Recording Drums with Phantom Ink

October 22, 2018
Blog

A favourite part of my job is RECORDING drums,. So, when my long time cohort George George asked me about recording drums with Phantom Ink the answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’

D.I.Y

Unlike other recording sessions at studios with the likes of – Caddy Cooper, Kavus Torabi and Mediaeval Baebes et al., this was a do-it-yourself (D.I.Y) recording with Phantom Ink. We’re both not recording / sound engineers by trade but armed with; a set of mic’s, an interface and a computer, we gave it a go.

The recording software (DAW) Logic Pro X is a great platform to work from which makes the process a lot easier.

Recording Location with Phantom Ink

The recording location with Phantom Ink was a rehearsal room in the Mill Hill music complex in London. With the free computer software (in particular – plug ins) included with Logic Pro X you can record the drums almost anywhere and get a great drum sound. Utilising the room’s low ceiling and soundproofing helped us control the overall drum sound – useful when recording drums.

Recording Drums with Phantom Ink - Ben Woollacott Drummer
Recording Drums with Phantom Ink – Ben Woollacott Drummer

Drums / Equipment

For this style of music requires a certain drum sound, therefore my choice of drums / equipment is listed below below:

  • Ludwig vintage drums (circa 1962) 22″ Kick, 13″ Tom, 16″ Floor Tom, 14″ Supraphonic 400 Snare,
  • Zildjian cymbals – 15″ K hats, 18″ K dark crash and a 20″ A ping ride (brilliant finish),
  • Coated Remo Vintage ambassador heads,
  • 2x Sennheiser E604 mics on the Toms,
  • 2x Shure SM57s on the Snare,
  • 1x Shure Beta 52 outer kick mic
  • 1x Audix D6 inner kick mic
  • 2x Blue Microphones Spark Condenser Microphone, Cardioid as overheads.
  • Focusrite 8preX interface
  • Logic Pro X (DAW)

The End Result of Recording Drums with Phantom Ink

The end result was two tracks of recorded drums – an original and a cover song. George was left with the task of editing and mixing the drums. Not forgetting, finishing off the tracks with overdubs etc.

It seemed like the day flew by due to sheer enjoyment of the session. Most noteworthy was the time it took us setting up, less than 3 hours! So remember, you can get your drum recordings done almost anywhere and sometimes with limited microphones. Check out my 2 mic drum recording here

What do you like about recording drums? Share your recording experience(s) in the comments section below.

Ben Woollacott Administrator