drum mixing.rtf

9 drum mixing tips Computer MusicMay 22, 2012, 9:16 GMT Mixing drums is one of the most challenging aspects of music production !ith so many "aria#les, you can$t %ust fly at it &illy'nilly and hope to get good results (ere are nine tips that &ill help you to ma)e your drums sit #etter in your trac)s *or a complete guide to drum mixing, chec) out the May 2012 issue of Computer Music maga+ine CM1--. /e"er# inserts lthough you can use a single #ussed re"er#, there$s no reason not to use inserted r e"er#s on your separate channels short, dar) $"er# on the )ic) a longer , #righter one on the snare etc f you choose to do this, though, #e careful not to ma)e it sound li)e each of your drums is in a totally different space to the others ' unless you$re going for deli#erate &eirdness, that is 3arallel compression 3arallel ' or $4e& 5or)' style$ ' compression is simply the act of mixing compressed and uncompressed "ersions of the same signal in order to reduce the dynamic range #ut retain all those punchy attac) transients ither #us your drum group through an auxiliary trac) &ith a compressor plug'in inserted and mix it &ith the original or use a compressor &ith a &et7dry mix control 8idechain the o"erheads r ange of cool eff ects can #e created #y putting a compress or7gate on the o"erh eads channel and )eying it from the )ic), snare or hi'hats ey a freuency'conscious gate from the snare to emphasise the airy o"erhead signal &ith each snare hit or compress the o"erheads "ia the )ic) to dra& the sides in &ith each )ic) hit ;"erhead processing pplying a stereo &idening plug'in t o the o"erheads channel can &or) &onders f or the sense of #readth T &o things to a"oid &ith o"erheads, though, are o"erly hea"y < #oosts a#o"e 10)(+ and compression though a touch of compression can #e effecti"e for a "intage'style sound. nd if your o"erheads sound unexpectedly &eird in any sense alongside the close mic channels, don$t forget to try flipping the phase =ring the noise f the &ires on your snare drum aren$t ma)ing their presence felt strongly enough, &hite noise can #e used to add a synthesi+ed #ac)up layer >oad up any analogue synth &ith %ust a &hite noise oscillator acti"e and tune it uite high ?ra& in a single M? note for the duration of your drum trac) and insert a sidechain'a#le gate plug'in onto the synth$s mixer channel ey the sidechain from your snare trac) and set the gate threshold and en"elope parameters so that the synth only triggers &hen the snare hits, then fades out uic)ly and smoothly eep the le"el of the fa)e $&ires$ lo& in the mix and #e a&are that it might need muting during fills The same tric) can #e used to add sheen to hi'hats and e"en ' using a sine &a"e ' su#'#ass to )ic) drums @ust a phase =ecause a drum hit &ill ta)e slightly longer to reach the o"erhead mics than it does the drum$s o&n close mics, its timing &ill #e slightly smeared across the channels This is part of the sound of recorded drums, and it can help to create some cool tones as &ell as smoothen sharp

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8/14/2019 DRUM MIXING.rtf

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9 drum mixing tips

Computer MusicMay 22, 2012, 9:16 GMT

Mixing drums is one of the most challenging aspects of music production !ith so many"aria#les, you can$t %ust fly at it &illy'nilly and hope to get good results

(ere are nine tips that &ill help you to ma)e your drums sit #etter in your trac)s

*or a complete guide to drum mixing, chec) out the May 2012 issue of Computer Musicmaga+ine CM1--./e"er# inserts

lthough you can use a single #ussed re"er#, there$s no reason not to use inserted re"er#s onyour separate channels short, dar) $"er# on the )ic) a longer, #righter one on the snare etc fyou choose to do this, though, #e careful not to ma)e it sound li)e each of your drums is in atotally different space to the others ' unless you$re going for deli#erate &eirdness, that is3arallel compression

3arallel ' or $4e& 5or)'style$ ' compression is simply the act of mixing compressed anduncompressed "ersions of the same signal in order to reduce the dynamic range #ut retain allthose punchy attac) transients ither #us your drum group through an auxiliary trac) &ith acompressor plug'in inserted and mix it &ith the original or use a compressor &ith a &et7dry mixcontrol8idechain the o"erheads

range of cool effects can #e created #y putting a compressor7gate on the o"erheads channeland )eying it from the )ic), snare or hi'hats ey a freuency'conscious gate from the snare toemphasise the airy o"erhead signal &ith each snare hit or compress the o"erheads "ia the )ic)to dra& the sides in &ith each )ic) hit;"erhead processing

pplying a stereo &idening plug'in to the o"erheads channel can &or) &onders for the sense of#readth T&o things to a"oid &ith o"erheads, though, are o"erly hea"y < #oosts a#o"e 10)(+and compression though a touch of compression can #e effecti"e for a "intage'style sound. ndif your o"erheads sound unexpectedly &eird in any sense alongside the close mic channels, don$tforget to try flipping the phase=ring the noise

f the &ires on your snare drum aren$t ma)ing their presence felt strongly enough, &hite noise can#e used to add a synthesi+ed #ac)up layer >oad up any analogue synth &ith %ust a &hite noiseoscillator acti"e and tune it uite high ?ra& in a single M? note for the duration of your drumtrac) and insert a sidechain'a#le gate plug'in onto the synth$s mixer channel ey the sidechainfrom your snare trac) and set the gate threshold and en"elope parameters so that the synth onlytriggers &hen the snare hits, then fades out uic)ly and smoothly

eep the le"el of the fa)e $&ires$ lo& in the mix and #e a&are that it might need muting duringfills The same tric) can #e used to add sheen to hi'hats and e"en ' using a sine &a"e ' su#'#assto )ic) drums@ust a phase

=ecause a drum hit &ill ta)e slightly longer to reach the o"erhead mics than it does the drum$so&n close mics, its timing &ill #e slightly smeared across the channels This is part of the soundof recorded drums, and it can help to create some cool tones as &ell as smoothen sharp