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drum from “brianstorm” by arctic monkeys | ToneDB

brianstorm

arctic monkeys

drum

90% ai confidence

Tone Profile

An explosive, driving, and punchy drum sound, defined by Matt Helders' aggressive performance, a cracking snare, deep kick, and the heavily compressed, energetic ambience of a large live room.

Signal Chain

Instrument: Kick Drum (Ludwig Vistalite, likely 22" or 24")

Amp: N/A

Microphone: AKG D112 (inside), Yamaha NS10 woofer/Subkick (outside)

Processing: EQ (boost lows 60-80Hz, attack 3-5kHz; cut boxiness 300-500Hz), Compression (e.g., dbx 160 or Distressor, medium attack, fast release for punch)

Other: Played powerfully. Minimal dampening to retain resonance, contributing to the room sound. Preamp: Neve 1073 or API.

Recording Notes

  • Recorded by Mike Crossey and James Ford at The Pool, Miloco Studios, London.
  • The Pool's large, stone-walled live room was a critical element in achieving the spacious and energetic drum sound.
  • Matt Helders played a Ludwig Vistalite drum kit, known for its punchy and resonant qualities.
  • The production emphasized capturing a powerful, live, and energetic band performance.
  • Extensive use of room microphones, subjected to heavy compression, was key to creating the signature explosive and ambient sound.
  • Drums were likely tracked through Miloco's Neve VR console or high-quality outboard preamps like Neve 1073s or APIs.
  • The final drum sound is a careful balance of punchy close mics and heavily processed, wide room mics.

Recreation Tips

  • Use a punchy, well-tuned drum kit; acrylic (like Ludwig Vistalite) or maple kits are excellent choices.
  • Tune the snare for a sharp crack (medium to high tuning) and the kick for a deep thud with clear attack.
  • Employ the specified microphone types or their closest equivalents for similar capture characteristics.
  • Record in the liveliest acoustic space available. If not possible, use high-quality room reverb plugins (e.g., convolution reverb with a large hall or stone room impulse).
  • Experiment with aggressive compression on room mics: try settings like the 1176 'all buttons in' mode or a Distressor on 'Nuke'.
  • Blend the room mic signals significantly into the overall drum mix; they are not just subtle ambience here.
  • Apply parallel compression to the snare drum, and consider it for the entire drum bus to add weight, sustain, and excitement without losing transients.
  • Don't shy away from driving preamps slightly or using saturation plugins to add a touch of harmonic richness and grit.
  • Focus on achieving tight, impactful transients, especially for the kick and snare, through careful mic placement, tuning, and processing.
  • Continuously A/B reference your drum sound against the original "Brianstorm" track to match dynamics, tonal balance, and overall energy.

Sources