recording drums without hardware compressor/limiters

  • Thread starter Thread starter wes480
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wes480

wes480

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ok, i give up...

I am recording my Yamaha drumset with my Aardvark Q10.

I dont have any hardware compression, and I can't get any decent levels on my drum sounds....it comes out sounding really weak...everything is at like -15 db just to avoid the spikes.

Using Rode NT3s as overheads, SM57 on snare, ATM 25 on kick drum...

Whats the cheapest option i could get away with to get like 4 channels of hardware limiting/compression...SOMETHING, just so that I could avoid the clips, and it wouldn't mess with my sound too much?

I wouldn't be using it for other instruments/vocals probably...becuase I am not having trouble with that.

But, maybe there is something about drums I am just going about wrong...but at this point I don't see how I (or anyone else)could do it without something to kill the peaks before it goes to the preamp.
 
My Behringer 802A compresses drums quite well all by itself as long as you don't hit it too hard.:eek::D

You probably want something a little higher up on the quality chain though.......

Perhaps something like this?
 
do you guys use hardware gates also on the drums to isolate them?
 
I record with a pair of NT3s and have them found them to be pretty 'hot'...maybe you want to back them off a bit?

My solution is to run them through a BlueTube and use the -20db pad to contain the 'hotness' of the signal and be able to get decent gain without distortion....

just a thought
 
keilson said:
do you guys use hardware gates also on the drums to isolate them?
Click to expand...

i like bleed...bleed is good....especially on a simple 4 mic setup.....
 
beringer makes great compressers. i have one myself. it's two channels on compression,limiting and gating. it's about $100.00

but think of this....compression will make your drums sound better and louder, but if you can't get a loud sound without compression then, you should tweak the gain knobs some.
 
Agreed

pratt said:
I record with a pair of NT3s and have them found them to be pretty 'hot'...maybe you want to back them off a bit?

My solution is to run them through a BlueTube and use the -20db pad to contain the 'hotness' of the signal and be able to get decent gain without distortion....

just a thought
Click to expand...

I've been trying to record my kit with an NT-3 and an NT-1, and I can't get a good sound out of them for the life of me. They are incredibly hot and harsh. Can anyone recommend a good EQ curve or processing technique to help with this? I know a bad track can't be fixed in postproduction but I have no other good overheads to work with. I guess it doesn't help that my drums sound like crap, bleh...
 
ZEKE SAYER said:
beringer makes great compressers. i have one myself. it's two channels on compression,limiting and gating. it's about $100.00

but think of this....compression will make your drums sound better and louder, but if you can't get a loud sound without compression then, you should tweak the gain knobs some.
Click to expand...

the link i posted above is for 4 channels of compression / limiting for $119 and the limiter is alot better than the compressor, but may be just what the doctor ordered........
 
gidge - so the limiter is what I would want to use to just avoid clipping? compression would just be for the "effect" and making it louder...i can do that in software..not worried about it.

but if the limiter will soften out those would be clips for me...then that would rock.

I'd like to be able to hang around -4db or so, for the majority of the dry tracks...

and thats impossible currently like i said becuase the clips will kill otherwise good tracks.

As far as the NT3s - yes, I have found them amazingly hot as well. A lot of times I have to turn the gain down about as low as it will go on the Aardvark - can you get an external -20db pad for these, or any mics?

I wasn't sure if they had to be specially made or something.

thanks guys
 
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