Drum EQ

[Loffler]

Hey im new to this forum and drum recording.
I was wondering what EQ's you guys set for your drum mics on your mixers.
thanks

 

[Greg_L]

There is no rule on EQ. You EQ as necessary.

 

[Dogbreath]

Welcome LofflerDude

The Gerg speaks truth. There's no cut n dry EQ for anything.
Generally speaking (and I mean generally ) , I'll scoop the mids a couple db on my kick with a splash of high end for a bit of click.
Sometimes I'll do a slight "smiley face" EQ on my toms.

But nothing set. A lot of the EQing can come from tuning and mic placement. I'd practice that part first. Especially tuning if you're not already there.

 

[Greg_L]

Just moving the mic capsule or angle half an inch can have a dramatic effect on the recorded sound of snares and toms. And that's not even taking into account that heads and tuning play more of a role in overall sound than anything else. Coated heads are gonna record much differently than clear heads, and then you've got the mic placement issue. So yeah, EQ as you need to, but what I or anyone else does may not apply to you.

 

[Chibi Nappa]

EQ your drums by tuning the lugs and hitting with the correct power and snap in the correct location. By the time it's recorded, any additional EQ tweaks could literally be anything. There isn't even a ballpark EQ setting.

 

[Loffler]

ok thanks heaps guys

 

[jakelauer]

Yeah, it really depends on the recording and what you're looking for. I think the only rule I follow is that you really don't want it to sound muddy.

 

[soundtips]

Drum recording is a special art. I have been the primary recording engineer for Dave Weckl, Ricky Lawson, Mike White and quite a few other top guys for many many years now. They all do the same thing... they take a lot of time to get the kit sounding great before they even put one mic up. There are a few EQ 'tricks' you can use to get things sounding "better", and some of those have been mentioned about in this post by other guys. High end for attack, dip the mid's for clarity, the "smiley face" EQ is a good one and works well to enhance a good sounding drum. Also mentioned above is that moving a mic even an inch in any given direction can and will dramatically change the sound. If your toms are too 'boomy' try moving the mic back a couple inches. If you want more 'attack' point the mic at the center 'stick impact area' of the head and you will get more attack without having to add EQ. If you'd like, check out my book "Drum Recording Handbook" published by Hal Leonard to get more info. It is a great book for persons like you who are just starting out with drum recording. Good luck and have fun!!

 

[Loffler]

thanks for your input, you have helped me heaps

 

[moresound]

Drum recording is a special art. I have been the primary recording engineer for Dave Weckl, Ricky Lawson, Mike White and quite a few other top guys for many many years now. They all do the same thing... they take a lot of time to get the kit sounding great before they even put one mic up. There are a few EQ 'tricks' you can use to get things sounding "better", and some of those have been mentioned about in this post by other guys. High end for attack, dip the mid's for clarity, the "smiley face" EQ is a good one and works well to enhance a good sounding drum. Also mentioned above is that moving a mic even an inch in any given direction can and will dramatically change the sound. If your toms are too 'boomy' try moving the mic back a couple inches. If you want more 'attack' point the mic at the center 'stick impact area' of the head and you will get more attack without having to add EQ. If you'd like, check out my book "Drum Recording Handbook" published by Hal Leonard to get more info. It is a great book for persons like you who are just starting out with drum recording. Good luck and have fun!!

Are you Bobby or Dennis?

 

[Farview]

Here is all you need to know about EQ:
1. Listen to the sound you have
2. Imagine the sound you want
3. Set the EQ to the difference between what you have and what you want

That's really all there is to it. Obviously it takes a while to get a handle on learning how to listen and translate that to the controls, but it's that simple of a concept.

 

[Shadow_7]

It is that simple, but ID-ing what that difference is, is not easy. Many times you just have to fiddle until you find something that works. And poor low end might be a lack of high end to hear the attacks of the low end better, so it sounds right in the mix.

 

[soundtips]

"Drum Recording Handbook" is a book I co-wrote with Bobby Owsinski. I am Dennis Moody.

 

[moresound]

"Drum Recording Handbook" is a book I co-wrote with Bobby Owsinski. I am Dennis Moody.

Well hello Dennis, how are you? Do you have other publications?
I had seen in an other post you had complained about the net and how you lose revenue with illegal posting of your works.

And welcome to the forum!

 

[Captain Ego]

I use a cheap 4 mic setup and a mixer with 3 EQs. Kick, Snare, L, R. I find it best to drop the most obvious things with the EQ since I have to make 2 inputs take the whole mix, rather than individual tracks of each drum. The most obvious noise is what I drop out, so there isn't anything overly powerful. The quick description that works for me is to drop the low EQ on the kick mic(gets rid of overwhelming boomynness), the mid on the snare/hat mic(gets rid of overwhelming bangyness), and the high on the overheads(gets rid of overwhelming pshhhhhhyness). For me, taking away the most prominent part of the sound lets them blend together nicer.

 

[moresound]

(gets rid of overwhelming pshhhhhhyness)

I like this new word.

 

[Loffler]

thanks for all the responses, helping me heaps

 

[soundtips]

Hi Moresound. I'm doing fine, thanks! Yes, Bobby and I just completed a new book for Alfred Publishing titled "Home Studio Building Handbook". It is basically a book about how to refine your space to fit your recording needs, and to do so on a budget. The book was debut at NAMM last week, but will officially be released the last week of February! We are very excited about this new work. As for my comments on internet piracy, yes... apparently our drum book has been pirated and is out there for "sharing". We're not happy about it, but there is not much we can do personally. The book took a few years to write and it is a drag that all the hard work that went into it is being given away free by persons who do not even have any right to do so. Oh well... Anyway, I hope that you enjoy our work! Dennis

 

[moresound]

Hi Moresound. I'm doing fine, thanks! Yes, Bobby and I just completed a new book for Alfred Publishing titled "Home Studio Building Handbook". It is basically a book about how to refine your space to fit your recording needs, and to do so on a budget. The book was debut at NAMM last week, but will officially be released the last week of February! We are very excited about this new work. As for my comments on internet piracy, yes... apparently our drum book has been pirated and is out there for "sharing". We're not happy about it, but there is not much we can do personally. The book took a few years to write and it is a drag that all the hard work that went into it is being given away free by persons who do not even have any right to do so. Oh well... Anyway, I hope that you enjoy our work! Dennis

That sounds like a great new publication Dennis and right on the cutting edge of what's going on with home recording. I would think that you will see many sales of it.
Will it be available at say Barnes & Noble or other such outlets or just internet sales?

 

[soundtips]

That sounds like a great new publication Dennis and right on the cutting edge of what's going on with home recording. I would think that you will see many sales of it.
Will it be available at say Barnes & Noble or other such outlets or just internet sales?

We are hoping so! Bobby does more of the business end of things so i will ask him details and will let you know! Thanks for the good wishes on the new book, we are excited about it!