Hi,

I just did a recording where i used some technique i saw on a steve albini video (its a series of 7 or 8 videos by mix with the masters, this one :

so i used 3 stereo couples to record the drums (and close mics). First i used overheads relatively low behind the drummer's head. Then the stereo pair : i didn't put the stereo pair in front of the kit because the other recording engineer really really wanted some traditional overheads right above the kit quite high in the air. So we did that. And then a pair of stereo mics.

The thing is, i am now preparing my tracks for mixing and realize each stero pair has a different stereo image of the kit. One puts the hihat way on the side while the other pair puts it practically in the middle. Same for the snare and cymbals.

Is there a standard technique or tricks to "align" the stereo couples or at least reduce the discrepancy between those different stereo couples recorded ? At the moment i am fiddling with the panning and the volume of each track, and it kinda works... but i want to know if i am missing out on some mixing technique here.

I've never mixed anything tracked in that way but I have some relevant experience.

One thing is not everything recorded with a stereo technique has to be panned 100% to the sides. ORTF works wider or narrower, as does xy. That's a benefit of using phase coherent, mono compatible techniques.

Secondly, while I'm panning close mics in relation to these stereo images there's pretty much a guarantee that the floor Tom for example is wider or tighter than the stereo pair. This doesn't need to be thought of as destructive, so much as interactive. The differently panned mic is pushing or pulling the stereo image. It changes it a little, but nothing is fucked.

I imagine the interaction between several stereo elements would be similar to how a panned pair of mono tom mics interacts with a stereo overhead.

My question is.. which pair representation do you like best? It's pretty easy to narrow the overhead panning to be more like the front of kit stereo pair if that's what works for you. The opposite can't really be done, but you can lower the stereo pair volume to where those differences in width don't matter much (fwiw I've definitely heard a Steve recording where the hi hat seemed to 'shoot across' the mix a bit, something you'd maybe only notice on headphones and not a big deal). And of course the room pair can become more of an effect depending on how much you delay them. (17-20ms is a good starting point, and increase depending on how Levee Breaks you want it to get)

Thanks!

Yeah the hihat is what made me ask this question. With the three stereo pairs it sounded all over the place and that was a bit disturbing, as i had to nearly pan one of the pair all the way to the center to make it fit a bit better. but that's a shame for a stereo pair...

However, i did some phase aligning on the drums this afternoon, and found out that it stabilizes a LOT the general stereo image of the kit. Now i can adjust more subtlely the pannings and it sounds good and tight, and i'm now at the spot you say losthighway : more of a creative choice/mixing effect than a problem to solve now.

so that was a phase problem mainly ^^ didn't realize it could do this much to the stereo field.