Drums (and bass guitar) are the foundation of a great mix.
If the drums aren’t right, the mix lacks energy and loses its impact.
With all the signal processing available to us (EQ, compression and gating), it is easy
to get overwhelmed.
The most important thing to keep in mind is to never use signal processing just because
it is available, only use it to solve a problem.
With that in mind, let’s go through the foundational EQ, Compression and Gating techniques
for mixing live drums.
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For great sounding drums, you first need to make sure your drum heads are properly tuned,
mics are placed correctly and gain is set properly.
Then, a few simple EQ techniques will take your drums to a whole ‘notha level.
Instead of spitting out all these settings on video, I thought it would be much easier
if I just create a cheat sheet you can download with all of these EQ settings.
I’ll include a link in the description where you can grab your copy of my Drum EQ Cheat
Sheet.
Now, let’s talk compression for drums.
It is common for sound techs to put compression on almost every drum mic, but this is not
necessary unless you have an inexperienced, uncontrolled drummer.
Even in this case, you will probably only need light compression on the kick drum and
possibly the snare.
The kick drum is something you want to stay pretty steady throughout the mix, so if you
have a drummer that is inconsistent, use the following compression settings:
Ratio: 2.5 Attack: 60ms
Hold: 30ms Release: 300ms
Then set the threshold to where average gain reduction is around 3-6dB.
And don’t forget, only use compression to solve a problem with volume inconsistencies.
Don’t use it just because it is available.
Now, what about gating on drums?
When talking to an audio engineer, especially one that works in a studio, he will recommend
that the drums be fully isolated with proper gating so there is no cross-talk between the
microphones.
I am not going to say this is wrong altogether, but it is not the right solution for church
live sound.
When the drums are fully isolated and gated, it is tough to get them to fit with the rest
of the mix.
Think about it…When isolating, you are putting the drums in another room, so to speak, yet
trying to make them sound like they are in the same room as the rest of the band.
This takes some serious skill and finessing which only full-time audio techs can master.
If the acoustical energy coming from the drums is too much, you have options.
I actually have a video that gives you several things to try other than a drum shield.
I’ll include a link in the description.
So, when should you use gating?
When the floor tom is mixed so that you feel it in your chest, even the slightest head
vibration will be amplified through the sound system as low frequency feedback.
This is a great use for gating.
Simply set the gate so that the vibrations in-between hits are not heard.
Here’s Sample Gate Settings for the Floor Tom.
Attack: 5ms Hold: 1ms
Release: 650ms Range: 60dB
Set threshold so that light hits still come through, but any low frequency feedback is
gated
Another use for gating would be if too much hi hat is coming through the snare mic.
However, a better solution is to communicate with the drummer, asking him to lighten up
on the hi hat.
Gating the snare is tricky business – do so with caution.
Currently, I am gating the top mic of the snare so that it is nice and punchy without
ringing afterwards.
The bottom snare mic is left wide open (no gate) so that soft snare rolls are still heard
even when the gate on the top mic remains closed.
There is more to know when it comes to an amazing drum mix.
I’ll include a link in the description to the next video you need to watch: 5 Tips for
an Amazing Drum Mix.
If you have questions, drop them in the comments.
I’d be glad to answer.
If you’d like to see more videos like this, give me a thumbs up to let me know.
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See ya next time.