Drum track: please help with EQ

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chris Farley
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Chris Farley

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Hello,

I just joined this forum and this is my first post. I wanted some pointers on drum eq: which frequencies to cut and boost on this track. I just got these mics (shure PG52 and PG56) for the bass and snare and this is my first recording with them. Just the 2 mics were used.

Both are mic'ed close up; the snare mic is clipped to the rim and the bass drum mic is inside the drum with no front head, a towel around the bottom of shell touching the head, with a cast iron pan on it and the mic on top of the pan on a miniature stand.

I would appreciate any help or advice to make it sound clear, lively, and crisp.

Thank you!
Chris

This first one is the updated one.





Also, I am trying to embed the soundcloud file in the post without much luck. Any tips on embedding?
 
Last edited:
Embed your SoundCloud link inside (soundcloud)...(/soundcloud) tags. Replace the open/closed paren's that I typed with square brackets - [, and ].

I'm not going to be able to give you any decent advice on EQing. That depends on the rest of the song, the sound you're going for, etc. I would google something like "snare drum EQ" and such. There is a bunch of info out there that can explain what cuts and boosts in various ranges will do to drum tracks. Then apply that knowledge to your tracks. Compare your drums tracks to the drums on pro mixes that you like. And try to use your EQ knowledge to get from where you are to where you want to be. It takes practice.

I thought the sound you got was really pretty good. I'm surprised, given the description of your setup, how much I'm hearing from the cymbals. Add a set of stereo overheads and you're in good shape IMO.
 
Nice! That worked! Thank you for the tip.

Also thank you for the listen and the advice. What is a decent set of overheads you might recommend?
 
You're going to want to mic that bass drum differently. It sounds whoofy and loose without real low end.
 
Thanks for the feedback and I'm definitely open to suggestions on mic-ing, tuning, muffling, etc. Any suggestions for that bass drum?
 
I couldn't say for sure. Maybe your towel is too much.
A good kick sounds like you're being smacked in the face. You can hear the crack of the beater but also a thick "thump".

Just do like a dozen different microphone positions. There is nothing stopping you from abusing your tools.
 
I think you have captured a decent enough sound, and post processing could yield any number of desirable outcomes (in terms of styles and quality). The kick in your sample sounds hot/overdriven, so you might want to turn down the gain.

Using compression and EQ you could easily get the snare snappier and without so much 'hitting a can' effect, and simply bring up the lowest kick frequencies (shelf starting at 100hz) should add some decent low end, a.k.a "balls".

If you're routing these mics through a mixer and the mixer has basic EQ controls you might be able to get this sounding good with just some tweaks there.

No advice on overheads, I haven't mic'd a kit in many years (I still frequently mess with mics on the virtual Superior Drummer kit though). Just about anything low noise, flat (no coloring), and that captures high frequencies to 20khz will suffice. Normally you want two mics on the kick (one inside/at the hole, one at the beater), two on the snare (top and bottom), one for each tom, one for the hi hat, and several overheads for the cymbals.
 
Thanks for your input on this! I have begun messing with the frequencies and boosting the bottom as per your suggestions; I have something that is okay but not spectacular. The mixer is very bare-bones with only the mic inputs and gain sliders, no eq on it at all. I'm looking into another mixer that I can use to record the mics to separate tracks on the computer. Right now, both mics are on one track so it's becoming somewhat messy trying to eq.

I will try some things with multiple mics on each drum, also will try pulling the gain down on the bass drum. Any tuning suggestions? I have the batter head tuned down to where there is barely any tension on it at all to try to get a good clicking sound from the beater.
 
Just my experience on a kick... I do pop/rock type of stuff. I have never got a satisfactory low end from a kick from an EQ boost. For my tastes, the low end on the kick should come from mic positioning. When I boost the low end on a kick, it gives it a more sterile/techno sound. If that's what you're going for, then great. But if you want a more rock sound from a kick, beware of low end EQ boosts. And as always, this is just my experience. It's not necessarily what other people have come across.
 
Thanks for the reply. Could you share your methods on mic positioning? How many mics you use? Tuning? I noticed what you are talking about when adding eq to the kick making it have a less natural sound.
 
Sorry, I'm not a drummer. I've only worked with other drummers, and they did the mic'ing/setup. I've mixed a lot of drums, but I haven't tracked any. So I'm not the best person for that.

But from what I know micing other things... It's a lot of trial and error. Try moving the mic closer then further from the drum head and run some tests. Move your mic from the center of the head out towards the edge and run some tests. Do combinations of these different positions. Keep your tracks from different tests and label your tracks based on mic position (e.g., "Kick mic 2 in away from head, 4 in out from the center, pointed at batter"), and compare one against the other.
 
Yea, I guess the key is just experimentation until you find the right sound. It might take a while but it will be worth it once I find it. Meanwhile, I have attempted some eq on the original track, which I have posted in the first post. Basically want to see if I'm on the right track. I will re-record the drums with some different techniques shortly and repost it. Also, I will post the bass guitar, guitars, etc. that go with it.
 
TripleM said:
When I boost the low end on a kick, it gives it a more sterile/techno sound.
Click to expand...

That's what reverb is for, to help fill out the entire kit's sound (especially giving the kick some thicker presence). ;)
 
Since you're already using Shure PG mics it would be sensible to get overheads of similar grade. Their PG81 condensers would be a good match.
 
I like the PG81, use it for acoustic guitar mic'ing and have used it a while back for some basement drum jams.
 
I'm going to buy 2 of these PG81's next week. Also, what's a good usb mixer that you route each mic to a separate channel on the computer?
 
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