Step 1: Fine-tune the drum pitch

The drum itself is not a melodic instrument, but the drum does have a certain pitch, and it is important to ensure that the drum sound is in tune. The Torque plug-in is specifically designed for changing the root tone of drum sounds. If possible, you can try tuning the kick and snare to the root or fifth of the melody.

Toms are usually tuned to different intervals in the same key, depending on how many toms you have. The fewer toms, the wider the interval. For example, when there are three toms, they are usually tuned to a perfect fourth, sometimes a major third. Some musicians and producers will even adjust the toms to match the chords of the song.

Synchronizing the drums with the melodic elements of the track in detail can play a powerful role in the compactness of the overall sound of the piece.

Torque

Step 2: Phase Correction

After adjusting the pitch of the drums, ensure the phase between the individual tracks A good relationship is a very important part. When tracks are out of phase, phase cancellation can occur, causing certain frequencies to sound unbalanced or even disappear entirely.

When you think about the physical distance between the drum kit and the pickup microphone, it’s easy to understand the common phenomenon of drum kit phase misalignment. Every time the snare drum (usually the loudest and most obvious sound in the drum kit) is struck, a close mic at the snare position will pick up the sound first. Hi-hat mics and other mics placed further away from the drum kit will experience a small but critical delay in picking up the sound.

All drum tracks are recorded and played back at the same time, but due to the different distances from the snare drum, the original track is overlaid with several sets of snare drum sounds at different times and distances. When all microphone channels are played together, the sound will have some phase changes, causing the sound to be "blurred". To correct this, it is customary to mic the cymbals and other distances to the snare drum so that the kit sounds as clean as possible.

To align and tighten drum tracks, you can use the InPhase plug-in

Step 3: Add gates and transient shaping

Some engineers like to apply dynamics processing before EQ, while others prefer the reverse order. Both are possible. Just be aware that the two methods will sound different, so experiment to see which method works best for your workflow.

If you're recording a drum kit, you're almost certain to encounter drum crosstalk - the sound of the drums being recorded into nearby microphones. To gain maximum control over each individual sound, recording engineers use gates and expanders. They're great for getting a clean kick and snare sound that can be manipulated freely without interference from neighboring drums and cymbals.

Adding a gate to clean up the sound is to lower the level to zero and only open the gate and allow audio to pass when the level is large enough to exceed the threshold. Gaters are often included in channel strip plug-ins, such as the Scheps Omni Channel, or the SSL E-Channel and G-Channel plug-ins.

You can load the processor on a drum channel that has crosstalk, and then lower the threshold until the crosstalk is eliminated. In this way, only the sound you want can pass through normally, or the threshold is opened. Adjusting the Attack time (the speed at which the threshold opens) can affect the explosive power or sound transient, while adjusting the Release time can control the closing of the threshold at which the sound attenuates. You can also use the expander function to set the range so that crosstalk is reduced by a certain amount, rather than completely silenced.

Typically, engineers will edit the track in their DAW and remove the crosstalk in the tom. At this point, work on the clipping tom transients, adding a little fade on the attack and decay to make the kit sound natural.

Plug-ins such as Smack Attack assist in processing the transients of the drum sound

Step 4: Subtractive EQ

Generally speaking , subtractive EQ is accomplished through parametric equalizers, such as SSL E-Channel and G-Channel. You can try using a narrowband setting with a high Q value to locate problem areas in your recording. If you have trouble identifying conflicting frequencies (such as a stubborn chirp in a snare drum shell), try using sweep technology:

SSL E-Channel and G-Channel

Step 5: Additive EQ

Additive EQ is usually done with a wider, more diverse equalizer. Some people like the sound of the API consoles with the API 550 and 560, some like the "rock feel" on the Scheps 73 modeled after the classic Neve 1073 equipment, and still others love the old-school sound of the RS56 or PuigTec EQs.

RS56

Here are some of the most common frequency areas to focus on when equalizing your drum kit:

Kick Drum

Snare

Tom

Cymbal/Crash Cymbal

Step 6: Compression

Balances the frequency spectrum, With drum crosstalk under control, it's time to focus on dynamics. Compression is tricky, but it's also one of the key factors in achieving modern drum sounds.

Typically, 3-6dB of gain reduction is applied to the kick and snare drums. Toms are sometimes compressed, but this depends on how often they appear in the song. Cymbals, crash cymbals, and room mics are treated in a variety of ways, from "jazz without compression" to "rock to pieces".

Just as important as the amount of compression is the timing of the compression.

A slow attack time allows the initial sound to pass through before being compressed, but setting it too slow may cause the compressor to miss some beats.

