Baum Breaks

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Mike Birnbaum’s recipe for recording the perfect drum break

Mike Birnbaum’s reputation as a razor-sticked session drummer is incredible, and for good reason. He can play in the pocket and stay there almost supernaturally, a quality that gives his drum breaks a feel that is somehow both specific and timeless. Here’s the equipment he used to capture his cadences for the sample pack:

Front of Kit:

  • Mic: Bock 47
  • Pre-Amp: Avedis MA5
  • Compressor: Tube Tech Cl1b

OverHeads:

  • Mic: MC930(stereo)
  • Pre-Amp: A designs P1 (stereo)

Kick:

  • Mic: Re20
  • Pre-Amp: Great River

Snare Over:

  • Mic: Sm7
  • Pre-Amp: Shadow Hills Mono Gamma

Snare Under:

  • Mic: C3000
  • Pre-Amp: Avedis MA5

High Hat:

  • Mic: Telefunken m80

Low Tom:

  • Mic: Sennheiser 421

High Tom:

  • Mic: Audix i5
  • Pre-Amp: Toft atc2

Audio Interface:

  • Ensemble Thunderbolt

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