Drum mixing query

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ksgblue1948

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Hi,
I am mixing some drums and have a problem with my snare, it keeps peeking and clipping even when i turn the volume right off to below -90 as it's getting picked up from the other mics on the kit. I have put a gate on the kick drum and has helped a little but is still happening, should i gate the other mics (ie, high hat/toms) as a solution?
 
ksgblue1948 said:
Hi,
I am mixing some drums and have a problem with my snare, it keeps peeking and clipping even when i turn the volume right off to below -90 as it's getting picked up from the other mics on the kit. I have put a gate on the kick drum and has helped a little but is still happening, should i gate the other mics (ie, high hat/toms) as a solution?
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Turn down all the mics together until peaks are below 6dB, preferably around -12dB or even less. Then mix to sound good with the bleed. Gates probably won't solve your problem, but you could try polarity inversion on different mics or even nudging tracks around up to 6ms or so.
 
How could you even understand a question from that post? Where is it clipping? In your DAW during mixing? On the pre coming in?
 
i believe he is saying that whenever the snare hits, his signal clips his overheads or toms or kick or what have you. so he is trying to patch it with gates.

either you need to place your mics better if your toms are clipping or if its your OH's clipping then you need to do what boulderdash said.
 
But like Greg said, we still don't know if he means clipping on the way in, or if the clipping occurs during mixing.

Either way, the answer is.....here we go.....turn everything down....whether it's your gain while recording, or your faders while mixing. Go for the levels that Boulderdash suggested. :)
 
ah yes, thanks for clearing that up Rami.

I tend to be an idiot at times and you keep me on my game ;)

good point greg
 
Greg_L said:
How could you even understand a question from that post? Where is it clipping? In your DAW during mixing? On the pre coming in?
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It doesn't matter that much. If the preamps are clipping then turn those down (and I'll revise my suggested level to -16dBFS). If the whole mix is clipping then turn the channels down, or the master fader in a floating point system. I figure we'll adapt our advice as we learn more details.
 
Bisson820 said:
boulderdash
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:laughings:

RAMI said:
Either way, the answer is.....here we go.....turn everything down....whether it's your gain while recording, or your faders while mixing. Go for the levels that Boulder suggested.
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When I think of the many lessons I've picked up during my time at HR, this one from RAMI about not tracking or certainly not mixing hot has been among the premier gems. So in his honour, I present;
 
because they dont know there is a process of turning it back up later lol.

everyone is scared of not getting commercial volume.

dumbies
 
Greg_L said:
I don't get why so many people simply can't turn things down.
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It's the unknown, Greg. I think that because we've become so volume oriented, if you've not done it before, it just doesn't seem logical that you could turn everything down low, do a mix and have a powerful loud finished result. Once the mix has been run through a limiter or mastered, then you know. You're no longer the uninitiated. But until that point it just seems like the mix or elements within it just won't stand out and be powerful. That initial time mixing with everything turned down, there's an almost irresistably persuasive force willing you to go louder, louder, up, up, up........
However, resistance is useful. :D
 
My monitors are controlled by a knob. I can mix low and crank the monitors so it still sounds loud!
 
Thanks for the messages. When i recorded the drums they were not clipping at all which is why i was a little baffled. I have released it was when i put a bus in on the drums to get some over all gentle reverb on the tracks the clipping occurred. Turning it down sorts it out!
Is hard when you're starting out, the simple things seem to go out of the window. Everyone has to learn and making mistakes is the only way to really progress.
 
ok so lesson learned should be if its clipping turn it down.

it is NEVER ok to clip
 
ksgblue1948 said:
Thanks for the messages. When i recorded the drums they were not clipping at all which is why i was a little baffled. I have released it was when i put a bus in on the drums to get some over all gentle reverb on the tracks the clipping occurred. Turning it down sorts it out!
Is hard when you're starting out, the simple things seem to go out of the window. Everyone has to learn and making mistakes is the only way to really progress.
Click to expand...

What do you mean "put a bus on the drums"?

There are a couple of different uses of buses. You can assign the drum channels to a bus for subgroup mixing where you can insert effects (okay for eq or compression but not the usual way to add reverb), or you set up an effects bus and send variable amounts of each drum to it (the usual way to add reverb). Some DAWs have different tools for each, others have generic buses that are defined by how you route things.

With an effects bus you should set the reverb to 100% effect (just reverb return, no dry drum sound) or the channels you send to it will get louder when you add reverb.
 
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