Drum Track Processing Tips, Part 3: Parallel Compression

Drum Track Processing Tips, Part 3: Parallel Compression by Thai Long Ly


This is the third installment in my series of tutorials on processing of drum tracks. We focus here on parallel compression.

So… your guitarist has decided that he’d like to triple track all nineteen of his brilliant ideas using his Mind Bleeder distortion pedal and your keyboardist wants to layer every cool Moog and Nord patch he’s ever programmed since the 80’s. Your bassist insists on playing nothing but chords he learned in Bass Frenzy magazine on his custom Booty Humper Low F# seven string. So how do you deal with trying to get your drum tracks to punch through this sonic wall?

You may want to experiment with parallel compression of your drum tracks. Simply put, you’re blending a compressed drum track with an unprocessed track for more “oomph”. I don’t generally care for this technique on anything Jazz related but if you’re dealing with a wall of mud and you can’t carve out the proper space any other way (or don’t have the time), this technique is worth exploring. So here’s how…. get your drum tracks sounding amazing utilizing the techniques described above. Done, right? Call your girl and tell her you’re coming home early and that you’re feeling frisky!

Kidding. Seriously… once you’ve gotten your drums in a good place, take a few elements of the drum tracks… say your kick, snare, and toms and bus them to the input of a compressor in wait via an aux send. Remember your drums are still being bussed to the master out in addition to the aux send you’ve just created. Now smash the snot out of the compressor in any manner you deem fit and gently blend the output of this mangled signal with your original drum tracks until you start to feel the drums gaining weight. You may find that you won’t need much… just a “hint” is all it may take to cut through that wall of doom. Essentially, you’re increasing the perceived loudness of the drum track without resorting to radical EQ or unjustified levels of gain. Many Mixers have mastered this subtle art and have produced amazing drum sounds that we hear day in and day out on the radio. Play around with it and see if it works for you. Hell, if you’re really feeling frisky (audio – wise) mess around with some slight distortion on the snare and kick drum tracks, too.

Have fun experimenting with parallel compression on your drum tracks, and be sure to read part four of this series in which I will discuss ambiance.

Online Recording Studios: Get Professional Services, Stay At Home

The costs of using a professional recording studio can be extremely high. Many of those reading this article know this first hand. This article is a brief overview of the advantages of using and online recording studio.

Traditionally, you have to pay for studio time by the hour. Even if you are well prepared with arrangements, time can fly by quickly in the studio and end up costing you plenty. And in terms of drum tracks, if the studio does not have a kit permanently set up you will be paying for studio time during the drum setup, while getting levels, of course while recording the drum tracks, and while tearing down.

All of this is enough to deter many from getting the tracks they need for their music. Some may play their own keyboard tracks or guitar tracks when they really need professionals to play them at the level needed. Some may end up programming backing drum tracks with drum sample software, ending up with uninspired, “canned” sounding drum tracks.

There is a solution to the high costs of getting pro tracks whether you need guitar tracks, bass tracks, keyboard tracks, drum tracks, mixing, or any other service.
That solution is the use of an online recording studio. This refers to a recording studio that offers its services online. In almost all cases, these services are offered at a significantly discounted rate compared to normal rates.

Of course once prices get below a certain point you may be dealing with a less-than-professional organization, but that is for you to research a and determine for yourself. Generally, there are some excellent online recording studios that offer great services at very low prices.

For example, many of these online studios offer custom drum tracks for prices ranging from $100 to $300 per drum track. Even the $300 per drum track price could save you money, because you are paying for the drum tracks but NOT the studio time. That means not paying for the setup and teardown time, no paying for cartage (transport of instruments), and you don’t have to watch the clock. No worrying about how much time the drum tracks take to get together because it is a flat fee! This of course applies to guitar tracks, bass tracks, or any other instrument.

These online recording studios are also very convenient in that the logistics are easy. You don’t have to go anywhere, except to your computer, and you also are not responsible for getting studio musicians to the online recording studio. This saves you more money, because often session musicians charge for transportation costs, including gas expense, possible plane tickets, and a per diem.

Because of the traditionally high costs of getting professionally recorded tracks, only high-budget projects could afford pro recording studio services in the past. Everyone else had to use their own home recording devices (from old four tracks to ADAT machines to Pro Tools). Now those with a fairly modest budget can afford to get drum track and other professional studio services. This great for music and for the ability of more and more people to develop their musical ideas in to something that really sounds the way they envision it, or sometimes way better!

