One of the reasons that particular echo was favored at the time was that it recorded to a magnetic metal drum instead of the more fragile media of magnetic tape. The mikes were put through limiters as well as an Italian made Binson echo device. In this instance, the tight pattern helped reject some of the room’s massive ambience, capturing more of the direct drum sound. Unlike most ribbon microphones, which have figure-eight patterns, the M160 has a hypercardioid pattern.
The drums were set up in the cavernous sounding foyer of Headley Grange in Hampshire, England and captured with just two Beyerdynamic M160 ribbon microphones, placed up a set of stairs away from and above the drums. Sure, Bonham’s performance is wonderful, but the overall drum sound put this track on the list. John Bonham “When The Levee Breaks” | Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin (1971) | Engineer: Andy John Keep in mind, obscurity doesn’t diminish importance.Įverybody bucked up? Okay, let’s go! 1. Some of the choices you will know, some you may not recognize. Still another was not just the recorded drum sound, but also the iconic groove of the drummer’s performance. Another was not only the drummer’s playing, but the unique way the entire drum set was recorded.
In one case it was a snare drum sound that was consistent and recognizable over a period of almost a decade. I didn’t use any strict criteria to choose the following recordings.
