equing drums

[dead]

how would you eq a drumset and at what level should i record at?

[mjau]

See if you can first place your mics where you need next to no eq when mixing. Usually, I like to either add or take away some click on the kick drum, but generally won't do much more eq'ing unless I'm going for an effected sound.

[getupkid0717]

the above post says it pretty well... youll want a good recording before you think of you EQ possibilities.

first find out the best way to mic the drumset. the ideal situation is to mic each individual drum if possible. plus overheads never hurt... two work well when panned to opposite sides. this is a pretty common way of doing this but do what you can with what you have.

as far as the levels to record at, test each individual miced drum with pretty hard hits (or atleast as loud as you plan on playing that drum). do this until the mic picks up a nice loud signal WITHOUT peaking. if youve ever been to a concert watch them do soundcheck on their drums, you could learn alot about micing and soundchecking your kit.

if youve miced and checked all your drums and overheads correctly the recording should sound pretty good.. but remember: the recording can only sound as good as the kit itself. having said that, it never hurts to tune and/or mute drums differently when recording.

when you finally do get to the point of EQing just play arround with it. adding highs and mids always adds a little more attack to my snair and toms. just experiment with EQ and panning until you find something you like. there is no science to this because every kit is different when youre recording so it always takes a little experimentation.

the bottom line to this is that a good mix will come from a great recording. just have fun with it and youll find what works for you and your equipment.

[giraffe]

they are right

but even if you had to eq, we don't know what kinda sound you're going for
metal, rock, jazz, etc?????

the answer to all of these is different, and depends to a degree on the sound you get on tape.


here's one though, hi pass the snare hard, sometimes as hi as 250 (not always)