Kapo_Polenton
New member
You can use a normal compressor with a fast attack and a release that pumps with the tempo.
The big problem is that the cymbals you hit harder will still sound like you hit them harder, even if you make them the same volume.
If you smash the overheads with the compressor, however, it will take away the attack and you will be left with the 'bloom' of the cymbal. Some people like that and other people don't. It tends to work better when you have the cymbals farther back in the mix.
I guess the only thing to really do is try it. Everyone has a certain ear and a lot will depend on what my ear wants to hear. So if i understand correctly, compression may keep the volume down from louder hits but the impact or force that I hit the cymbal with will still be apparent in relation to the softer hits. What this means is that it still might bug me and hence the need to re-record certain passages. The bloom I think was big in a lot of the 80's drum recordings where you have the prominent gated verbed snares and kick. I'm a huge fan of the 80's big fat verbed drum sounds. What do you guys think is going on with the crashes here? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlhLYqbTISA . Does it sound like the hats and ride were probably mic'd separately by any chance? Because those crashes are barely audible and sound more like blooms as has been suggested.
Another solution I have read about for this sound is playing the whole kit but not hitting the crashes. This way i use the overheads to set the levels of my hats and ride and go back through playing only the crashes and splash/china where needed and give them their own volume so I can control as much of the crash as i want without impacting the levels of the hats/ride.