Aug 25, 2007 09:17 pm I always compress my room mics. And I compress the snare lightly to tape, when mixing, it's a different story.
thoughts on compressing drums?
Posted on Aug 25, 2007 06:21 pm
JAMESveeder
Member Since: Aug 25, 2007
is it necessary for getting a professional drum sound? im having problems getting a good drum sound that i like, i know i can get it to sound better. I have this mic kit: www.guitarcenter.com/shop...l_sku=103727673
I'm just looking into a cheap 2 track compressor (for the snare and bass drum) or something, i think it could improve the sound of my drums, what do you guys think?
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Aug 25, 2007 09:17 pm I always compress my room mics. And I compress the snare lightly to tape, when mixing, it's a different story.
Aug 25, 2007 09:42 pm This subject comes up frequently.
Compressing a drum takes the life right out of it. The thing I really don't understand is when people compress drums, then wonder why they don't sound dynamic or punchy.
If you have a good drummer and a good sounding kit (both important) or a good drum machine, leave the dynamics alone on the drum tracks. If the drummer still sounds weak, fire him.
How's that for an opinion?
Aug 25, 2007 10:30 pm I totally disagree with not compressing drums. I'll concede to leaving the overheads with little or no compression, but when it comes to kick and snare, compression is how to get it sounding punchy. You can really get a good crack on a snare with the right compression settings, and a really good thud on a kick with the right settings. With no compression, they get buried in the mix and sound lifeless to me.
Now you've got 2 opinions :)
Aug 25, 2007 11:06 pm Tadpui, I believe in tools as much as the next guy. I just think they're being overused.
I stand behind my statement. If a sound is a good sound, it will be worth listening to if -
It was recorded using proper techniques, on high quality gear, with an engineer possessing decent ears, and without any special processing. Period. Tools should not be used to compensate for lack of talent. Such usage can quickly make an already bad situation even worse.
Dynamic processing should be tastefully applied. If you have to use it, start at the lowest ratio first, and go up slowly from there.
I don't know how old you are, but I remember when music had dynamics, and the goal of engineers and producers was quality, not maximum volume. Good sound can be had without the belief that everything in the mix has to be smashed. Frankly, I'm sick to death of music without dynamics.
Aug 25, 2007 11:12 pm I don't compress comming in. If I did it would only be to limit not to color so to speak. In the mix, it all depends. I am working with a very stable drummer right now with very consistant strikes. In this case I use little overall compression to control variances. Now, the sound of the kick and snare, there is a cudundrum. Many bands want a surealistic sound on those instruments. If that is the case, yes I will brick wall them or do whatever to get the sound they want. I use two mics on both the kick and snare. For the kick I can get a lot of varience by blending the batter mic and the skin mic. On the snare I can also get a lot of variance by mixing the upper and lower, controling the spring or actual 'snare' activity. I won't disagree with either approach above. For me it is largely a function of the kit, the drummer, and the expectations of the group.
Aug 26, 2007 12:30 pm Hmm, well thanks for your opinions and suggestions.
My drumset that im using to record is not very good, that could contribute to why it doesn't sound as nice as i want it to. I may actually go over to my friends and use his set and mess around with it, see what kind of sounds i can get. I'm 16 and I've been experimenting with recording techniques and mixing and thinking about starting a small business for recording/producing the locals' music.
What are your approaches on reverb/delay on drums?
Aug 26, 2007 02:10 pm I like plate reverbs on drums. As far as delay goes, I would only use it as a special effect, like a tape delay. Listen to "When The Levee Breaks" by Led Zep, that's a good example of tasteful delay on drums, IMHO.
Aug 26, 2007 02:15 pm I usually compress the snare and kick. I find that compressing the kick is a really good way to get the perceived volume of the kick louder. I use it on the snare to get a handle on the different velocities of the hits.
I may add a touch of verb but generally I get enough verb out of my room sound. For example, I will bring up the volume of my room mics to introduce more verb.
Aug 26, 2007 03:49 pm I haven't messed around with reverb much though, I will try the plate reverb and see what kinda sound it produces.
I like how they use the delay on the drums in When the Levee Breaks. It fits the song well.
And that's I was thinking about doing, compressing the snare and the kick. It just makes sense to me. I wont need to buy a compressor though if i get a firewire mixer that can put each track individually into a music editing program.
Aug 26, 2007 11:04 pm If it sounds like crap going in, compressing it wont do anything.
Get a good sound to begin with and if its too soft compress it. If not leave it alone.
Crap is crap, crap in and crap out. You might end up with some gold plated crap as your end product, but get it right on the basic mic/drum set/drum player level and your life will be easy.
Aug 27, 2007 12:50 am so, let me start by saying I don't record live drums. I use drum samples in my hip hop production however. I think compression of drums is very useful however. The goal (for me) is not to flatline the waveform, but rather to add punch to the drums. Adjusting the attack and release depending on the drum sound will help add punch or bring up the ambience in the sample (or recorded clip) depending on what sound you are looking to achieve.
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