mixing drums

Seafroggys said:
I only had to use a gate once, and that was with manual editing.

Recorded my bass drum with an At4047, got tons of cymbal bleed, no way to get rid of it, definitely noticeable on the overall mix and I couldn't mix the bass drum without it affecting the cymbals in an obvious way. So I had to cut it out for every god damn bass drum note. Which is a lot.
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Most daws have a 'detect silence' function that will get you in the ballpark and at least do all the cutting for you.
 
I have found that there is no hard and fast rule to this. As most have eluded to here most situations are dependent on the music style and your room. I have found that when mixing drums it is very helpful to blend all the Mics within the context of the song without any dynamic controls first. This will make evident exactly what needs processing and what can be left well enough alone. Gates are a tool just like any other tool in the box. They have their applications but you don't use a saw to drive a nail (not that it can't be done with enough time). You have to weigh gains against losses when using them. Detail and fullness of a drum can be seriously diminished if applied without consideration of the song it will be supporting. I say supporting because, being a drummer, I have to remind myself constantly that this is not a drum solo with background accompaniment.

Preaching to choir I'm sure at this point.
 
canadayjack said:
I have found that there is no hard and fast rule to this. As most have eluded to here most situations are dependent on the music style and your room. I have found that when mixing drums it is very helpful to blend all the Mics within the context of the song without any dynamic controls first. This will make evident exactly what needs processing and what can be left well enough alone. Gates are a tool just like any other tool in the box. They have their applications but you don't use a saw to drive a nail (not that it can't be done with enough time). You have to weigh gains against losses when using them. Detail and fullness of a drum can be seriously diminished if applied without consideration of the song it will be supporting. I say supporting because, being a drummer, I have to remind myself constantly that this is not a drum solo with background accompaniment.

Preaching to choir I'm sure at this point.
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Huh? Something eluded me. I think I get your point, but it took me a few minutes. Mix for the song and don't use things just because you have them.
 
bongoboy said:
Huh? Something eluded me. I think I get your point, but it took me a few minutes. Mix for the song and don't use things just because you have them.
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Yes Sir. I have gone down some rabbit holes only to discover I did not need half of the processing I was using. Taking it back to raw tracks and starting over taught me the lesson of "if it ain't broke don't fix it" as it applies to mixing. Now, I listen first and let my ears dictate what is needed. Hard lesson to learn.
 
The lessons best learned are the hardest to learn. The ears are the supreme ruler. Trying not to get sucked down the rabbit hole of verbiosity to no avail.
 
If throughout the duration of the song, the toms are hit only a few times, I think it is beneficial to cut all portions of the track that do not contain tom hits.. (Typically toms are used in fills, right?) That way, your treatments only effect the hits and you're not boosting/compressing the bleed which can clutter up the mix.

It may take you a few of listens of the song whilst doing so, but half an hour there could save you much more time in the long run chasing clarity and you will end up with a better result..

Just my 0.02
 
I always gate everything manually whenever I can, including snare and kick. It is a very long process, but I like letting my ears decide. I even wrote an article about it some time ago!

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely great gates out there, and it definitely works if you want to do it that way...However I do enjoy the human feel of manually automating this way :-D
 
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