Learning how to record drums is one of the “digital skills” I teach my students (pre-service music teachers) at ArtEZ university of the Arts in Enschede (Netherlands).
One might ask why learning about drum recording is relevant in music teacher training. After all, the bachelor’s degree prepares future music teachers for primary and secondary schools, not future studio technicians.
Still, there are many reasons why including drum recording in music teacher training is valuable. One of these is that there is a great deal to learn about drum recording itself.
Learning about drum recording
You can learn, for example:
- about microphone types and their characteristics (some microphones only work when phantom power is enabled),
- about microphone placement,
- about phase cancellation and how to prevent it (or even benefit from it),
- about the importance of the quality of the sound source,
- about how the placement of the drums in the room affects the recording, and how recordings benefit from improved room acoustics,
- about multi-track recording and how this works in a DAW,
- about working with mic stands, cables, and how to prevent microphones from falling when placing them on stands,
- about connecting microphones via an audio interface to a computer,
- about labelling tracks in a DAW and creating groups to record multiple tracks with a single click,
- about which cable goes into which input on an audio interface,
- about setting the gain levels right,
- about planning a recording session and selecting the right equipment in advance (see this article on preparing for technology use in music lessons).
Learning from drum recording
Just as there is a lot to learn about recording drums, music teacher trainees can also learn a great deal from recording drums – even beyond the recording process itself. This is where it becomes even more interesting.
They can, for instance:
- learn how drums are recorded today and how they have been recorded in the past (from a music historical viewpoint),
- learn how different musical eras and styles have been shaped by distinctive drum sounds (e.g. muffled drum sounds in the seventies, high-pitched sounds in breakbeats),
- learn that they can record and use their own drum samples and loops,
- learn that drums can be recorded with multiple microphones, but that it is also possible to achieve good results with just one or two,
- learn that audio recording is a profession in its own right,
- learn about the real-life context of drum recording so that students can make meaningful connections with music,
- learn that drum recordings can train their aural skills by focusing on the often subtle differences in sound and timbre when changing microphone placement,
- learn by discussing the relevance of drum recording in the age of AI, but also in the era of drum machines and before,
- learn that there is, in fact, always more to learn about recording drums – and about using drum recording in music teaching.
What do you take from this post?
I believe that drum recording can be an interesting and valuable addition to a school’s music curriculum – both in music teacher training and in music education more broadly.
I’d be glad to hear what you think. Let me know in the comments.
And if you would like some support, please do get in touch with me.
It would be my honour to help you on your journey towards technology-enriched music teaching.
Leave a Reply