drumming secrets

Here’s is a 2^nd and last part of the interview with sound engineer / producer Fulvio Zafret, who works in the “Urban Recording Studio” at Trieste. Let’s go into more technical details: things we have to pay attention to as a drummer in a professional studio…..

7. a professional studio like yours, the chain of quality is very important. In other words: great acoustics, good sounding instrument, fantastic mikes, pre-amps and compressors, monitors, control room ambience, a fine pair of ears and of course knowledge and experience with recording editing! In your situation: in what way does the quality of a drummer put any influence on your job?

I think it’s the most important thing: I always say that I can easily spoil a great performance, but can’t make a good sound out of a crappy performance!

This is true for all instruments. I often happen to record, let’s say a piano, and be extremely satisfied with the sound. The next day, with the same setup, I find myself rushing around to see if the piano’s broken or something is wrong with the gear because the sound is just awful. Most of the times the only thing that has changed is the musician!!!  Especially with drums, the musician is by far the most important element in order to obtain an ass-kicking sound.

The drummer makes the instrument sound good or bad. I as a sound engineer can only capture what he is giving me.

1. 8. Are there any brands of drums you LOVE to work with? If so can you tell us some characteristics of the various brands?

In our studio we have a wide range of drums. Gabriele’s Gretch (Gabriele Centis is the director of Trieste’s Music School 55, where the studio is situated), which is just awesome for Jazz, and not only. My old Ludwig, which I borrowed to the drummer of a Big Band I’m currently working with, that has an impressive vintage sound. A very versatile Yamaha 11K that has classic and precise Yamaha sound, suitable for all music styles. We also have a Drum Sound, an Italian brand of great quality with a very precise sound and in my opinion extremely fit for jazz-rock and progressive. We also have a series of snares: 1 Gretch, 3 Ludwig, 2 DW, 1 Slingerland, 1 custom build and many Yamahas. Generally speaking I don’t think that the brand of the instrument is very important. I’ve worked with almost all existing brands of drums, and sometimes even if the instrument was of excellent quality the result wasn’t satisfying at all, whereas other times with mediocre instruments I obtained excellent sonorities.

As I said before, “the musician makes the sound”

1. 9. Have you got a funny anecdote to tell us? One that you can put in the book of funny bloopers?

My first drum set was a Super Alberti, a pretty good Italian brand, and the drum-stool was standing on the three legs fixed with small screws. Very often, during gigs, they would unscrew and I had to tighten them constantly.

I remember a particular gig in which we were playing our heads off! The audience was very involved, they were clapping their hands and shouting out loud… The venue was a ball hall but to us it seemed like Carnegie Hall!

Well, we were playing Chicago’s “Make Me Smile” and at a certain point I had to go for a long drum-fill. While doing it I moved back, thus lifting the front leg.

The screw was too loose, and the front-leg simply fell off. When I got back into position after the fill, of course, I dramatically fell face-down on the tom dragging along with me the whole drum set and the bassist who was on my left!!! I’m leaving the conclusion to you, but I surely made an ass of myself! But I was young and strong, and recovered quickly!

 

1. 10. Can you give advice to young drummers who want to make a professional career as a drummer?

Apart from the obvious: practice, practice, practice and practice…

If possible, an harmonic instrument too. Drummers Jack DeJohnette and Joe Chambers played well enough to record on piano!

Three fundamental points:

1) The drums is a comping(*) instrument. It rarely is a solo instrument, so comp! This doesn’t mean that it’s a second class instrument, on the contrary, it’s fundamental for a great sounding track! 2) Play with the others, listen to those playing with you. The most exciting thing is to play WITH the others, and not for oneself. 3) Don’t focus too much on the technical aspect. Keep in mind the final result of the piece you’re playing. Very often a simple pattern is far more effective than an emotionless highly technical virtuosity. Does James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” or  Charlie Watts pattern in “Start me Up” ring a bell?

 

 

Thanks Fulvio, for sharing so much interesting information with you. I’ve just been working on my tracks that we’ve recorded at your place and I must say... I hear “killer” sound from EVERY mike and that’s a rare situation. For all you drummers out there; if you need a honest and fat sound: go and record your drums at the Urban Recording Studio in Trieste (Italy). It is worth the trip it, trust me!!

(*) comping (an abbreviation of accompanying) is a term used in jazz music to describe the chords, rhythms, and countermelodies that keyboard players (piano or organ) or guitar players use to support a jazz musician's improvised solo or melody lines.