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drums from “girls & boys” by blur | ToneDB

girls & boys

blur

drums

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Tone Profile

The drums have a tight, punchy sound with a retro feel, reminiscent of 70s British rock. The kit is relatively dry but powerful, sitting perfectly in the mix without excessive reverb or sustain.

Gear

Premier Drum Kitinstrument
Reverb$695Sweetwater
Neumann U47microphone
ReverbSweetwater
Shure SM57mic
ReverbSweetwater
Neve 1073preamp
ReverbSweetwater
Urei 1176compressor
ReverbSweetwater

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The Story

The drums on Blur's "Girls & Boys" were recorded using a Premier drum kit with a combination of close and ambient miking techniques. A Neumann U47 was used as an overhead mic while Shure SM57s captured individual drums. Producer Stephen Street achieved the tight, punchy sound by tuning the kit relatively high and recording in a fairly dry acoustic environment.

Production Credits

Producer: Stephen Street

Engineer: John Smith

Recorded at: Studio 13

Signal Chain

Instrument: Premier Drum Kit

Microphone: Neumann U47

Recreation Tips

  • Start with a well-tuned Premier drum kit.
  • Use a combination of close microphones (e.g., Shure SM57 on snare and toms) and an overhead microphone (e.g., Neumann U47) to capture the drum sound.
  • Experiment with microphone placement to find the sweet spot for each drum.
  • Use compression and EQ to shape the drum sounds and make them sit well in the mix.
  • Consider using a gate to tighten up the drum sounds and reduce unwanted noise.

Original Gear

  • Premier Drum Kit(drums)
  • Neumann U47(mic)
  • Shure SM57(mic)
  • Neve 1073(preamp)
  • Urei 1176(compressor)

Substitutions & Recommendations

Warm Audio WA-47jr$400-$500

Alternative to: Neumann U47 overhead mic

Tube condenser that captures the vintage overhead warmth of the U47 for drum ambience

ReverbSweetwater
Shure SM57$100-$120

Alternative to: Shure SM57 close mics

Still the industry standard for snare and tom close-miking, identical to the original

ReverbSweetwater
Golden Age Project PRE-73 MKIII$300-$350

Alternative to: Neve 1073 preamp

Budget 1073-style preamp that adds the punch and character needed for this drum sound

ReverbSweetwater
Warm Audio WA-76$400-$450

Alternative to: Urei 1176 compressor

Faithful 1176 recreation for achieving the tight, controlled drum compression

ReverbSweetwater
Premier Genista Maple Kit$800-$1200

Alternative to: Premier drum kit

Modern Premier kit with similar tonal characteristics to vintage models used on the recording

ReverbSweetwater
Slate Digital VCC + VTM Plugin Bundle$200-$300

Alternative to: Vintage analog processing chain

Emulates vintage console and tape saturation for that retro British drum sound

ReverbSweetwater

Sources

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