Recording techniques:Hank drum

NOTE:  Hank drum is also called a steel tongue drum

=Hank drum recording techniques=

All examples below unless other wise noted were recorded using a 9 note rock creek steel tongue drum



Microphone placement
This article has no referenced techniques. Please add some.

Inside the drum
The recording below was done using a Crowley and Tripp Naked Eye Ribbon microphone placed on the inside of the (bottom) drum and run through an Apogee Electronics Ensemble Pre Amp


 * Inside the drum using an Crowley and Tripp Naked Eye Ribbon microphone
 * File:Steel tongue drum recorded inside with crowley and Tripp naked eye.mp3

The recording below was done with an Electrovoice RE20 on the (bottom) inside of the drum run through an Apogee Electronics Ensemble Pre Amp. The instrument was played with mallets.


 * Inside the drum using an Electrovoice RE20
 * File:Steel tongue drum recorded with EV RE20 inside of drum.mp3

Blumlein stereo

 * This recording was done with all mic's placed about 3 feet in front of and 3 feet high (from the floor) in front of the drum and was recorded in stereo using 2 Royer R-121's placed as a Blumlein stereo pair, and a Neumann TLM103 as the center mic. The TLM 103 was placed extremely off axis (almost completely pointed to the left side of the performer). This recording was done in a small room.
 * File:Hank drum blumlein.mp3

General outside
The audio files that accompany the placement techniques below were recorded with an AKG C414 B-XLS and the polar pattern set to cardioid.This was fed to a Digidesign Pre module and recorded directly into Pro Tools at 48Khz 24Bit.The drum was played with "hard" rubber mallets.No additional processing was done to these files except normalization, discrete fade outs and changes inherent in Wav to MP3 conversion.The recordings were done in a large studio room.All "performances" were played "hard".
 * 2.5ft directly above center of drum (from center of drum to microphone diaphragm).
 * File:Steel tongue AKG C414 B-XLS - 2.5ft directly above center of drum.mp3


 * 4 1/2ft high in front and 3ft from center of drum to microphone diaphragm
 * File:Steel tongue AKG C414 B-XLS 4 1-2ft high and 3ft from from center of drum to microphone diaphragm.mp3


 * 8ft high in front and 13ft from center of drum to microphone diaphragm
 * File:Steel tongue drum AKG C414 B-XLS 8ft high and 13ft from center of drum to microphone diaphragm .mp3


 * 7ft high in front and 8ft from center of drum to microphone diaphragm
 * File:Steel tongue drums AKG C414 B-XLS 7ft high and 8ft from center of drum to microphone diaphragm.mp3


 * 8ft up in front and 20ft from center of drum to microphone diaphragm
 * File:Steel tongue drum AKG C414 B-XLS 8ft up and 20ft from center of drum to microphone diaphragm.mp3

Paper snare technique
If you wedge a piece of paper such as a sticker, subway ticket or magazine subscription leaflet inside one of the tongues, you can create a pseudo-snare sound.

Example
File:Steel Tongue drum loop.mp3