First drum recording session in our new studio – Flavor Amp

I am currently studying Sound Design in my master’s program.
As part of my final project, I am producing a concept album about addiction and dependency together with my band Flavor Amp. One part of the project is creating 3D audio versions of our songs from the concept album.

This session marked a very special milestone: it was the very first recording session in our newly built studio.

Although the construction is not 100% finished yet (more on that below), we decided to already start working creatively in the space.

Studio Situation

Since we haven’t found a final solution for treating the ceiling above the drum set yet, we quickly improvised: we packed leftover pieces of acoustic foam into a cargo net (of a car-trailer) and strapped it to the ceiling. It’s definitely a temporary fix, but it helped to reduce some reflections from the ceiling.

The control room is also still a work in progress — the diffusors above the black absorbers haven’t been installed yet. We plan to add them in summer.

Song: Stand by – Flavor Amp

‘Stand By’ is a raw and emotional track that dives deep into the suffocating reality of being trapped in a toxic relationship—a dynamic that mirrors the psychological and emotional patterns often found in addiction. The song paints a vivid picture of circular thinking and emotional dependency: the feeling of giving everything and receiving harm in return, the confusion of being hurt by someone who once promised love, and the inner battle of wanting to leave but being psychologically unable to do so.

The metaphor of being ‘on stand by’ captures a state of paralysis—still connected, still present, but unable to act or move forward. In the context of our concept album on addiction and dependency, this song stands as a powerful metaphor for emotional entrapment. Just like with substance or behavioural addictions, the individual becomes stuck in a loop: knowing something is damaging but feeling incapable of breaking away.

Recording Setup

We recorded all 17 channels with my Midas M32-LIVE.

This was our patch plan:

CH1: Kick in (Audix D6)

CH2: Kick out (sE Electronics V-Kick)

CH3: Snare top (sE Electronics SE8)

CH4: Snare top (sE Electronics V7X)

CH5: Snare bottom (sE Electronics V-beat)

CH6: Hi-Hat (Shure Sm7b)

CH7: Tom 1 (sE Electronics V-beat)

CH8: Tom2 (sE Electronics V-beat)

CH9: OH HH (AKG C414)

CH10: OH Ride (AKG C414)

CH11: Ride (Neumann KM184)

CH12: Splashes (Neumann KM184)

CH13: Equal-Distance-Mic (Shure Sm57)

CH14: Mono Room (Neumann TLM102)

CH15: Droom L (Neumann KM184) (AB)

CH16: Droom R (Neumann KM184) (AB)

CH17: Hall (outside of the room) (sE Electronics SE8)

Before the session, I had a talk with Matthias Frank, who gave me some valuable input regarding microphone placement and recording techniques. At the end of the day, he advised me to close-mic as many individual components of the drum kit as possible, in order to have maximum flexibility during the mixing process — especially important for a complex 3D audio production.

We also worked with the overdubbing method to gain more control during the mixing and spatialization process. For example, during certain song parts, our drummer intentionally left out some cymbal hits while recording the main drum performance. We then recorded those cymbal accents separately, allowing us to freely position them in the 3D audio field later on.

Following this advice, we set up a wide range of microphones across the kit:

• Kick Drum: Mic’d with two microphones — an Audix D6 inside and a SE Electronics V-Kick on the outside. Although I normally prefer a large-diaphragm condenser for the outside mic, using two dynamics turned out to be a great combination (I had no condenser mic left).

• Snare Drum: We used three microphones: a typical dynamic mic (V7x) and a small-diaphragm condenser mic (SE8). The condenser captured more brightness and detail, but also more bleed, so I’ll decide during mixing which one fits best. On snare bottom we used the sE Electronics V-beat.
• Hi-Hat: Mic’d using a Shure SM7.
• Toms: We used the sE Electronic v-beat on both toms.
• Overheads: For the overheads, we used AKG C414s — a classic choice known for their clarity and detail.
• Cymbals: The ride and the splashes were individually close-mic’d.
• Room Micing: Inspired by German engineer Moses Schneider’s techniques, I experimented with the “Droom” (Dream Room) method. This involves two small-diaphragm condenser microphones (cardioid pattern in our case) placed in an A/B stereo setup, but directed away from the drums to capture a very natural and wide room sound. Although hypercardioid microphones are recommended for this method, the cardioids we used worked surprisingly well.
  Additionally, we set up a mono room microphone the sound of the whole drum kit in our small room.

• Equal-Distance-Mic: We also used the so-called Equal-Distance-Mic. It’s a microphone placed centrally in the kit, heavily compressed to add punch and energy to the overall sound.

• Creating the feeling of: Additionally, we placed five small-diaphragm condenser microphones in the stairwell outside the live room to capture a natural, distant reverb that adds spatial depth and emotional weight to the production. This setup was used specifically for a key transition in the song (2 bars) — moving from the breakdown into the final chorus — to sonically express the feeling of being trapped and relentlessly pursued by one’s surroundings.

At that point in the arrangement, the stereo panorama briefly expands, evoking a fleeting sense of escape, only to contract moments later into a confined, focused sound image — symbolizing the inability to truly break free.
To reinforce this theme, I’m also considering adding a rotating movement to the sound elements in this section, echoing the chorus line: “I’m running in circles — I can’t stay.” This motion could enhance the sense of disorientation and emotional entrapment, both musically and conceptually.

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Conclusion

The session was an important first step for both the project and the studio. Despite the room still being a work-in-progress, the recordings already sound very promising, and I’m excited to take the next steps in the production.

More updates on the studio construction and upcoming recording sessions will follow soon!