The Microphones is the name of a project that Anacortes, WA's Phil Elverum … Read Full Bio ↴The Microphones is the name of a project that Anacortes, WA's Phil Elverum has headed since 1996. Its sound is best described as lo-fi "fuzz folk," including drum-crashing, bass-thrashing sonic freakouts, strummy classical guitar love songs, angelic vocal choirs, and almost-whispered vocals over harmoniums and bell kits.

In 2004, Elverum abandoned the "Microphones" name to begin recording as Mount Eerie, briefly returning in December 2007 when he began selling a new 7" single by the Microphones ("Don't Smoke" / "Get Off the Internet") on his website and at concerts.

In 2020, Elverum returned to the Microphones name once more to release the project's 14th album Microphones in 2020. Microphones members/collaborators include Karl Blau, Dennis Driscoll, Kyle Field aka Little Wings, Mirah, Khaela Maricich aka The Blow, Adrian Orange aka Thanksgiving, Adam Forkner and K Records' founder, Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening and the Halo Benders.

three
The Microphones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You swam further out into the ocean
I climbed higher in the tree
At the top it started bending
I swayed down to you in the sea
When I saw you I called out your name
And I let go and fell into the water

And in between the crashing waves

I swam out right underneath you
Above me, you began to evaporate
You floated up while I was reaching for you

And now, as a cloud, you visit me
Every night and every morning

In between these times
I'm floating towards you

Overall Meaning

These lyrics, from the song Three by The Microphones, describe a moment of connection and separation between two people. The first two lines set the scene with contrasting images of one person swimming out into the ocean and the other climbing higher in a tree. The tree imagery suggests a metaphorical ascent, perhaps representing one person trying to achieve greater understanding or enlightenment. However, the climber is brought down by the bending tree, and ends up swaying down to the person in the sea. This physical movement towards the other person implies an emotional reaching out and a desire for connection.

The second verse continues this sense of striving towards the other person, with the singer swimming out right underneath them. However, their efforts are in vain, as the other person begins to evaporate above them. This imagery again suggests a metaphorical ascent, with the other person rising above the singer and leaving them behind. The final lines of the verse are particularly poignant, as the singer is left reaching for the other person who is no longer there.

Line by Line Meaning

You swam further out into the ocean
You distanced yourself from me and went into the unknown

I climbed higher in the tree
I attempted to gain a new perspective and better understanding

At the top it started bending
The thing that gave me my perspective began to weaken

I swayed down to you in the sea
I reached out and plunged into something unknown, just to be with you

When I saw you I called out your name
I called out for love because that is all I wanted

And I let go and fell into the water
I abandoned my fear and allowed myself to experience what I didn't know

And in between the crashing waves
With everything going on around us

I swam out right underneath you
I was always close by, trying to follow you even when I lost sight of you

Above me, you began to evaporate
You began to fade away from me, even though I was trying my best to catch up

You floated up while I was reaching for you
I was trying to get to you, but you kept moving further and further away

And now, as a cloud, you visit me
Even though you are gone, you still remain a part of me and inspire me in everything I do

Every night and every morning
Throughout my entire life

In between these times
When I am not actively thinking about you

I'm floating towards you
I am always moving towards the goal of reconnecting with you, no matter what happens

Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Phillip Whitman Elvrum

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

@joboiecruiser

23w↑6

I followed your instructions and the drums sound awesome. The secret for me was adding a fouth mic on the snare, and just run the two top mics through an off board EQ. I use a D112 on kick with no front head and two MXL V67G's, along with a 57 on the snare. Thanks for the tip.

@rsilvers129

45w↑6

You would be amazed at the number of YouTube videos there are comparing mics and they don't even say or show the location of the mic. It's mind-boggling.

@scottross9023

39w↑1

After watching hundreds of videos on phasing, I finally learned something. THANX!!

@verycoolandrelaxed

44w

awesome video, super straightforward and simple. thanks!

@handidrummed

2y↑2

I hope to have videos showcasing my INDe kit with this micing setup soon.

@StevesRykerAdventures

2y↑2

Thanks for this! Really appreciate it.

@IndependentDrumLab

Glad it was helpful!

