Recording Drums Part 5 - Phase Cancellation
In any recording where multiple microphones are used to capture a single sound source, the phase relationship between each microphone is critical. This post looks at this important factors in bringing a drum kit recording together.
Welcome back. Today we're going to look at one of the most important factors in bringing a drum kit recording together. In any recording where multiple microphones are used to capture a single sound source, the phase relationship between each microphone is critical. In particular we need to pay close attention to the relationship between the close mics and room mics.
What Is Phase Cancellation?
Without getting too technical, phase cancellation occurs when the signal from 2 microphones picking up the same sound source are out-of-sync with each other. In other words, while one wave is pushing, the other is pulling; if they're 180 degrees out-of-sync, they will cancel each other out at that particular frequency. The result is a very weak sounding signal when combined.
Phase problems regularly happen when recording drums, because typically you're using more than one microphone to pick up each part of the drum kit. For example, if you have a close mic on the snare and a pair of overhead mics, then the sound will reach the overheads later than it reaches your close mic. If the waveforms cancel each other out to any degree, then the recording will lack definition and punch – particularly in the bottom-end.
Avoiding & Minimising Phase Problems
The issue of phase cancellation can be minimised during the recording process by using proper mic technique and the 3-to-1 rule as a guide.
The 3-to-1 rule dictates that a second microphone should be at least three times further away from the first mic than the first mic is from its source. For example, if you place two mics on a single instrument and the distance from the source is around 1 foot, then the second mic should be 3 feet away from the first mic. This principle is not a hard-and-fast rule, but it does help as a guide and starting point for eliminating phase problems.
Try as we might, and even when following the 3-to-1 rule, some amount of phase cancellation is inevitable. Therefore, it's important to pay close attention to the relationships between each channel and mitigate accordingly. In the following videos, our guest engineer, Jay Stapley walks through the process of checking the phase between each channel on your kit and how to use phase inversion to achieve a bigger and bolder sounding result. Listen carefully for the difference in weight as Jay A/B's the phase relationships between multiple mics.
https://youtu.be/UqJign2udJM
In the second part of our phase videos, Jay goes into more detail - paying close attention to the relationship between top and bottom snare mics and how they interact with the overheads.
https://youtu.be/mW7cp8sJ2H8
We hope you continue to find this series useful in your pursuit of a great drum sound. Join us for part 6, the final part in our series looking at finalising the mix. Until then, if you missed the earlier parts of the series, you can start here at part 1, covering setting up and mic technique for drums.
