear, and most importantly why he chooses to use a particular mic or setup.
Session Reports are all about context. Some setups will be fairly straight forward and some may be more unorthodox. The goal is to show what went in to capturing a sound for a specific artist.
The debut Session Report episode features drummer Jeff Bowders (Paul Gilbert/Puddle of Mudd). Jeff performs a track of his album “The Pilgrimage of Thingamuhjig”. Check out the video below and be sure to visit FullOnDrums.com for a complete breakdown of the session including photos, mic list, outboard gear list, and detailed session notes.
Enjoy!
There is a secret to getting great drum sounds that surpasses almost anything else. It’s more important than having good mics, killer drums, or even an amazing room. What I’m about to tell you might shock you…..but it’s a secret that will always set you up for great drum recordings. Are you ready?
Want to learn how to record better drums?
Want to learn how to tune your drums for better recordings?
Do you have a limited budget or limited amount of channels?
If you answered YES to ANY of these questions then the Drum Recording Ninja Workshop is for you!
There are only 8 seats open and this WILL sell out, so you’ll need to REGISTER NOW if you want to reserve a seat for just $69 $49!
The Drum Recording Ninja Workshop is for engineers, drummers, recording enthusiasts of all levels, and of course, ninjas. Our goal is to teach you how to get the BEST sounding drums and the BEST tones for your recordings no matter what your situation is.
We’ll be covering tuning and easy-to-use techniques for tuning, microphone types and how they can be used to make better recordings, and minimal miking setups so you can get GREAT tones with just a few microphones.
“Drums are my passion. I want to share that passion with you and help you understand drum recording better by showing you some of my techniques.” Producer/Engineer Charlie Waymire.
Engineer Charlie Waymire with Chad Smith & Kevin Chown
Besides being an accomplished drummer himself, engineer Charlie Waymire is extremely adept at working with drummers to get the best possible performance and in turn, the best possible drum recordings. This is one of the many reasons that Ultimate Studios, Inc has become a home for drummers to record their drum tracks. Charlie is the tone master when it comes to drums!
Some drummers that Charlie has recorded at Ultimate Studios, Inc. include:
Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Ray Luzier (Korn), Josh Freese (Perfect Circle), Benny Rogers II (Mariah Carey), J.R. Robinson (Michael Jackson), Glen Sobel (Alice Cooper), Mike Avenaim (Scott Weiland), Jeff Bowders (Paul Gilbert), Greg Garman (Selena Gomez), and Nick Adams (David Cook), among several others.
He is also the host and co-creator of FullOnDrums.com; a show dedicated to the art of recording drums.
When it comes to tuning, there are few people on the planet that know more about the workings of drums than drummer & tuning guru Kurt Berger. He has taught hundreds of drummers how to tune and has worked with some of the biggest drummers in the biz.
He is the resident tuning guru for FullOnDrums.com and works closely with Charlie at Ultimate Studios, Inc to build fantastic sounding drum kits. He keeps the clients that record at Ultimate Studios Inc. extremely happy with his bar-none tuning tricks!
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Getting great drum sounds is more than just “getting a great drum sound”. It’s about getting a sound that is right for the song. Context is EVERYTHING! Our specialty at Ultimate Studios, Inc is getting each and every artist the perfect sounding drums for their songs. Continue reading →
I am stoked to announce that “Good Vibrations”, a new column on DrumMagazine.com, has officially launched! In each installment I’ll discuss how I work with drummers to get a great sound in the studio. “Good Vibrations” is designed to give you a quick look at how I go for a particular sound to fit a session or song. I’ll be working with different artists in each installment, including some familiar names in the industry.
There are plenty of articles all over the internet that talk just about the gear. I want to focus on “why” I choose to use something and how it relates to the other pieces in the setup and, more importantly, the song. Don’t get me wrong, gear is great and I a super gear nerd but at the end of the day the song is most important and that’s how I’m approaching this column. From the perspective of the song, not the recording gear.
The first episode of “Good Vibrations” features a great friend of mine and an awesome Drummer/Producer Mike Avenaim. We filmed this while working together on a new artist that he’s producing named T’Lark. I hope you enjoy!
Charlie
Go to DrumMagazine.com to watch the episode and see complete session notes.
Watch “Good Vibrations” EP1 below!
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Episode 34 of FullOnDrums.com features a plethora of gear from a company that has been making great products for many years but isn’t quite a household name yet. That company is Aphex!
Largely known for the Aural Exciter, Big Bottom, and Compellor, Aphex also makes a host of fantastic sounding mic pres and channel strips.
Charlie is joined by the great Nick Adams (David Cook) on drums.
For more details about the episode visit the Aphex blog post.
Also be sure to check out and subscribe to the FullOnDrums YouTube Channel!
FullOnDrums.com brings some jazz to the studio in episode 33, Jazz w/Jason Harnell. Jason is a fantastic player and is joined by the amazing Joe Bagg on keyboards. Charlie shows you how to capture a very natural, yet full sound utilizing three microphones from Mojave Audio.
Besides his fantastic playing, Jason has a very, very unique story about how he got started playing drums. Check it out!
For more details about the episode visit the Jazz w/Jason Harnell blog post.
Also be sure to check out and subscribe to the FullOnDrums YouTube Channel!
Episode 32 of FullOnDrums features microphones from Heil Sound! If you’ve seen the show or have recorded at Ultimate Rhythm Studios then you know Charlie loves his PR30’s and PR40. In this episode Charlie & Scott show off not only the PR30 & 40, but the PR28, PR22, & PR48.
For more details about the episode visit the Heil Sound Blog Post.
Check out and subscribe to the FullOnDrums YouTube Channel!
On the eve of a new Korn album and world tour Ray Luzier entered Ultimate Rhythm Studios to film a new episode for FullOnDrums.com. It’s a powerhouse episode with Ray performing Love & Meth from Korn’s new album “The Paradigm Shift”.
“I’ve known Ray for a long time going back to my days as a student at Musicians Institute where he was my teacher. He’s a fantastic person and one of my favorite drummers. It was an honor and a pleasure getting to record him for this episode.” say engineer Charlie Waymire.
Check out the episode below and be sure to visit FullOnDrums.com for a full rundown of the session!
A few days before hitting the road with Emblem3 for their fall tour, drummer Mike Avenaim stopped by the studio for a quick interview. He talks about why he likes recording his drum tracks at Ultimate Rhythm Studios, how he prepares for sessions, how he developed his sound, and tips for drummers new to the studio. Mike has some good advice about working in the studio!
Mike has done several records with engineer Charlie Waymire at Ultimate Rhythm Studios including: Jordan Millar’s “Cold Lights On Curious Minds”, heart.beats.mind debut self-titled EP, and Reese Mastin’s “Beautiful Nightmare”, to name a few.
“Mike is a fantastic drummer and is very easy to work with. He comes in the studio very prepared and has all of his sounds pretty much dialed in. All I have to do is capture his sound without missing anything. It makes for some fun sessions!” says Charlie.
Visit www.MikeAvenaim.com for more information about Mike including tour dates.
Be sure to visit the Ultimate Rhythm Studios YouTube channel and subscribe!
From The Control Room w/Mike Avenaim