Unusual Recording Techniques: Trash Mic
There is a wonderful world of unconventional studio recording techniques out there, and we've previously written about some, including putting an SM57 in a bucket of water and placing it next to the kick drum. I can hear you asking if we've gone mad! This article explores yet another experimental technique called the "Trash Mic."
What is the "Trash Mic" Technique?
"Trash Mic" is an unusual drum microphone technique whereby a dynamic microphone is placed above the drummer to capture an overall sound. When combined with the rest of your drum mics, the "trash mic" can then be used as a special effect and blended to taste in the mix. This should not be mistaken with room mics, where a condenser or ribbon microphone is placed very carefully and used to capture a great sounding room for some natural reverb.
Heavy Compression
Trash mics are there to create unusual effects and exciting distortion. The most popular application of "trash mic" – compressing the mic very heavily (more so than usual) and then mixing to taste – is to create a similar but more lo-fi version of parallel compression. This allows you to get the benefits of heavy pumping compression without some of the negative effects on your loud transients. Sound on Sound has a great article explaining Parallel Compression in more detail. The heavily compressed "trash mic" allowed us to create an interesting lo-fi alternative to parallel compression, which is worth experimenting with.
Getting Creative with Effects
Another interesting "trash mic" application is to play around with plugins. You can really get creative here with synchronized delay sounds, automation, or modulation effects. Although you can create similar effects inside your DAW using groups or aux channels, the lo-fi element of a single dynamic mic creates an interesting and truly novel sound.
The Importance of Experiments in Music
Interesting? Perhaps so, perhaps not. But if lo-fi and unconventional tones are your thing, there's certainly something to be explored here, and where would music be without experimentation? There certainly wouldn't have been a Sargent Peppers! In the words of Martin Gore of Depeche Mode: "Music is really all about experimentation and lots of trial and error. It's just mind-numbingly boring until you hit on something that works well."
