Umphrey's McGee, More Drums, and Everything
Wow.
Ever since I bit the bullet and sprung for XM radio, I've been a devoted listener (the only listener?) to their Music Lab station - channel 51. It plays a mix of progressive rock, jam bands, and other oddities that defy categorization. In the short time that I've been a listener, it's played "2112," "The Gates of Delirium," "Supper's Ready," and numerous other lengthy songs in their entirety. It's not a station for those with short attention spans.
Anyhoo, I mention this because they frequently play material from the band Umphrey's McGee.
Who?
Umphrey's McGee. They're generally lumped together with the "jam band" circuit, but I feel that they're a cut above the competition. These guys are terrific musicians, good songwriters, good arrangers, and good soloists. I just picked up their "Anchor Drops" CD, and it's one of the most enjoyable listens that I've had in a while. Do yourself a favor and check them out at http://www.umphreys.com .
OK, let's switch gears and talk drum recording.
As I mentioned in my blog entry from a few days ago, I've had a hard time getting a good drum sound lately. I did some work today and managed to make some significant improvements. The most effective thing that I did was add an overhead mic (a Studio Projects B1) about six feet directly over the center of the kit. This mic serves to fill a sonic hole in the middle of the overheads (two Joe Meek JM27s) that I never realized was there before. The resulting sound is almost good enough to use by itself, without any other mics. Unfortunately, this also reveals the sonic limitations of my kit. I'd love to try this setup with a real kit to see if the results will be any more gratifying.
That's all for now. I'm heading back down to the studio for the evening. Don't wait up for me.
- Jerfo
Ever since I bit the bullet and sprung for XM radio, I've been a devoted listener (the only listener?) to their Music Lab station - channel 51. It plays a mix of progressive rock, jam bands, and other oddities that defy categorization. In the short time that I've been a listener, it's played "2112," "The Gates of Delirium," "Supper's Ready," and numerous other lengthy songs in their entirety. It's not a station for those with short attention spans.
Anyhoo, I mention this because they frequently play material from the band Umphrey's McGee.
Who?
Umphrey's McGee. They're generally lumped together with the "jam band" circuit, but I feel that they're a cut above the competition. These guys are terrific musicians, good songwriters, good arrangers, and good soloists. I just picked up their "Anchor Drops" CD, and it's one of the most enjoyable listens that I've had in a while. Do yourself a favor and check them out at http://www.umphreys.com .
OK, let's switch gears and talk drum recording.
As I mentioned in my blog entry from a few days ago, I've had a hard time getting a good drum sound lately. I did some work today and managed to make some significant improvements. The most effective thing that I did was add an overhead mic (a Studio Projects B1) about six feet directly over the center of the kit. This mic serves to fill a sonic hole in the middle of the overheads (two Joe Meek JM27s) that I never realized was there before. The resulting sound is almost good enough to use by itself, without any other mics. Unfortunately, this also reveals the sonic limitations of my kit. I'd love to try this setup with a real kit to see if the results will be any more gratifying.
That's all for now. I'm heading back down to the studio for the evening. Don't wait up for me.
- Jerfo
posted by Jerfo at 9:37 PM
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