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[bert]

what's the trick behind recording nice handclaps (i'm thinking hang onto yourself from david bowie from the ziggy stardust album)? i tried a lot of compression, reverb, a-sync positioning of the claps, recording a few clapping people at the same time, etcera...
it still sounds too dull, too boring.

[Fibes]

Distance and numbers.

You gotta have a lot of folks in synch doing it or it's lame.

[j.hall]

i did hand claps with about 4 drummers.  it was so perfectly timed it sounded like one loud hand clap.

so we brought the guitar players in and it got way better.

you have to over dub it a bunch if you don't have 20 people.

hand claps are all about layers.

[ericswan]

Other tricks for claps:

When having a group of people clapping, move them into different positions and distances around the mic for each take.

Try do a couple of takes with the tape(if you are using it) sped up different amounts so when played back the pitch of the claps varies. Or pitch shift in your DAW.

Clapping against your bare thigh often sounds better than using your hands.

[cdr-1]

I usually have half of the people clap their hands cupped so they get a deeper hand clap, the other half clap with their hands more flat so they get a higher sound.

Then have them shuffle around and switch clapping technique. You gotta double track hand tracks.

[j.hall]

ericswan wrote on Tue, 25 April 2006 01:32

Clapping against your bare thigh often sounds better than using your hands.

but please keep your pants on.
(not *you* as in eric, but the people doing the thigh slapping, wait, that doesn't sound right.....oh forget it)

[compasspnt]

And keep the session under control!

I find that hand clap overdubs get the "silliest" of all recordings.

Everybody thinks that's the time to be a clown.

[cdr-1]

Quote:

And keep the session under control! I find that hand clap overdubs get the "silliest" of all recordings. Everybody thinks that's the time to be a clown.

That's a good call. I blame Keith Moon. That video from the recording of Who's next has scarred a generation.

Last month I did a "Zombie Choir" track. 30 people shuffling around in the live room making zombie noises. I found that to be the silliest of all recordings.

[mitgong]

Handclaps, hurdy-gurdies, and Mesa Boogie stacks.

There is nothing harder to record than this triumvirate of agony.

Add a little drum machine clap.  Sad but true.

[j.hall]

speak of the devil, i just had to mix some hand claps.

http://www.thetarhythm.com/InThePines/ForLoveInstead1.mp3

three people clapping mono.  that didn't fly.

copied it, and shifted it a few hundred samples

then that went to a stereo pitch shifter to beef it up even more.  it's still pretty thin, but works in the song.

[bert]

thanks a lot guys, i will be trying some of these tricks one of the days...

[drumsound]

It's also important to teach people how to clap.  IMNSHO one hand needs to be stationary and the other need to clap into it.  If both hands move its really hard to clap in time.  Using non-percussionist will get enough of the tempo variation that J mentioned, but even they need to keep one hand still.  

Get some distance, use an omni and move people around during additional runs.  I'll often use two tracks and bounce while I track.  SO I'll record the claps to say track 18 and then I'll record the second pass and the prerecorded pass onto track 15.  Then I'll record the next pass along with what's on 15 to 18 etc...

[Fibes]

Band pass can be yer friend.