Interesting overhead mic technique?

[doorunrun]

In doing some research on Harry Nilsson I came across this publicity photo of him in the studio under what looks like a beach umbrella:

While it doesn't appear he's holding a mic, I recall seeing this in a '70's guitar ad featuring the band Grass Roots with the umbrella positioned over the drum kit.

Just wondering how popular this technique was back in the day? Is it used anymore?

Thanks!

 

[kags]

Search for “drumbella.” Check out Sam Pura at Panda Studios and producer Eric Valentine- both drumbella users.

Very effective way to change the tone of a drum set in a room.

Studio D at Village Recorders in LA, which was designed for Fleetwood Mac, has a drum area with a louvered ceiling, different from the drumbella, but also effective at modifying the drum tone and ambience.

 

[doorunrun]

Here's the ad with the 'drumbrella' in action:


I had the wrong band. This EKO ad is in October '68 issue of Guitar Player.
I'm guessing it's the same one Harry is holding and maybe the same studio complex, RCA New York?

Can't find any further info on that band, Ralph Bryan is mentioned in the ad in the background with 12-string hollowbody.

 

[doorunrun]

And speaking of RCA NY recording studios, there's a good write-up of them in "RCA Engineer" from the Dec '70-Jan '71 issue.
https://www.worldradiohistory.com/ARCHIVE-RCA/RCA-Engineer/1970-12-1971-01.pdf

 

[kags]

That one doesn’t look like anything special, so probably has some effect, but not as much as the drumbrellas that are made with fiberglass or rockwool panels. They often hang from pulleys or motors so they can be raised and lowered for more tonal options.

Maybe the picture just wanted to look like a day at the beach ;-)

 

[Tubetec]

Creating a duvet tent around the front of the bass drum is also a useful studio technique ,
It tends to reduce off axis spill into the bass drum mic and also reduces reflections from the top kit bouncing off the floor . Acoustic screens are also a great help in problematic rooms , helping to prevent standing waves and flutter echos occuring between parralel surfaces .


Speaking of the Mac ,
https://www.nme.com/news/music/fleetwood-mac-89-1268049
There is footage somewhere of the boys live onstage with the contraption opperating , was way before the ladies joined the band , I doubt Stevie Nicks would have appreciated getting punched in the back of the head by a six foot dildo all night long .

 

[Neperdun]

is it joke or serious?

 

[SamFellButHesOK]

Interesting, wonder what the material is, if unique at all? Would a microphone be directly under/attached to that umbrella to capture that possible tonal change? Pointed at drums or umbrella? I can at least believe there has to be something happening, as being under an umbrella, the sound of rain physically hitting it versus being not underneath it; same conditions, is different, including how the surroundings are perceived.

 

[doorunrun]

Interesting, wonder what the material is, if unique at all? Would a microphone be directly under/attached to that umbrella to capture that possible tonal change? Pointed at drums or umbrella? I can at least believe there has to be something happening, as being under an umbrella, the sound of rain physically hitting it versus being not underneath it; same conditions, is different, including how the surroundings are perceived.

I assumed there was a mic attached, but looking at it closer I'm guessing the umbrella is meant to act as a baffle to be used in a large studio with a high ceiling, maybe.

 

[MagnetoSound]

I assumed there was a mic attached, but looking at it closer I'm guessing the umbrella is meant to act as a baffle to be used in a large studio with a high ceiling, maybe.

That’s what I thought. It’s there just to keep the overhead sound local and block reverberation from above the kit.

That’s a good enough reason to use it, if say the room sound is polluted with other instruments.

In which case the parabolic curve is not to focus the sound, but really just to act as an effective screen from all angles of interference.

In which case, the inner surface would need to be as absorptive as possible to minimise phase-cancelling early reflections.

I’m probably wrong about all of it though

 

[jeremynothman]

In a lot of rooms with high ceilings there are either absorptive or reflective surfaces installed for on top of the drums to create a more direct sound.

I used to work in a studio in Sydney where we had a 7m high ceiling. We had a drum riser, and above the riser was a heavy piece of MDF or plywood with a large polyfuser facing towards the drums. It could be winched up and down for it to be closer to the drums, but in practise it was left about 2.5m above the riser. Truth was, when we wanted things really dead, we used a dead booth for that (which had fluffy rugs and polyester absorption on every surface).

At Sol de Sants in Barcelona, they use a really thick ply fake grass as the ceiling for their little drum booth positioned in their live room!

Also in bigger/usually outdoor shows, sometimes plexi-glass screens are used - both to keep the drums out of the other mics, and create a bit more of a reflective surface when there is an obvious lack of ceiling reflection.

 

[kags]

This is the drum relay at Panda studios, where Sam Pura works. It’s moveable up and down and really changes the tone of the drums in a useful way. This is made of acoustic materials, rather than a nylon rain umbrella.