Overdub or what???

[TamaSabian]

I record my drumkit using the recorderman 4 mic tecnique. There are 2 songs I´m working with that have toms, I need to bring them up, I´ve boost 400-600hz but it´s not enough, not too much definition of the stroke. I need more practice to get used to play hard on toms, soft on cymbals. I think the performance is fine, just need more tom sound!!!. Do you have any idea how to solve this problem??? Is the overdub the only way to go???.

Thanks
TS

 

[Cloneboy Studio]

How about raise the volume levels on the toms? Even if it is mixed down you can go in and wave edit each tom hit to be louder. Or you could re-record. Overdubbing the toms sounds like a recipe for disaster unless you are equipped for that, and it is really necessary.

 

[Rokket]

Why not try to double track the toms? Just copy and paste the entire track, assuming of course that you are using software to mix/edit/master....

 

[TamaSabian]

Thanks, you have saved me, I was prepared to overdub. I´ll work with the wavs I have and try to find if raising volume or copying the whole track could be fine for what I´m looking for.

 

[Rokket]

I'd definitely look into what we suggest. Overdubbing works good for guitars when you want subtle differences in what each guitar is playing, but unless you are pretty exacting when you overdub your toms, you will get a very bad result...

 

[Cloneboy Studio]

Punching in drums is a risky proposition. I've done it, but it took a few passes and a fair amount of leeway. Drum tuning is the big enemy here as well as the drummer nailing the right feel of the prior punch.

Of course if it's a punch where the drums weren't playing or you deleted the old drums it's easy. I do that all the time.

 

[TamaSabian]

Here´s what I finally did:

For one of the songs I used envelopes and raised the levels when the tom parts come. There are two parts with 45 secs were I use toms and snare playing like GNR you could be mine pattern (intro). In the whole song I also use something like Cure´s just like heaven tom fill. I try to edit each tom with Sounforge but I don´t like the results. I think that the speed of the song and tom fills makes it harder.

The other song was a different story, Soundforge helped me to get the tom pressence I was looking for. In this song I just accent with the toms making double strokes, there is more space between each fill, and I don´t hit cymbals in the middle of the break or fill, so if I raise the levels I have toms no toms + cymbals.

I like the results, thanks for your tips

Alfonso