Mic Your Kick Drum Like a Legend

Sennheiser MD 421 with a packing blanket - that's the tip! Here we have Jake Reed explaining in greater detail how he achieved the classic Michael Jackson kick drum sound, as engineered by Bruce Swedien. After a quikc demo he goes into the overhead and other mics, as well as the percussion he used in the demo - along with shout outs to the original drummers on the MJ's records: John Robinson, Jeff Porcaro and Leon "Ndugu" Chancler. Great stuff! He has since added

Something I wanted to mention but neglected to include in the discussion (whoops!) is how important the perc and hand claps are to this vibe. At 7:14 I said "percussion brings the party" but I can't overstate enough how important it is to the sum of the parts in the context of a song. The drum groove is the foundation but all of the perc parts working together thickens/widens the pocket and make it feel like a party AND it's SO FUN - which is the whole point of this. It's gotta dance! What's your fave perc instrument to play?

More from Jake Reed

• Ed O'Brien's Must-Listen Albums 16-Sep-26
• The Pete Doherty Show 15-Sep-26
• Sequential Circuits Studio 440 14-Sep-26
• Inside Future Sound of London - Papua New Guinea 14-Sep-26
• IMFMSynth - 8 Operator FM Synth Interview 12-Sep-26