@tmorris7243

42w

Those Inde drums sound awesome. Great playing…

@Anakin1988

Fantastic information! Thanks!

@Music2ChillUOut

16w

Very helpful!

@johnpborden

1y↑2

Couldn’t agree more. I think I’ve used every drum miking technique under the sun and Recorderman yields the most natural sound of a drum kit. ORTF is a close second for me. In my opinion, the typical close miking of individual drums just yields a totally un-natural sound with no sense of depth or realism. I’ve always thought that if that’s the sound one is after, just play an E-kit with processed sounds.
Either way. Great video, great drumming and a VERY nice sounding kit.

@MrAdrianloera

15w

Great shit man

@Juezdelarte

1y↑1

wwwwwwwwowww I'm thinking of recording some drums for my beats and I don't have great equipment and this technique was great for me!! thank you!!! 🔥🔥

@andthensome512

I'm finding that in a low ceiling basement, the glyn johns technique works good for overheads but I also close mic the snare, toms and kick for guitar heavy music.

@hamadbernes1980

Nice Sounds and very simply...

@jummisify

Hello, and thanks for this tutorial! I've been looking for something like this for a while. you make it seem quite simple, and I'm sure it is! however, I see the kit used has only a hi hat and one cymbal, what happens if you have multiple cymbals? If they are closer to the top mic, will it pick up those more and drown out the other drums? Will I have to readjust, or reposition my cymbals? Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated! Thank you. Once again, great tutorial!

@stillphil

2y↑9

Yessir! This minimal mic technique I call “the ears” way of recording. The drums sound gorgeous on your record- what sizes were you playing on the session? Are they Inde wood or aluminum? Great no nonsense video Craig.

@IndependentDrumLab

2y↑1

Thanks! I actually recorded that album with my Ludwig Classic Maple Bop Kit (18x14, 12x8, 14x14) with a Great Lakes Drum Co. 16x16 brass floor tom (I didn't own an INDe kit at the time).The Recorderman technique is my absolute favorite way to record drums!

@patris5367

1y↑1

Cam you show me how to put 2 low diagram condenser 1 kick And 1 nt1?

@Ranakade

48w

Hi mate Ive got a zoom h4n. I figure if buy a kick drum mic and a pencil mic for the snare and use the zoom for the cymbals. would that work?

@jareddoran6605

Thank you for mentioning that close miking doesn't produce an accurate sound! I see a lot of other drumming related channels/youtubers scoring an endorsement deal with Earthworks, claiming that Earthworks strives for "sonic transparency", and that they want to get the realist sound possible, and then proceed to close mic every drum, and eq and process the hell out of said drum sound. This is why I like you guys. You don't try to bullshit your customers with obscure marketing gimmicks to justify selling a product for an unnecessary fortune, cough DW/Pearl/Tama/Zildjian/Paiste/Earthworks/SJC/Sonor/etc cough (I don't intend to spread any negativity, I'm just saying why I appreciate INDe's existence).

@joseceraia

Hello, I have 2 floor toms and I miss some low end on those. Can I use a close (r) mike on those two ?
Is there a phase issue or how to (eventually ) Thanks Sir.

@gentrybellus3469

2y↑2

Still waiting on that snare material reveal. Or have I missed it? Make a Mahogany version of that snare! I’ll pick one up 👍

@IndependentDrumLab

Coming soon! Stay tuned!

@bonzology322

15w

i find it hard to believe you didn't eq these at all, regardless its a great sound on a well tuned instrument with a good player👍🏻

@legatusvids

2y↑1

do the two overhead mics need to be the same, or could I use a large diaphragm over the snare and a small diaphragm over the shoulder or vice versa? thx

@Arkansya

2y↑1

if you have to, use thé largeur diaphragm on shoulder to get more bass and low mids from the toms especially floor tom

@NeinFeline

GREAT stuff... New subscriber

@artcorvolet

44w

So u think this is better than the Glyn Johns method?

@brianoconnor4526

14w↑1

Anyone recommend slightly cheaper option for the overhead mic's? Thanks

@IndependentDrumLab

14w↑1

AT2020's are great for $100 each!

