two bass drums?

N

Newbie dude

New member
I'm used to recording drummers with just a double bass pedal, but if I record a drummer with two bass drums, should I pan them both center, or each off center? Should I try to purposefully eq them differently to make them sound different, or purposefully eq them to sound the same and uniform, or what?
 
It's all up to you...but typically, double kicks are panned down the middle. You will never get them both to sound the same, so just be sure the drummer has tuned them as close as possible and then just mic 'em and go with it. You will have better results NOT drastically EQing them to try to get them to sound identical.

:D
 
I think panning would sound really cool, but it can't be too harsh, the ears might get tired hearing the main bass drum over hard right or something.
 
You'll generally find that one drum will be used more often then the other, unless its just a constant barrage of double kicks right the way through!!!

I suppose you could automate the panning during the double kick parts and have them centered during the parts where one is used more. It could be cool or it could be annoying, but its worth trying.
 
i personally like panning double-kicks a teeny bit to each side...maybe 5% each L and R

not only does it make those double-kick fills sound fucking brutal, but it also opens the middle up a bit and makes room for the bass/snare/vox/whatever else
 
Ironklad Audio said:
i personally like panning double-kicks a teeny bit to each side...maybe 5% each L and R
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Me too!

I also like them tuned slightly different as well - as do most drummers I know.
 
seriously...i don't understand why so many people keep the double bass right down the middle - i can understand if it's a single drum w/ a double pedal...but if you have 2 drums, fuck it, make it sound like you're actually in the room
 
Ironklad Audio said:
seriously...i don't understand why so many people keep the double bass right down the middle - i can understand if it's a single drum w/ a double pedal...but if you have 2 drums, fuck it, make it sound like you're actually in the room
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Have you ever actually BEEN in the room with a double kick drummer?

Just cause you CAN pan them doesn't mean it will sound good. But of course..."good" is a judgement, and all that matters is if YOU like it.

Honestly..there are good reasons that kicks and snare are usually down the middle, toms are slighty panned and overheads are decently spread L/R. But you're never gonna find what you like untill you try everything you can think of. Rip it up. Have fun!
 
Have you ever actually BEEN in the room with a double kick drummer?
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a billion times

and my favorite thing about it is standing out in front of the kit, and being able to hear the separation in the kick drums

i'm not saying you're going to want to pan them out in left field somewhere, but i find that moving them a liiiiittle bit to each side can give a pummeling effect sometimes
 
I'll occasionally pan them slightly.

If it's a metal record, I'll usually try get them as close as possible to the same sound. In the mix if I can hear an audible difference I'll occasionally pick the best sounding drum , sample it, and place it over the other.
 
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