Karnivool’s Drum Room Game: Forrester Savell’s Micing Approach

Ever cranked a Karnivool track and wondered how they get those massive, atmospheric drum sounds? A huge part of that magic comes down to how they’re captured, especially the room mics and the approach to live tracking. We got some killer insights from producer Forrester Savell himself, straight from a session breaking down how he tackles Karnivool’s drum recordings. Forget just close-micing everything; Forrester’s techniques are about capturing the space and the band’s live energy. Check out the full session here. Let’s dive into how he fixes the drum room game.

Mastering the Drum Room: Big, Wide, and Intentional

Forrester makes it clear: room mics are a cornerstone of his drum sound, especially for a band like Karnivool. But it’s not just about throwing up any mic in any spot.

The Power of Stereo Room Mics

When it comes to room mics, Forrester has a definite preference: big and wide stereo. In the Karnivool session, he highlighted a key pair of Neumann M49s, positioned strategically in the center of the room. His goal? To capture the natural spread and ambiance of the space.

He often sets up multiple room mic options during tracking, especially in new environments, to explore the sonic possibilities. “You’re better off throwing up a whole bunch of different microphones and having them to sift through later on,” he advises. This way, you’re not wasting precious recording time fiddling with placements. However, he often finds himself gravitating towards a single stereo pair that delivers the goods – typically the widest sounding pair he can get.

Interestingly, even if a mono room mic is captured (as it was in this session, possibly an old, dirty-sounding Sony), it might not make the final mix. Forrester found the mono room tended to “suck down the stereo image” of the expansive sound he was after, proving that more isn’t always more. The lesson? Record options, but mix with intent. Sometimes, shaping your drum sound with careful EQ strategies on a great stereo pair is more effective than adding more sources.

Dealing with Bleed: The Karnivool Live Approach

One of the first things you might notice when soloing Karnivool’s drum room mics from this session is the bass guitar bleeding through. This wasn’t an accident; it was part of the plan to capture the band’s live energy. As Eyal Levi points out, this approach demands a band that is exceptionally tight – and Karnivool certainly fits that bill.

Forrester’s strategy for managing this live recording scenario is multifaceted:

1. Embrace the Bleed (Mostly): The bass was played live in the room with the drums. This captures a unique interaction and vibe that’s hard to replicate with isolated tracks.
2. Plan for Overdubs: For particularly technical or tricky bass parts, Forrester planned ahead. The bassist wouldn’t play during those sections in the live take. These parts were then overdubbed later to ensure a perfect performance without compromising the live feel of the rest of the song.
3. Strategic Re-amping: To get a clean, punchy bass tone without excessive drum spill in the bass’s own tracks, Forrester employed re-amping. They captured a DI signal from the bass during the live take. Later, this DI was re-amped through the bass player’s cab, head, and pedal setup. This allowed them to dial in the perfect bass tone and even perform live pedal changes during the re-amping process.
   • Pro Tip: During re-amping, Forrester mentioned running the DI signal through a Manly compressor before it hit the amplifier. This helped “control it a little bit more” and made the signal “a little bit more thick when it hits the amp.” This kind of dynamic control is key, and you can learn more about how pros use metal compression secrets to shape their tones.
4. Spill Preference: Forrester notes that bass spill into the drum mics is generally less problematic than drum spill (especially cymbals) into the bass mics. By re-amping, he ensured the primary bass tone was clean, while the natural bass bleed in the drum rooms added to the overall glue and space.

This approach isn’t for every band or every genre, but for an alternative rock sound like Karnivool’s, especially on slower songs, it can yield fantastic, organic results.

Overhead Micing: Capturing Width and Snare Focus

Beyond the room, overheads are critical for the top-end definition and stereo image of the kit. Forrester often employs a dual stereo overhead setup to provide options and cover all bases.

Wide AB Pair for Cymbals and Spread

For maximum width and a strong representation of the cymbals, Forrester uses a wide AB spaced pair. In this Karnivool session, he believes these were likely AKG C414s or similar, positioned over the left and right sides of the kit, often above the crash cymbals. This setup excels at capturing the full stereo panorama of the drum set.

Centered XY for Snare Solidity

To complement the wide AB pair, Forrester also uses a more centered stereo microphone setup, often in an XY configuration. For this session, it was an old Neumann stereo capsule microphone. In other scenarios, he might use two pencil condensers like AKG C451s or Neumann KM84s.

The primary goal of this XY setup? “You get a very centered and strong snare,” he explains. While a wide AB pair can sound huge, it can sometimes make the snare feel a bit phasey or less focused if the mics aren’t perfectly equidistant from the snare. The XY configuration, placed more directly over the kit (often above the drummer’s head or slightly forward), helps solidify the snare’s position in the stereo image and provides a different tonal flavor for the cymbals.

Blending and Phase Coherency: The Key to Overhead Success

Forrester might use one set of overheads, the other, or even blend them. In this specific Karnivool mix, he recalled the wide AB mics being more prominent, with the XY stereo Neumann blended in more subtly.

Crucially, regardless of the specific mics or techniques, he emphasizes the importance of phase coherency, especially concerning the snare drum. “What I try to do when I set all these three or four microphones up is measure it all from the center of the snare so that when the snare is hitting all the microphones, they’re all being… hurt at the same time.” This meticulous attention to detail ensures a solid, punchy snare sound without phase cancellation issues between the overheads.

Bringing It All Together (And Leveling Up Your Mixes)

Forrester Savell’s approach to Karnivool’s drums revolves around capturing a natural, powerful, and spacious sound right at the source. Key takeaways include:

• Prioritizing wide stereo room mics for an immersive drum sound.
• Strategically recording live with bleed for bands that can nail the performance, using re-amping and planned overdubs to manage complexities.
• Employing dual overhead setups (wide AB and centered XY) for tonal flexibility and a solid snare image.
• Ensuring phase coherency across all overheads relative to the snare.

These insights offer a fantastic glimpse into how professional drum sounds are crafted. Imagine being able to watch Forrester Savell actually implement these techniques, dial in the tones, and mix the entire Karnivool track from scratch.

That’s exactly what you get with Nail The Mix. Each month, we give you the raw multitracks from massive songs and let you watch the original producer mix it, explaining every single decision. If you’re ready to move beyond presets and truly unlock your sound, seeing pros like Forrester work their magic on real-world sessions is invaluable. Check out the full Karnivool mixing session with Forrester Savell and see how these foundational recording techniques translate into a powerful final mix.