A fast attack time enhances expressiveness by attenuating the initial transient of the hit, which is good for greater control, but setting it too fast can dull the vibrancy of the track, causing it to get lost in the mix. middle.

A relatively fast release time can help increase the perceived loudness and allow the drum sound to "come on", but too fast a release time may result in an unnatural pumping sound.

Many mixers set up drum compression to allow some of the attack of the initial transient to pass through, and use the release to make the drum's decay more discernible to increase perceived energy. Do an A/B comparison of the compressor and you can see if adding dynamics would help.

An easy way to find the best attack and release times is to start with the slowest attack and fastest release. Slowly reduce the start-up time until the initial transient impact begins to be lost, and then dial back. Then, slowly increase the release time until the compressor starts to "breathe" in sync with the song. When the drum hits the sound, the needle should jump 3-6 dB, before it returns to 0, and the next drum hit will push the needle back 3-6 dB.

When these are set up correctly, the drum sounds will feel alive and lend themselves to more musical and dynamic mixes. The SSL E-Channel and G-Channel channel strips, V-Comp and API 2500 plug-ins are some of the commonly used compressors for processing drum kits.

V-Comp

**Step 7: Reverb**

In order to increase the sense of depth, the engineer will give Send a single drum track plus reverb. The exact settings for reverb will depend on the song, but the length should generally be related to the tempo.

For example, in most cases when a snare hits, you should clearly hear the decay of the reverb tail just before the next snare hit. If the reverb tail doesn't disappear before the second snare hit, the reverb is probably too long.

Mix the reverb effect with the original dry sound track to create the desired sense of space. Unless you want to do a very creative effect, the most common way to set it is to make the reverb channel level feel "missing" when muted, but not so loud that the reverb track stands out or makes it too much. Pay attention to its existence.

To create a sense of space, Abbey Road Reverb Plates is a good choice

Small shortcut: Signature series plug-ins

Apply EQ and compression , dynamics processing and drum mic effects require a lot of work. Luckily, veteran mixers like Chris Lord-Alge, Eddie Kramer, Jack Joseph Puig, and Tony Maserati have all designed signature plug-ins that put their battle-tested effects processing chains at your fingertips. Each of these Signature Series plug-ins offers a unique combination of EQ, compression, reverb and dynamics processing for kick, snare, toms, cymbals and room mics. Each plug-in comes with a variety of presets to help you get the best drum sounds quickly.

Step 8: Set up parallel compression

It is very common to add parallel compression in order to thicken and enhance the sound of drums. Basically, you set up an auxiliary track where the various channels sent from the drum kit are processed and then mixed in parallel with the rest of the drums. Depending on the sound you're trying to achieve, maybe you'll send the snare and hi-hat to the parallel bus, or you could add a little bit of tom in the crash cymbal. You can then send the parallel channel to the drum bus along with other drums.

The SSL G-Master Buss Compressor is a common weapon for parallel compression.

If you further add color processing to the parallel channel, you can get huge drums. Voice. Some engineers will completely flatten, colorize, and crush the sound of their parallel drums (10:1 compression ratio) - which is not necessarily what you want. However, when mixed back together with dry drums, the sound may gain extra pizzazz, providing a vital sonic complement to the kit.

Step 9: Use Bus Compression

Bus compression is typically more subtle than compression applied to individual channels and helps "glue" the drum kit together.

The compression ratio of bus compression is usually kept at a low level of about 2:1. The attack time is generally very slow to ensure the transient burst of the drum kit.

Release time varies depending on the track speed, and it's also common to use the auto-release feature on many compressors such as the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor.

Some compressors come with built-in features that are great for drum processing. For example, the API 2500 features a unique "Thrust" filter on its threshold detector, which prevents low frequencies (such as those in the kick drum) from triggering the compressor too aggressively. This is useful because adding sonic energy to low frequencies can easily trigger the compressor, affecting high-frequency sounds such as cymbals.

Multiband compressors like the C4 allow for better control of the drum bus because they allow each part of the spectrum to be processed completely independently

Chapter 10 Step: Set Up Automation

Every DAW allows you to program volume automation controls, which is a simple yet effective way to bring life to your drum tracks. For example, once the mix is ??basically OK, listen carefully to each drum channel throughout the song. You might find that the hi-hat level is great during the verse, but needs to be lowered a bit at other times—or boosted by 1dB in a certain section to give it more impact.

Near the end of the mixing process, automated detail settings can further enhance the drum sounds in the mix, adjusting the overall sound presentation to the listener.

In the end, you should have a punchy kick, a crackling snare, a thunderous tom, and a sparkling cymbal. Remember, these guidelines are just a starting point. Be sure to listen to the drum sound and arrangement as a whole, and don't be afraid to tweak the knobs and use your own creativity.