You know those mics that people stick up when they’re recording a drum kit, piano, guitar part or kazoo and they’re a little further back in the room?
Of course you do. They’re called room mics and, as an intelligent, creative mixer, you’ll know exactly how to use them as part of your mix.
Do you know who didn’t know how to use room mics effectively back in the day? This guy!
I was listening back to an old mix I worked on many years ago and my drums sound lifeless and sterile. Ok, there’s quite a bit of punch in the kick and snare but, like I said, there’s no life in the sound; there’s nowhere near enough of my room microphones in the mix. Instead of using the recorded close mics on the drum kit, I could have easily used good quality samples and it would have made no difference.
Luckily, I learned the error of my ways after a couple of mixes and figured out just how powerful room mics can be.
A more natural sound
So, I mentioned in the case above that I could have used samples and achieved the same effect as using the close mics from that session. But if I was after a bigger, more natural drum sound (which I was), then it would have made a lot more sense to pull up the level of the room mics. Whether you’re using a stereo pair, a close mic, a distant mic or a combination of some sort, room microphones will very often give you the natural reverb sound you’re looking for. They help to provide that extra little bit of color and tonality that shapes a bigger, more rounded overall sound on drums, guitars, pianos, vocals, you name it…
Now, if the sound of your room sucks or you’re recording in a small space, I understand that you might not want to use room mics but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still add that extra little bit of color to your mix.
What’s the first plugin you’d reach for in this situation? If you said, “A room reverb, you idiot!”, then you’re right but there was no need for the idiot comment… that’s just mean. Your favourite reverb plugin can go a long way towards giving you that little bit extra you’re missing by not having any room microphones in the mix. Room and hall settings are, of course, going to be the most natural to choose from here but you can also use a convolution reverb to simulate the ambiance of some of the best sounding rooms in the world.
There’s a lot of choice here and it’s not only limited to live drums. I know that you might be working with programmed drums and a VST like ‘Studio Drummer‘ or ‘EZ Drummer’. Some of those plugins come with room mics as part of the kit, but you can also add a reverb send if you like and take the same approach as above.
You can also take that same approach if you’re working on purely programmed electronic drums or sampled audio. If you want a more natural, ambient sound, it’s always available to you.
Remember – the addition of artificial reverb is used to create an imaginary room. If you’re trying to make something sound more natural or “real world” sounding, then use something a little more real like a room or a hall. Plates, springs and chambers aren’t as natural sounding but that’s not to say they can’t be used.
Reverb is entirely subjective
At the end of the day, what effect you choose is all down to your taste. But if you want a more natural sounding effect, then both room mics, hall and room effects are your friends.
So, the next time you’re unsure of how to get a room mic into the mix, don’t be like the rookie version of Stephen. Blend it in with the rest of the mix and see if it adds the extra color you’re looking for. If it doesn’t work or the sound of the room sucks and you want to try something else, you know you have a fallback and can use a reverb plugin to simulate that imaginary sense of space with a natural sound.
Now, I’d love to know…
Do you use room mics the same way?
Leave a comment below!
professional sounding mix every time...
Given that I don’t have recording equipment I can only work with what I’m given. Still, if there are room mics then I listen and then choose which ones to work with.
What about simulating your own “room mics” with reverb?
As someone that comes from the Metal community it’s actually prety common to use both Room mics and Reverb, because we tend to like big and powerful sounds the most.
Off course, this doesn’t go well in every genre but I guess a little bit of this could become “my taste” in my mixes in general.
Listen to Aerosmith, Train Kept a Rollin’ and read about how it was recorded! I learned from the pioneers of innovation. Don’t ever stop sharing with others, nor being inventive! 64 years old and still trying to be on the forefront of “how the f… did he do that?”
Liked the “How the f… did he do that?” I ask miself that a lot… (at my 47 years old)
Cheers!
Don’t worry, Paulo. Sometimes I ask myself that when I see someone tying their shoelaces.
😀 You`re funny…
Listening to it right now, Brian! Great comment and thanks so much for sharing 🙂
This technique was used on David Bowie’s vocal on Heroes. Apart from the main vocal mic there were 2 other mics positioned one about 15 feet away & one at the other end of the room.They both had gates on them so would only open up when he sang louder later in the song so the reverb on his voice from those 2 mics is the room itself & not any artificial reverb.
Tremendously interesting… Thanks for sharing this information.
Yes! Thanks for sharing, Kevin. That example is by far my favourite example of the inventive use of room mics. Tony Visconti and David Bowie (RIP) – two legends!
I use room mics for color and flavor……if I have a room worth recording. When the room sucks, I get back in the box and use plugins……either way works.
I prefer a good room to record in (from a players perspective), but given that is not always available, I’ll create my ‘room’ with headphones and plugins to create an ambience that helps me get into the groove.
Most of the time a great performance and proper mic usage solves your normal mixing issues.
Cheers