Relative volumes for drums?

[BobbyBalow]

Can someone give me an idea about good relative volume levels for the different things on a drum kit. Like snare @ -4 db and toms at -6 dbs. Things like that. Should the toms be quieter than the snare? how loud should the kick be compared to everything else? I guess the genere would be a big factor so lets say harder rock. Thanks guys!

 

[Dr Biscuits]

Whatever sounds good to your ears!
There's no set rules about "a snare must always be 2.862 db louder than the kick"... a good start for you would be to listen to songs you like the drum sound on and emulate that... there will most likely be patterns for what gets emphasized depending on the genre and/or era...
And don't forget, a lot of an instrument (or drum)'s percieved loudness is based on more than just db level... things like eq, effects and stereo placement have a dramatic effect as well.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

If the drummer is actually a good player, then you should at least consdier treating "the drums" as a single instrument; i.e. mix them so that the drummer and his performance dictate the relative volumes. If, OTOH, the drummer couldn't hit a snare at the same volume twice even if he wanted to, then consider mixing to cover his mistakes.

Using that as the baseline, then go beyond that to mix to the song itself. Where are the sonic "hooks" in the drums? Is the snare the driving beat? Then maybe consider emphasizing that. Does he have a particularly slick groove going on the hats? Make sure the listeners get it too. Do the drummer's fills and rolls on the toms sound particularly interesting? Then maybe bring them forward. Is the rhythm all about the syncopation between the kick and the bass? Then try to make that comes out as a fundamental foundation in the mix. Does these different aspects chage importance from verse to chorus to bridge? Then automate the levels accordingly. Etc.

G.

 

[ermghoti]

No rules. I got nothing. In '80s rock, the snare was the, no, make that, THE drum that the kit was built around. Mostly now, there is a big kick sound. On some recordings, notably jazz and some classic rock, the kick is near invisible. I have heard toms tucked under the snare, and I have heard tom fills louder than the rest of the kit. Cymbols can cover a belwildering range of energy as well. Select some reference mixes, and work to approximate them.

 

[gcapel]

The hardest drum for me is the kick. But I've set a stardard hard to reach, which is the Helmet album "Betty".