Unusual Recording Techniques: SM57 in a Bucket of Water Next to the Kick Drum
This great Sound on Sound article about John Newman & Ant Whiting describes an unusual recording technique used to produce Newman's debut album Tribute. Ant Whiting employed a Shure SM57 in a tub of water near the kick drum for what he described as a "lovely wobbly sub thing." We were naturally intrigued and decided to try out this unconventional mic technique for ourselves.
Why Put an SM57 in a Tub of Water?
It's supposedly an old trick, although it's the first we've heard of it. A quick Google search revealed a few experiments including a 57 in water - so how does it work? Essentially, the water constantly reacts with the drummers playing to produce a wobbly low frequency noise as well as acting like a natural low-pass filter. In our experiment, we placed the SM57 in a plastic bag, which was sealed using gaffa tape and submerged in a rectangular plastic tub of water.
How Does It Sound?
Whether or not this produces a useable tone as part of your regular drum setup is down to personal taste. In our experience, the experiment produced an interesting and unusual sound more likely to be used creatively as an effects channel. For example, with a little creative automation you can create the impression you've moved from being outside the room where music is playing to actually being in the room. A similar effect can of course be created using a low-pass filter, although the water does produce a more 'lo-fi' sound.
Sonic Experimentation
This experiment was really more about the curiosity factor, so we decided it would be interesting to experiment further with some modulation effects (back to the effect channel concept). A phaser plugin for example, almost seemed to accentuate the underwater feel for a great psychedelic sound.
Important: no SM57's were hurt during the making of this blog. However, if you do try this at home, be extremely careful not to allow water into the bag - either by inadequate sealing or splitting the plastic. SM57's are built to high quality standards but we don't recommend pushing your luck.
