Drummer’s Review
Here’s our latest review featuring a new-for-2023 Zenith Series Shell Pack from Natal Drums. Filmed September 2023 (scroll down for recording & equipment details).
The kit features…
22″ x 16″ bass drum,
12″ x 8″ rack tom,
16″ x 16″ floor tom,
3-Ply hybrid shells – 1.8mm maple / 2.4mm ash / 1.8mm maple
Maple reinforcing hoops – toms 2.4mm, bass drum 4.8mm,
Low mass tube lugs,
New air vents / badge design,
Triple flanged hoops,
Forge Black wrap finish
UK RRP: £999.00
Natal says...”Introducing the Zenith kit, the ultimate homage to 1960s drums. Inspired by the past, crafted for the present, Zenith continues the legacy of the drummers who shaped and defined contemporary rhythm. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, this drum kit honours the iconic sounds of the past while delivering unparalleled quality for the modern musician. Capable of a broad spectrum of tunings, from high-cutting hits for jazz, mids for punchy pop and low for resonance in rock, Zenith suits a wide range of playing styles.
Available in a single configuration, the Zenith kit is a simple and versatile setup that has everything you need.”
For more details, head to: www.marshall.com/natal-drums
Recording Details:
Filmed at Paul Caboche Studios (Cornwall UK).
Microphone List:
Kick Rear: Audix D6
Kick Front: Electrovoice RE27ND
Snare Top: Electrovoice PL80
Snare Bottom: Electrovoice PL80
Hi Hat: Oktava MK-012-01 Cardio
Ride: Oktava MK-012-01 Cardio
Toms: AKG C414B
Over Head wide: AKG C414B (pair)
Centre Over Heads: AEA R88 MK2 Stereo Ribbon Mic
Front Centre Room : AEA R88 MK2 Stereo Ribbon Mic
Wide Room Mic’s: sE2200T Tube Mic’s (pair)
Recording Process:
Microphone Pre amps: 16x Rupert Neve Designs 5052
Pre amp outs to Avid HD analog to digital converters connected to Avid HDX card
Recorded into Pro Tools Ultimate latest version running HDX cards mounted in an Apple Mac Pro 2019 16core.
Audio Template Details:
No EQ:
Direct microphone sound – no EQ either pre or post recording applied from the Neve 5052 Pre-Amps EQ section.
Basic EQ:
Basic EQ setting using the EQ section of the Neve 5052 mic Pre-Amps. No post recoded EQ or processing applied.
Full Studio Mix:
Post EQ section of the Neve 5052 mic Pre-Amps plus post production EQ, gating, parallel compression and some reverb added to the snare and toms. There was also some room mic processing along with parallel drum bus adding compression and reverb to the overall sound.
A Note From Paul…
“The microphones were set up with the overheads and room mic’s measured to the centre of the snare drum to keep the phase of any stereo pair in phase. The AEA R88 MK2 mic’s being stereo mic’s had no issue with phase but the front centre room mic and centre overhead where aligned with each other to keep the same stereo image. The phase reverse switch on the front kick mic was used to correct the phase between the two bass drum mic’s. The phase reverse switch was engaged on the bottom snare mic to correct the phase between the two snare mic’s. Hi pass filters only used on the hi hat mic, Ride mic and overheads. The AKG C414B mic’s on the toms have very little proximity bass boost so can be considered a pretty flat representation of the toms. The same can be said for the Electrovoice PL80 mic’s on the snare drum. Every effort was made so that the NO EQ sound example audio on the video was as true a representation of what the drums sounded like in the live room. The live room of the studio has been treated to also provide a neutral sound close to the drums with the room mic’s then giving a true representation of what the drums sound like in the room. Using 16 identical Mic Pre amps also helps with electrical phase so there is no difference between tone and phase of the Mic Pre amps. The brief for recoding the drums was to give as true a representation as possible of what the drums actually sound like and to then give examples of what can be done to the sound of the drums.”
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