Attn: Metal Heads

  • Thread starter Thread starter tylerxxx
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tylerxxx

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i'm in need of some help...

i can get guitars sounding how i want them to sound, but i just can't get that brutal drum sound that metal bands have...

bands like all that remains, unearth, arsis, between the buried and me, it dies today.. if anyone knows who they are, i'd like to get my drums sounding at least similar to that. i know it cant be exactly like it because i dont have a fancy studio or anything, but id like to get as close as possible.

anyways, im just looking for an in your face kind of metal drum tone,
if any of you guys could help me out, that would be great.
 
Get a DDrum. Most of that stuff is triggered. You could also replace the tracks with Drumagog.
 
Farview said:
Get a DDrum. Most of that stuff is triggered. You could also replace the tracks with Drumagog.
Click to expand...

Samples are the easy way out. It isnt that hard to get strong punchy drums with semi decent drums. Tune the kit so it sounds good before you start recording. You can rarely get a good drum sound from bad sounding drums.
 
You need the right drums, the right heads and the right player. Besides, any time your feet are going a million mile an hour, there is no way to hit the kick drum hard enough to make it sound good. That is why most of the speed bands use triggers. It all comes down to having enough time to build up the energy to hit the drums with enough force to make them speak. Even if you can get the sound without the power, there will be so much bleed that you will loose that 'in your face' quality. In a perfect world, everything would be what it needs to be naturally. This isn't a perfect world.

When I was running around back stage at Ozzfest last year, the only band that didn't use drum triggers was Superjoint Ritual. Consequently, you couldn't hear their drums out front.
 
Solid

I agree with the above. Theres only two requirements for that great heavy metal drum sound:
1. Play each note solid
2. Triggers

A friend of mine prefers the Roland TD8 and/or TD10 for his triggers. This module is also used by the drummer of Dimmu Borgir on their latest 2 cd's (latest as of Death Cult Armeggedon). I've heard it in person and I've never heard such awesomely metal sounding drums.

If you don't use want to get the triggers, I know for a good bass drum sound it should be 24", slap on Evans Emad head, keep it real loose and hit that sucker hard. I'm still trying to figure it out on toms though.
 
ok, if i were to get triggers, which ones should i get?
i dont have a ton of money to spend or anything, and i dont necessarily need "the best"

and, once i get the triggers, what exactly do i do.. like with the computer or whatever you do

obviously i know nothing about triggers, so any help is appreciated.
oh, and what do i do for cymbals if im triggering everything else? wouldnt they sound worse?
 
I recomend the Ddrum triggers. You also need a sound module, this is what makes the sound. You plug the triggers into the sound module and pick your sounds. You record the output of the sound module.

The cymbals will still be mic'd with a pair of overheads.

If you don't have any money to spend on this, let's back up. How are you recording the drums now? Tell us what mics you are using, what and how many drums, what heads are on the drums, and what you don't like about the way your recordings sound.
 
[
When I was running around back stage at Ozzfest last year, the only band that didn't use drum triggers was Superjoint Ritual. Consequently, you couldn't hear their drums out front.[/QUOTE]

Thats weird. Must have been the sound guys fault. It aint that hard to ensure drums come through the speakers at the right level!
 
Go hard or Go Home

If you want to get triggers you might as well get soemthing good. However something good is going to be something expensive. Start researching, I agree with the other guy and the Ddrums triggers, give that roland a look. Otherwise start tuning that kit!
 
ecktronic said:
[
When I was running around back stage at Ozzfest last year, the only band that didn't use drum triggers was Superjoint Ritual. Consequently, you couldn't hear their drums out front.
Click to expand...

Thats weird. Must have been the sound guys fault. It aint that hard to ensure drums come through the speakers at the right level![/QUOTE]
When you are the second act on the main stage, you don't get sound check. You also don't get much as far as board space. With triggers, you can consolidate channels and they sound the same every night. Not so much with live drums.

Everything sounded pretty bad until Judas Priest hit the stage. Oddly enough, when the headliners played, the PA started sounding good. Wierd.
 
Farview said:
When you are the second act on the main stage, you don't get sound check. You also don't get much as far as board space. With triggers, you can consolidate channels and they sound the same every night. Not so much with live drums.

Everything sounded pretty bad until Judas Priest hit the stage. Oddly enough, when the headliners played, the PA started sounding good. Wierd.
Click to expand...

This is pretty standard especially when the opening act is a local or regional act. I've done quite a few of these types of shows over the years and I have to say the best one was Aerosmith. We thought the FOH sound was pretty good (from our SE's point of view, although he was NOT running our sound) and then Aerosmith came out and it was so freaking loud my ears hurt! Our SE said that when we played the FOH volume was where 'normal' headline acts would be. And three times as loud for Aerosmith!
 
Most of the new extreme metal stuff is almost all triggers. Its a bummer. I love the genre but I am bored stiff with the sounds. I am hoping for an end of the days of all triggered kicks with a big 10k boost in metal records and we can get back to hearing drummers again. Give me "To Mega Therion" any day.
 
speaking of EQ. give your kick a little boost at 80Hz for thump, big cut around 400Hz, and maybe some 2.5Khz for beater smack(click). that always does me right.
 
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