snare and kick compressor settings?

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busted kitty

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Hi all,

I'm pretty lousy at recording drums. Could someone share with me some typical compressor settings for snare and kick drums? I know that this will depend on the drummer and the sound that I am after - I'm just looking for a setting to start with. This is for a rock band - I would like to find a fat snare and kick sound.

PS: Should I be using compressors on the hats and symbols?

Thanks for all of your help!
 
for a real snapy sounding snare, tune the head up real high and then set a pretty high ratio on your compressor. and you may want to set a low setting of somewhere below 0db.


good luck. sorry for the short reply but, i'm in the school computer lab right now and i think i see a teacher comeing :eek:

seya

Zeke
 
Thanks. I'll try this tonight. Any thoughts about compressing the kick?
 
A general setting for Snare and can be used on Toms...
Ratio 3:1 , Fast attack and release. If the signal still peaks try 4:1.
For Cymbals
start w/ 2:1 (3:1 if needed) w/ Fast Attack and slow release ( to preserve the natural decay time of the cymbals)

Good Luck,
B.
 
i use about a 30ms attack time for snare and 35-40 attack time for kick.
 
Amazing.........

...all this advice about specific settings without knowing the context of - or even hearing - the tracks!

You guys must be fuckin' incredible engineers!!! :p

You guys mix using only meters too?!?!?

:eek: :eek: :eek:
 
busted kitty said:

PS: Should I be using compressors on the hats and symbols?

Thanks for all of your help!

I sure would not if you have if you can get around it. If your using your snare mic also to pick up the hi hats your left with little option.

Hi hats & cymbals are very dynamic. I would be carefull not to kill that quality.

F.S.
 
Well Big Bear, if you read the question... "Could someone share with me some typical compressor settings for snare and kick drums? I know that this will depend on the drummer and the sound that I am after - I'm just looking for a setting to start with."

You'd see that it was a small attempt at getting Busted Kitty a little familiar w/ some settings on one of the more difficult effects to learn how to use.

Why would you even respond to this? What's your Expert advise to B.K.? "Sorry but your SOL, the only way to help you is to come over to your house and give you hands on."

You must really be some kind of engineer yourself... With almost 7000 post since 2001...? Jesus! Don't you have anything better to do? Where's the Clientell?

You must be monitoring your mixes while surfin the web.

Even the Moderator RE only has 2500 post since 1999.

I'm not trying to make a enemy of you but give us a break... besides everyone knows the secret to a good mix is by watching the meters while listening to headphones.

:rolleyes:
 
Booda said:


I'm not trying to make a enemy of you but give us a break... besides everyone knows the secret to a good mix is by watching the meters while listening to headphones.

:rolleyes:

Is this a joke?

F.S.
 
Booda said:
Well Big Bear, if you read the question... "Could someone share with me some typical compressor settings for snare and kick drums? I know that this will depend on the drummer and the sound that I am after - I'm just looking for a setting to start with."
Yeah? What's "typical"?? How long is a piece of string???

Booda said:
What's your Expert advise to B.K.?
Read about compression, then play with the knobs himself... There's no such thing as "typical" compressor settings.
 
The thing about compression, which is especially daunting for newbies (still learning myself, but getting there), is that it may not be distinctly audible but the cumulative effect in the mix gives it that difference. Since it's not always distinctly audible on solo tracks at lower settings, a newbie might get frustrated and push it too much (altho I love a crazy assed compressed rockin drum sound) -- attack and release times can be particularly confounding. So yes, there are generalities you can make in the context of rock/pop music (tho one really needs to know more about the style since that term is so vague now) that can help. . one would need to know more about mics/mic placement/room/style of music though. .

A lot of it is in the attack/release times, the threshold and ratio define compression more quantitatively while attack/release is more qualitative. Generally, extremely transient material such as snare, you would want to tame the attack somewhat and bring out the tone of the drum, so you would use a fast attack (to catch the initial hit) and a relitavely fast release (so the compressor kicks out of its compressed mode before the next hit). With something like a bass guitar, say, it you wanted more attack, you would use a slower attack time to let the initail transient slip through uncompressed, and probably an intermediate release time (on the fast end, but not too fast) to tighten up the tone. It is something of a listening thing, and a lot of times it is subtle; the results accumulate in the mix, though.
 
Blue Bear Sound said:
Yeah? What's "typical"?? How long is a piece of string???

Twice the distance from the middle to the end, I believe. ;)

The point is, that while my answer to the Bear's rhetorical question is actually a legit answer for every piece of string EVER... you still really have no idea how long it is, because each one is different.

And, while I've got TONS to learn, I'd be willing to bet that it's kind of like asking someone a question about parenting. There are things that work for some people, and don't for others. If it was clear cut for every single situation, every expecting mother and father could just buy the book on how to do it right, and we'd all have perfect children. ;)
 
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