Compression on drums from programs like Addictive drums and EZ drummer?

cfg

cfg

Member
I have Addictive drums (1.0) and I like the sounds, however, I'm uncertain about how to treat them in a mix. If one were recording real drums, one would obviously use compression on them, but I haven't been able to find an answer as to how one should treat drum programs and whether the samples are already compressed. Any thoughts?
 
Hmmm... As someone one step up from novice at recording I was under the impression that drums always get compressed, but I'm not bothered by being wrong.
 
By the way, the material is heavy rock, if that makes any difference.
 
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Many drum samples are already compressed. The snag with rules is they go wrong. Imagine adding seasoning to a recipe without even tasting it? This is the key - you suspect you may need salt, but until you taste it, you won't know.

My humble opinion is that so many people always add compression at X:1 because years ago, they did it and have always done it since. I got into the habit on bass, but realised and reverted to trying it without, and turning the knob up if it needed it. Same with EQ. people who like recording with templates always pre-add their reverbs, compression and favourite plugins, even if theyre not needed!
 
Do those drums in the DAW sound like the songs on the radio? No? Then you're going to need to do something to them. The software drums are high quality samples, but you need to take them the rest of the way.

Yes, you need to compress them..
 
Usually, the samples are already compressed and eqed. What you may be missing is bus compression. Send the output of addictive drums to a bus and put a compressor on the bus.

If addictive drums allows you multiple outputs, you can send each drum to a separate channel where you can process each drum separately.
 
Compress, limit, and clip. Don't forget the clipper. Finally, when you are happy with the stem, vocode it to the song.
 
cfg said:
If one were recording real drums, one would obviously use compression on them
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Not so obviously.
If you're going after someone else's sound, maybe, if they've compressed their drums to get the sound you're after.
But if you don't want to acquiesce to "the rules of the game" and you want to create music on your own terms, then you'll be aware of the various ways of achieving any particular result, but you'll plough your own furrow. Maybe sometimes, you will want to compress the drums. Maybe sometimes you won't and you'll want them to breathe a bit.
The only "obviously" things you'll need when recording drums are knowledge, originality if need be, and the courage of your convictions.
 
We all record different music - so the answer to blunt questions and rules is always, "It depends". I well remember starting to put microphones on a famous big band drummers kit and he said no-no-no. One overhead, one on kick and snare - oh, and don't use the kick and snare ones. The result was exactly what the producers wanted. A drum kit, centre, at the back of the band. EQ, no compression, no stereo. I did the same guy two years later in a buddy rich style big band, and I joked - one mic then, and he said "No - everything please for this one, and it was a huge sound that was wanted. As I said, no rules - just guidelines.
 
grimtraveller said:
The only "obviously" things you'll need when recording drums are knowledge, originality if need be, and the courage of your convictions.
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I'm still working on that, for my real drum recordings.
Currently my drums are mixed to stereo, and then go through a compressor.
Not quite sure what I'm doing, but they sounded better with than without.
 
LazerBeakShiek said:
Do those drums in the DAW sound like the songs on the radio? No? Then you're going to need to do something to them. The software drums are high quality samples, but you need to take them the rest of the way.

Yes, you need to compress them..
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I have a problem with the "sound like the songs on the radio" approach, because the radio stations that I had visited all had compressors and limiters to bump up the signal since the majority of the target audience were in cars which are a noisy environment. That's not what the original source was like. It's a bit like walking into a store selling TVs and having them all set to max brightness and vivid color to make them look stunning. The first thing to do is take it home and set it to the standard settings.

But I usually put some compression on drums, even with MTPDK, but not a ton. Just enough to keep the peaks from pushing down the overall volume.
 
Parallel compression can be awesome to add punch, as well as parallel saturation. Samples don't generally "need" compression but volume leveling is not the only use for compression as in it can be used to push stuff up or down, front or back compared to other stuff. And of course it can be used to "pump" the kick subtly to create a felt pulse.

I will say that I don't compress overheads, whether live or sampled as to me it screws with the balance of the individual bits-usually over emphasizing something

Also very slight compression on the bus can help "glue" all the kit together.
 
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