bass drum doesnt cut through

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free_d20

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i have been recording my drum set for a couple of songs into one single stereo track with several mics. when i listen to the recording of the track i hear it perfect, the bass drum sounds great, but when i do the mix of all the tracks, the bass drum seems to get lost in the mix. i play a heavy type of rock so i NEED the bass drum to cut through the mix, and no matter how much eq´ing i do to the drums, it doesnt make a difference in the mix.

p.s. the snare, toms, overheads, etc. sound well.
 
So what mic are you using to record your bd? What type of placement are you using? What type of bd head are you using? All important info.
 
A couple of things to consider:

1. When doing your your mixing, bring all of the faders down first, then start to bring them up one at a time until you hear what you want in the mix. Once you have the relationship right then check your overall volume before you record your mix.

2. If you find that once you start mixing, your bass drum starts to dissappear, then you have a conflict with another frequency or instrument that is using the same place in your mix.
Adjust the pan and see if the bass drum begins to appear.

That should help.If it doesn't: Since you are recording all of your drums onto one track (bad idea,I used to do that, no control in mixing) your only other recourse is to overdub a stronger kick or just re-record the drum tracks with more gain on the kick mic.
 
The reason the bass drum has trouble coming out is because other instruments take up similar frequencies (in a lot of cases, bass). Try adding some high end EQ.
 
Wait a second.... Hold the phone!

"Please allow me to retort"!

Before you go EQ'ing the drums or changing your mic, look at what you said.

You said "I hear it perfect, the bass drum sounds great!"

If you're happy with the drums, don't try and change them by doing something drastic. IMO, you're correct that "rock" music seems to typically have the drums driving the songs. As FattMusiek said, other instruments occupy many of the frequencies ranges that drums do. When you think about it, the drums take up a superwide range from low bass in the bass drum, to high highs in the cymbals and just about everywhere in between. The trick isn't to use EQ to just fit the drums in! EQ should be used to shift all things around a little to create a nice overall mix between all the instruments.
What I noticed about my early drum mixes is that I would treat each drum with EQ insead of using EQ on the kit as whole to make it sound as live as possible.

My .02 is to get over the bass drum and try to blend the rest of your instruments with the drums.
Good Luck,
RF
 
try cutting from about 100hz on down on the bass guitar...if you don't like how the bass sounds then...add the 100hz back in...but I have found that you need to get rid of 80hz on the bass guitar to let the kick drum through
 
Defintely some competing frequncies going on. Drums that sound great when soloed may not work within a mix especially the kick. For most rock music the kick needs more high than low end to "cut through" - the "click" if you will. Experiment with boosting some highs and cutting some lows. It may just be that you need to go with a wood or plastic beater and or tape a quarter/credit card, etc to the beater impact spot.
 
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