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Van Halen's "Drop Dead Legs" - Huge Drum Sound
Posted on 12/15/25 at 8:26 pm
Posted on 12/15/25 at 8:26 pm
Trying to figure out how to record drums this way. I'm thinking double mic each main instrument then slightly pan for a "in the room" effect.
Of course David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen steal the show, but the drum recording is fricking epic. Not the part itself, like Neil Pert, but the recording, the sound engineering of it.
Of course David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen steal the show, but the drum recording is fricking epic. Not the part itself, like Neil Pert, but the recording, the sound engineering of it.
5
Posted on 12/16/25 at 8:04 am to deeprig9
I’m about to start experimenting with the same thing. I just bought a FocusRite interface with all mics to start doing some recording with pro logic. Here’s my set up. Hopefully I can get the big snare drum sound also. I have two mics almost there one on top one and one below.
This post was edited on 12/16/25 at 8:05 am
Posted on 12/16/25 at 9:39 am to deeprig9
quote:
I'm thinking double mic each main instrument then slightly pan for a "in the room" effect.
Don’t know about the double mic’ing each drum. Could introduce some phasing issues. A lot of the “work” will be done in post with compression and gated reverb. Also, AVH incorporated electronic drums in the drum mix for a bigger sound. I’d suggest searching YouTube for some videos that can get you closer to the sound.
Posted on 12/16/25 at 2:13 pm to Decatur
Yeah, I wouldn’t. Double my heat drum for sure. Only the snare. I will be getting sound deafening panels. This is gonna be a fun project. A few more additions today.
This post was edited on 12/16/25 at 2:15 pm
Posted on 12/16/25 at 2:41 pm to deeprig9
Interesting you post a video with the track in mono, yet showing UGa's promo video... Hmm. 
Here's the drum track (mostly) isolated. There are a few artifacts from the isolation but it's pretty accurate.
Drop Dead Legs Iso Drums
As mentioned in the comments on this video, the cymbals were likely overdubbed as 5150 was being built and didn't have a ton of room. And all the cymbals but the hats are panned quite wide. What AL seems to have played in the master take (kick, snare, hats, toms) is all in the center. Listening from 0:58 (when the ride comes in), you can hear two sets of cymbals. One panned quite left and and the master track near the center.
I don't find the drum sound to be particularly unique in this. The snare and toms are fairly standard, maybe tuned down a little. The kick is mostly "thump", not a lot of highs, perhaps eq'ed when mixed down to get it out of the way of the snare. It also isn't busy. The kick, snare and hats are straight ahead. Ed said this song was inspired by AC/DC's Back In Black. He said he was jamming along to that groove. So simplicity for most of the groove is important.
What I do find interesting is how dry they are. I wouldn't be surprised if there is little to know reverb added and all we are hearing is the room. I don't even hear much in the way of room mics.
So to get this sound, make the drums dry, record and or submix them to mono, EQ the kick to be a lot of heavy thump, overdub crashes and rides...
oh and Get Al Van Halen circa 1983 to play it with 4 arms.
Here's the drum track (mostly) isolated. There are a few artifacts from the isolation but it's pretty accurate.
Drop Dead Legs Iso Drums
As mentioned in the comments on this video, the cymbals were likely overdubbed as 5150 was being built and didn't have a ton of room. And all the cymbals but the hats are panned quite wide. What AL seems to have played in the master take (kick, snare, hats, toms) is all in the center. Listening from 0:58 (when the ride comes in), you can hear two sets of cymbals. One panned quite left and and the master track near the center.
I don't find the drum sound to be particularly unique in this. The snare and toms are fairly standard, maybe tuned down a little. The kick is mostly "thump", not a lot of highs, perhaps eq'ed when mixed down to get it out of the way of the snare. It also isn't busy. The kick, snare and hats are straight ahead. Ed said this song was inspired by AC/DC's Back In Black. He said he was jamming along to that groove. So simplicity for most of the groove is important.
What I do find interesting is how dry they are. I wouldn't be surprised if there is little to know reverb added and all we are hearing is the room. I don't even hear much in the way of room mics.
So to get this sound, make the drums dry, record and or submix them to mono, EQ the kick to be a lot of heavy thump, overdub crashes and rides...
oh and Get Al Van Halen circa 1983 to play it with 4 arms.
Posted on 12/16/25 at 8:08 pm to johnqpublic
Weird.. I just finished Ted Templeman's autobiography last week and I'm pretty sure he mentioned Alex used a lot of electronic drums on that record due to 5150 being small and not all the way finished...
Posted on 12/16/25 at 8:40 pm to Potchafa
Don't bust your arse on that stool baw!
I just got a Focusrite 18i16. I'm looking forward to plugging a bunch of shite into it after Christmas and learning it, and Reaper.
I just got a Focusrite 18i16. I'm looking forward to plugging a bunch of shite into it after Christmas and learning it, and Reaper.
Posted on 12/16/25 at 9:58 pm to deeprig9
I could see that bass drum being an electric he’s triggering. Of course that snare is classic AVH, tuned tight as dicks hatband and rimshots all the way.
This post was edited on 12/16/25 at 9:59 pm
Posted on 12/16/25 at 11:36 pm to TFTC
quote:
Weird.. I just finished Ted Templeman's autobiography last week and I'm pretty sure he mentioned Alex used a lot of electronic drums on that record due to 5150 being small and not all the way finished.
There are without doubt electronic drums on 1984. According to this, it is most likely an electronic kick on most (all?) of the record. it would explain the dead thump on DDL.
1984 Drums
But it only mentions using the Simmons for the Kick and in addition to the acoustic toms on a few tracks like Hot For Teacher.
Posted on 12/17/25 at 11:21 am to deeprig9
Sounds like a lot of compression being used from that isolated video I listened to. You could try doing some Parallel Compression on the drums, that way you can get it sounding really big and compressed.
Chat GPT description so I don't have to write it out:
Blends a heavily compressed signal with the original, uncompressed signal, adding fullness, punch, and perceived loudness while preserving the natural transients (like drum hits) that would be lost with standard compression. It works by sending the source audio to a separate bus, crushing that signal with high ratios/thresholds, and then mixing that "wet" (compressed) signal back subtly with the "dry" (original) track
Chat GPT description so I don't have to write it out:
Blends a heavily compressed signal with the original, uncompressed signal, adding fullness, punch, and perceived loudness while preserving the natural transients (like drum hits) that would be lost with standard compression. It works by sending the source audio to a separate bus, crushing that signal with high ratios/thresholds, and then mixing that "wet" (compressed) signal back subtly with the "dry" (original) track
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