@in.der.welt.sein.

1y↑5

The argument against close micing also applies to the recorderman technique: no one listens to drums with their ears 3 feet apart in those positions.

@lightreyes-drums5112

31w

But actually, people "can" listen if they set their ears in the recorderman position. While the drummer can't even play if people put their heads/ears on the drums, their heads will be on the way hehe.

@in.der.welt.sein.

31w↑1

@@lightreyes-drums5112 no one can split their ears to be 3 or 4 feet apart.

@lightreyes-drums5112

31w

@@in.der.welt.sein. if we use strict analogy then putting your ears close to the drum is Mono, so to make yours accurate and compared to your answer to my example, you are going to put 2 mics/ears per drum?

Anyway the Recorderman is more natural.

@in.der.welt.sein.

31w↑1

@@lightreyes-drums5112 recorderman sounds good, no doubt. I just don't think it's anymore "natural" than any other recording technique. The most "natural" position would be a spaced pair above the drummers head. The thing is: with recording "natural" doesn't always sound best and isn't always what's called for.

@wherearewewherearewe

13w

Places XY mics in front of the drummers face…… “Now we’re ready to party!”

1 More Replies...

@brwi2858

2y↑1

Any phase adjustments on the D112(BD mic)?

@IndependentDrumLab

2y↑1

Nope! No adjustments needed

@brwi2858

2y↑1

@@IndependentDrumLab Right On!!...I am new to home recording, so will give this a run next week...Thanks!!

@KeijTube

1y↑1

Okay, kick & snare IN PHASE. But how about the rest? Floor/Tom/cymbals - phase not important? And how about the drum fill in live situations?

@iancaspers7731

phase less important as they aren't being hit as often as the snare and kick.

@TheMazon21

34w

🤘

@vano4375

39w

Could I do this with two shure SM57 for overheads?

@IndependentDrumLab

39w↑1

It's worth a try, but those aren't ideal. For an affordable Condenser style mic, I would recommend Audio Technica AT2020. They are only $100 new. That's what I am using on most of our recordings!

@vano4375

39w

Thank you!

@vano4375

39w

Can it be two different brands of condenser mics?

@tmpecho

8:38

@motzdrums

difference with glyn jones's techique?

@jc3drums916

The thing about Glyn Johns that concerns me is that it can require you to alter your cymbal placement in order to accommodate the mic by the floor tom (I usually have a cymbal in that location, with GJ I'd have to move that cymbal and probably raise it and my ride higher, so they're not too close to the mic).

@mka917

Jeebus can you go on more about phase ? Hahaha

@freakybuzz

1y↑1

Every shitty recording I've ever heard– drums or otherwise– had phase issues. If an engineer isn't monitoring phase during tracking and mixing, they either need to have golden ears to hear a phase slip in instant, or they are going to make a crappy, non-translatable recording. Phase alignment is critical.

@RustyKnorr

44w

Phase, the absolute MOST important thing to know about recording, and this clown doesn’t want to hear about it. Moron. 🤡

@rothwellaudio

50w

Why worry so much about phase for the snare drum and ignore phase for the cymbals? And the wavelength of sound from the bass drum is so long that measuring the distance to a millimeter is meaningless. The wavelength at 100Hz is about 11 feet.

@d4dou67

40w

Because you want kick + snare in the middle. As for the cymbals, it doesnt matter since you pan the signals

@rothwellaudio

39w

@@d4dou67 How do you know what I want? 🤔

@jc3drums916

2y↑5

It sounds great, and I appreciate the relative simplicity compared to close-micing. But not everything is meant to sound as natural as possible / natural isn't inherently better. How boring would it be if every album used the exact same recording and production techniques? There is an art to using production techniques to enhance an album in a way that is impossible to do live.

@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness

1y↑4

first of all i’m tired of overproduced metal drums on so many records and everyone having a different room would make this technique with the exact same gear still sound different

@RustyKnorr

44w↑1

Every album DOES use the exact same recording and production technique these days! It’s just a wall of over compressed noise with sound replacement from the exact same three companies. How NOT boring would it be to hear real instruments played by actual living breathing human beings?