Percussion

Sometimes a drum kit alone isn’t enough to hold down the rhythm of a song. In particular, I find that extra percussion is often useful when the 16th or 32nd notes aren’t felt (and should be) through the other instrumentation.

This is where other acoustic instruments come into play. This category could include anything from maracas to cabasas (I’ve even used a djembe in past recordings), but I personally like the sound and feel of two instruments in particular: the shaker and the tambourine.

A shaker is simply any instrument made of small, loose objects (sand, beans, etc.) contained in an outer shell. When shaken, the objects inside produce a sound from within the instrument as they bounce off the inside surface. A tambourine is a set of small bells contained within a frame of wood or plastic that can be held and shaken to the beat of a song.

Shakers and tambourines are great for adding energy to a song and filling in the rhythmic gaps left by the drum kit.

My recording approach with these types of instruments is simple: I record them like I record vocals.

Percussion instruments usually have a higher timbre and are captured well by the same microphones that are commonly used for vocals: condenser microphones.

My bedroom studio features a walk-in closet, padded with pillows and blankets, which is perfect for recording vocals. This is also where I like to record all of my extra percussion, free from any ugly reverb I might get in a bigger space, though typically a percussion track will sit lower in the mix anyway.