How do you feel about replacing drums in the studio? Like many of you, I've spent a lot of time with clients in my studio working very, very hard on getting perfect drum sounds, and sometimes, it's really hard; a drummer might have bad technique, bad gear, or both.

I first started using Sound Replacer to replace individual drum hits a few years ago, and moved to Drumagog a couple years ago.

So, what's the policy in your studio? Do you replace drums, or make it mandatory to get the sounds naturally the first time?

I've been really impressed by the great responses lately from my readers -- thank you!

This week, I'd like to ask a question about your humble beginnings. What was your first recording rig? What setup got you interested in recording, and how did it help your evolution as a recording engineer?

For me, my first recording rig was very simple. I bought a pair of binaural microphones from a small company in New Jersey, along with a small battery power supply, and a Sony WM-D6C analog cassette deck. My goal was to make concert recordings, and maybe some home recordings playing guitar. It was all uphill from there!

What's your story?

Slate Pro Audio has announced the release of their DRAGON Dynamic Processor, a device aimed at smaller project studios needing excellent all-in-one dynamics processing at an affordable price.

The DRAGON is a lot more than a basic compressor; with it's FET compressor with high-pass filter, added saturation options, and plug-and-play settings for "character" of your overall sound, the DRAGON attempts to cover many possibilities with one box.

While it's not the cheapest on the market, the DRAGON's $1999 pricetag is great considering it's features. DRAGON is available now, worldwide, via the Web.

Recently, there was a discussion started on a live sound engineering message board about overhead micing. I'd like to hear your ideas.

There's been a lot of engineers going with an under-the-cymbal approach for overhead micing, instead of the traditional, truly overhead locations. Arguments for both are convincing; true overheads capture a lot of the kit, while underside micing adds a lot more elements of control over your cymbal sound (and where it sits in your mix.

So, what's your opinion? Which of these techniques have you used to record or reinforce live sound?