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or a 'break'. or a 'solo'.

I have a story that I think demonstrates my opinion:

I was listening to Shellac At Action Park a few days ago with headphones on. It got to "Crow," when I realized that it sounded rather peculiar. As it turns out, the reason for this was that the high tom/hi-hat sounds were coming from my right phone, and vice-versa.

This caused me to realize I had my headphones on backward.

So that's my stance: if it's not from the drummer's perspective, it just sounds strange and unfitting. Although I will say that I like the sound better when a snare is centered--I don't know if that's "standard protocol" or not, but when it's panned slightly left, I can't say I really dig it.

I like the sound of quite a few records with the audience perspective but when it comes to my own stuff it usually sounds the wrong way round so by default it's pretty much always drummer's perspective.

Looking at the way the poll was conducted kind of indicates a preconception. I know there were really on two main ways to record drums presented, but you did mention from the drummers prespective first.


Trying asking the question again to yourself out loud. To me it seems strange present from the audiences prespective first. Presenting the drummer's perspective first seems just to flow out easier, more natural.

Anyway I am a drummer, but on almost all albums I have listened to it seems to be recorded from the drummers perspective. Something seems strange about having the higher rack toms in the right speaker.

The third option I have heard on lots of older albums, where the drums may be on one side, mono, or perhaps kick on on side snare on the other. Some Beatles albums have these third set ups. It may have had more to do with available tape space and not neccessarily desired techniques.

Beatles "Taxman" perspective: All of the drums on the left side, with the tambourine on the right side.



Naw, drummer's prospettiva

My wife and I are both drummers and we both agree to record/mix from the audience perspective.

That's my standard unless the band/musician/"producer" says otherwise.

The third option I have heard on lots of older albums, where the drums may be on one side, mono, or perhaps kick on on side snare on the other. Some Beatles albums have these third set ups. It may have had more to do with available tape space and not neccessarily desired techniques.

the earlier beetles had a pan switch, not knob. hard right, hard left, center. if they had a knob mabey the mix would be different.

drummers perspective

bring out the cross... I'll bear it.
"I LOVE MONO DRUMS"
FAT AND IN THE MIDDLE!!!

the japmn

bdp wrote:Weird.

I'm a drummer (right-handed playing crossed-over so that I hear my hi-hat on my left) yet I love hearing and recording the drums from the audiences point of view.

Like, always.... (unless I get particularly vehement request otherwise)

bdp

Or... yeah, MONO!! I love mono drums; great phase coherence, no drum fills starting somewhere on the west coast and ending somewhere in the east....

bdp

Drummers Perspective (usually)
But a note on the audience perspective and perceived stereo width...
I stuck up drywall across the width of my basement to make isolation booths and, of course, it did almost nothing to attenuate the sound of someone playing on the other side. However, one thing I noticed that struck me as incredibily odd was that I could still "see" the stereo image of the drums through the wall... (the ride was on the left, and the hats were on the right... etc...) it was spooky. I had assumed that by going through the wall the stereo image would be nullified completely. But no.