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drums from “in the air tonight” by phil collins | ToneDB

in the air tonight

phil collins

drums

95% ai confidence

Tone Profile

An iconic and massively impactful drum sound, characterized by its explosive, short, and powerful ambience achieved through heavy compression and gated reverb. The toms are deep and punchy, cutting through with a distinctive, abrupt decay.

Signal Chain

Instrument: Gretsch Concert Toms (no resonant heads)

Amp: SSL 4000E Channel Strip Preamp

Microphone: Sennheiser MD 421

Processing: SSL 4000E Channel EQ, SSL 4000E Channel Dynamics (subtle gate/compression if any, main effect comes from room)

Other: Close miked. Their distinct, punchy decay is heavily emphasized by the gated reverb. Single-headed nature is key to the quick decay and focused punch.

Recording Notes

  • Recorded at Townhouse Studios, London (Studio 2, the 'Stone Room'), known for its live acoustics.
  • The unique drum sound was famously discovered by accident by engineer Hugh Padgham while working with Peter Gabriel (Phil Collins drumming). The SSL 4000 console's talkback microphone, featuring a heavy built-in compressor (Listen Mic Compressor - LMC), was left open during a drum take.
  • Phil Collins played a Gretsch kit with concert toms (no resonant bottom heads) and a Ludwig Black Beauty snare drum.
  • The heavily compressed talkback mic signal captured the room sound of the drums.
  • This compressed signal was then typically sent to an AMS RMX16 digital reverb (often the 'Non-Lin 2' preset or a plate reverb setting).
  • The output of the reverb was then aggressively gated using a noise gate like the Drawmer DS201 or the SSL console's built-in channel gates, creating the characteristic short, explosive sound.
  • This effect was printed to tape and blended with the close-miked drum sounds.

Recreation Tips

  • Use single-headed toms if possible, or heavily dampen resonant heads for a focused, punchy sound with quick natural decay.
  • Record drums in a live, reflective room, or use a good quality room reverb plugin.
  • Set up a dedicated room microphone. Alternatively, heavily process your overheads or a summed drum bus.
  • Compress this room/bus signal extremely heavily. An SSL LMC emulation is ideal (e.g., Waves SSL 4000, SSL Native LMC+). Aim for very fast attack, high ratio, and audible pumping.
  • Send this heavily compressed signal (aux send, post-fader) to a reverb unit. A digital reverb with non-linear algorithms (like the AMS RMX16's 'Non-Lin 2') or a bright plate reverb works well. Set a fairly long decay time on the reverb itself.
  • Insert a noise gate *after* the reverb unit in the signal chain. Set a high threshold so only the loudest parts of the reverberated signal pass through.
  • Use a fast attack and fast release on the gate to abruptly cut off the reverb tail. Experiment with the gate's 'hold' parameter (if available) to control the length of the gated sound burst (typically short, around 100-300ms).
  • Blend this gated reverb aux track back in with your dry/close-miked drum tracks. The toms are the most prominent recipients of this effect in the song, but snare also benefits.
  • The original SSL talkback mic was not a high-fidelity microphone; using a dynamic mic like an SM58 or even a 'character' mic for the room can contribute to the sound.

Sources