Getting the drum mix right.

[anon80808]

Hi there, new to the site, looks like a great place to be.

I have been recording for a while now, Im afraid Im very old school, I dont do any recording on a p.c, I have no "soft synths" etc, etc. I use the following kit...which I have continually updated since the 80's. Korg M1, Korg O1Wfd, Korg X3. Yamaha Csx1, Yamaha Csx2 ( I like them Roland D10. Emu Mo phatt, Emu Pro. Roland R8, Zoom RT123.

Ok so here is my question. I can get great results...until I introduce the drums. Ive tried all sorts of compression etc on the drum machine, recorded the bass drum on it's own...get a great sound then, when I drop everything else into the mix.... the bass drum...either goes way back into the mix...or sounds mushy, and not as clear as it was when programmed. Ive tried pushing the volume of the drum's up.... then they are way to out infront of the mix.... how can I get a happy balance.... I want tight bass drum hits, snappy snares (80's style) without having to push them hard in the mix.

Any thoughts would be great. Thanks for your time.

 

[Greg_L]

You need to work on and understand three simple concepts:

1) Tone
2) EQ
3) Panning

Tone: Drums usually "change" once you plop instruments all over them. A solo'd drum track might sound great, and then like hell once you get music around them. They all have to work together. Recording isn't like a live performance. Low end instruments like kick drums and bass guitars don't need a whole bunch of bass power when recording. That usually leaves you with a mushy mess, which is what you have going on here. Trim some of the fat off of your source sounds. Sometimes you have to sort of make a trade off. Do you want the low end power in the kick or in the bass gtr? Dial them in accordingly before you record. As you get better you'll learn how to get both of them thumping cleanly.

EQ: I'm sure you're familiar with EQ, right? Do some reading and learn how frequencies from different instruments interact with each other. Kick and bass seperation is a major part of a big but clean sounding mix. For example: a bass gtr isn't just rumbling in the low end. A lot of the definition you might want from a bass can come from the midrange....and it'll still sound very much like a bass. Same with a kick drum. Sometimes the frequencies you want in the bass guitar aren't critical in the kick drum, so you can scoop them out. Careful EQ'ing leaves room for both.

Panning: this is simply moving things around in the stereo field to give everything it's own space. Most people leave the kick, snare, and bass at or near the center. You can give them each a tiny nudge each way for space but things will still sound normal.

 

[grimtraveller]

Credit where credit's due ~ that was informative, concise and all in all a pretty potent package from the pope of punk. I wish someone had told me all that 20 years ago. It's a shame that as the thread loses heat, it'll get buried.

 

[theD1CKENS]

great advice, and possibly the longest post I've seen Greg make since his drum primer(good read. check it out)

also, THE PARAMETRIC SWEEP is super helpful. look it up. good bit of info on that little secret floating around these boards

 

[rfahey86]

As a last resort you could also side chain the kick to the compressor on the bass. But try and use Greg L's advice first.

 

[anon80808]

Well.... thank you, great advice...and as soon as I started reading it, it made sense, I do indeed get a great sounding drum track going....then it "disappears" when the rest of the music comes in. I will certainley try the tone's, as I DO "beef" the bass drum and bass up.... and now it makes sense as to why it goes to mush. I will also try the eq, and work out what is going on with my settings.

Anyway, thanks for your advice.

 

[JimmyS1969]

Here are a couple of EQ setting examples (Bass gtr first, Kick drum second) for a project I did recently. Not always what I use but worked for the low end on this particular project.

Experiment to find what works for your situation.