"Recording Heavy Drums" tutorial by Glenn Fricker

dtrushr30dw

Senior Member
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK0YJX2n9lM

Hey guys! I saw this and thought I'd ask your opinions. What are your thoughts on this guy? (Glenn Fricker)
I think he has a bit of an ego (which may be for entertainment purposes), but I don't find his advice to be *that* great. His drum production is mediocre at best, in my opinion, yet so many people are praising him. Am I crazy or do his drums sound kinda harsh and unpleasing to the ear? And what do you think of his advice for setting up a kit? He seems to disregard comfort-ability of the kit in order to achieve more isolation for the mics. While some techniques make sense, it's hard for drummers to completely re-arrange the kit for recording. I'm not so sure about this guy, yet people seem to like what he does.
I'm really curious to hear what you all think - especially those who record drums.

-Jackson
 
What an idiot. Would not want him on my projects.
 
OMG I just want to stick needles in my eyes.
 
Well, at least he is enthusiastic.

.
 
Flash Player froze the first time I tried to watch. No, seriously.

I scanned through the video but basically he's saying to alter the complete setup of a drum kit to record it better? Yeah, that will make the drummer play very well.

But if it works for him, go right ahead.
 
TL:DW

Basically, the drum sounds and isolation are more important than the drum performance.

Again, what a moron. And did he actually say that all drummers should be able to do rim-shot snare blast beats? What?
 
Without knowing better, I would have thought the video was satirical humor aimed at metalheads.
 
I think he's grossly overstepping his bounds and losing sight of the bigger picture.

First trick to getting a lousy drum performance (and lousy band recording as a result) is making sure the drummer isn't comfortable at his kit.

Second trick is making sure the drummer hates your guts by pontificating about how drums are to be played or not played. I'm sure if Vinnie's crew arrived to set up his kit, that guy would go bananas ... until VC showed up, that is. That would be hilarious. Post that video, bro!

A drum dial for snare tuning cos drummers don't know how to tune? Okay fine, a lot of drummers don't have that figured out, but a drum dial is not the answer and will never replace a good ear. Details, right? lol

I don't like his enthusiasm (blowhard) or approach (ignorant) so he'd never get any business from me, that's for damn sure.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'll give him a minus 3.
 
I think he's grossly overstepping his bounds and losing sight of the bigger picture.

First trick to getting a lousy drum performance (and lousy band recording as a result) is making sure the drummer isn't comfortable at his kit.

Second trick is making sure the drummer hates your guts by pontificating about how drums are to be played or not played. I'm sure if Vinnie's crew arrived to set up his kit, that guy would go bananas ... until VC showed up, that is. That would be hilarious. Post that video, bro!

A drum dial for snare tuning cos drummers don't know how to tune? Okay fine, a lot of drummers don't have that figured out, but a drum dial is not the answer and will never replace a good ear. Details, right? lol

I don't like his enthusiasm (blowhard) or approach (ignorant) so he'd never get any business from me, that's for damn sure.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'll give him a minus 3.

You hit the nail on the head. And to me, I think this shows us his weakness as an engineer. If he can't handle recording a moderate sized kit, set up comfortably for the drummer, then why is he doing audio? I think his whole series on "how to record heavy drums" is just to overcompensate his lack of ability in that field. If you ask me, his drum mixes sound like butt. I've asked him some genuine questions on his videos, but he never replies.. hehe
 
It's supposed to be a joke, right?
 
I think you guys might be missing the humor and take-with-a-pound-of-salt aspect to all of his videos.

That said, it's not abnormal at all for engineers to ask you to move your cymbals or other parts of your kit around to combat leakage or attain a sound you/they are going for. Especially people who play EVERYTHING far below eye level. In fact, I'd worry more about a guy who simply throws mics up and doesn't get finicky about anything going on with the kit.

Remember they are performing in a sense too, and there is a balance between your regular routines and the demands of a studios clinical environment you should be open to achieving.

As someone who has sat on both sides of the glass, I understand some of the stuff he's ranting about.
 
I think you guys might be missing the humor and take-with-a-pound-of-salt aspect to all of his videos.

That said, it's not abnormal at all for engineers to ask you to move your cymbals or other parts of your kit around to combat leakage or attain a sound you/they are going for. Especially people who play EVERYTHING far below eye level. In fact, I'd worry more about a guy who simply throws mics up and doesn't get finicky about anything going on with the kit.

Remember they are performing in a sense too, and there is a balance between your regular routines and the demands of a studios clinical environment you should be open to achieving.

As someone who has sat on both sides of the glass, I understand some of the stuff he's ranting about.

I understand *some* of what he's saying. However, a lot of it is just plain wrong. Rim shot blast beats? You gotta be kidding me. I guess that's the "joking" part lol.
 
I understand *some* of what he's saying. However, a lot of it is just plain wrong. Rim shot blast beats? You gotta be kidding me. I guess that's the "joking" part lol.

I'm pretty certain rim shot blasts are accompanied by an implied smirk.

He's correct about the tom angle deal too. Since you're usually aiming the cardioid pattern to a spot off center at the top of the drum, the more you tilt the toms the more it's moving towards the bass drum. Can you (and should you be able to) get great sounds in spite of that? Absolutely. But recording for metal often requires more isolation than other styles of music in the chase for distinct sounds and headroom.

My thought is that drummers should typically be less offended by him suggesting a different setup rather than letting the mickey ears happen and then throwing on extreme gates and unnecessary EQ, degrading the signal on the backend because your foot is crawling into the mics.
 
I'm pretty certain rim shot blasts are accompanied by an implied smirk.

Indeed. Shock, cringe, and pseudo-sarcastic humor don't come naturally to a lot of us. This guy is just doing a shock-blowhard routine like Rush Limbaugh. Boomy voice, tell people they're idiots, employ fallacies to promote controversy.
 
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