It is also worth noting that many of these online recording studios offer mixing and mastering services as well. To be very blunt, too many talented people ruin their music by trying to mix it themselves. It takes a trained ear to get a great mix within a remotely reasonable time frame, and a professional mixing job can make an
incredible difference in your music.

So do yourself a favor and research the various online recording studios that are out there. You will end up with the pro sound you need and you might not even have to take off your PJs!

Online Drum Recording: Save a Huge Amount of Money Over Traditional Methods of Getting Drum Tracks

If you are reading this article you are probably investigating online drum recording versus traditional methods of getting professional drum tracks.

It is a wise pusuit indeed to look in to online drum recording because there are advantages. Or, more accurately, one huge advantage: you can save HUGE amounts of money getting online drum tracks over tradional methods of getting drum tracks.

Online drum recording=more bang for your buck.

Your savings with online drum recording are firstly based on not having to pay a whole bunch of people. To get professional, custom drum tracks you normally would have to pay 1)someone for rental of the studio space/recording equipment, 2)sound engineers, 3)cartage (transportation of the studio drummer’s equipment to and from studio), and of course, 4) the studio drummer.

And of course under traditional methods of getting drum tracks, when paying for rental of the studio you don’t pay a flat fee, you pay by the hour (not the case with online drum recording, in which case you don’t pay for studio rental at all).

That means you are paying while the studio drummer’s gear is set up, and while the mics are set up/patched in. You are paying while the engineer and the studio drummer are dialing in the sounds. You are paying while breaks that are taken during tracking of the drums, and after tracking you are paying while the studio drummer’s gear is taken down. Because unlike online drum recording, you have to pay for every minute of studio usage.

This can add up to some costs that are simply not within most budgets. Often an eight-song album can cost, just for drum tracks, upwards of $5000! Sometimes it can cost double that or more.

Online drum recording is much more affordable.

With online drum recording, you only have to pay one person for your drum tracks, the online session drummer. In most cases the online drum recording websites have a flat, per-track fee.
That means no worries about having to pay by the hour, nervously watching the dollars fly out of your pocket as the minutes tick by.

You also could save a lot of money in transportation costs. With online drum recording you save gas money not having to drive to and from the studio. Considering that many times studio drummers have to be flown to locales for recording, there are possible huge savings there as well. When taking advantage of online drum recording you can choose a studio drummer you dig without worry of location.

You have choices regarding online drum recording. There are numerous sites for getting online drum tracks from an online studio drummer, but you must choose wisely. You need great playing, amazing sound quality, and a high level of communication.

Look for more of my articles on the subject of online drum recording for guidance in finding the right online studio drummer for your project.

Online Drum Tracks - Tips for Success

Online Drum Tracks - Tips For Success
Getting custom drum tracks for your music from an online session drummer is a great idea for several reasons, but there are things you need to know to make good decisions.

Congratulations for recognizing an opportunity : you are looking into getting custom drum tracks from an online rock drum track provider. Using today’s technology to get something you need (while saving money and time) makes a lot of sense.

For those who already are hip to the advantages of getting your custom drum tracks online, I am going to help you better understand how to make good choices in terms of which provider to go with.

But first bear with me while I review the ways in which getting your drum tracks online can save you loads of time and money.

There is always the traditional way of doing things, which involves having to pay a lot of people and basically goes like this:

First, you rent a studio to record in. Rates can depend on a lot of things, including the area the studio is in. Studios located in more expensive areas are of course likely to charge more because of high rent. For a well-equipped studio, rates average around $150 per hour.

Secondly, using the traditional method, you have to hire one or more sound engineers. Sometimes the same person will set up the mics and run Pro Tools, Logic or whatever recording platform is in use. But often there will be two engineers, which of course raises your expense.

So far, you've got potentially three people you have to pay so far: the owner of the studio and possibly two engineers. Add the session drummer to the mix and that makes minimum three and possibly four people you have to pay for your custom drum tracks. If your budget has no limits, that’s fine, but if you seek to save money (without compromising quality, of course) there is a better alternative: getting your custom drum tracks over the internet from an online session drummer.

What a cool time we’re living in, getting to see technology expanding so rapidly and all the exciting changes that come with it. The ability to get do recording sessions over the internet is one of those things that seems highly unusual now but within one year or two will be quite common. But as of now this is a relatively new development and is in its beginning stages.

Not to digress, let me get to the point: What a huge advantage for those needing custom drum tracks for their music! Instead of having to pay someone for a room in a studio, pay and engineer or engineers, and pay a session drummer you can now pay ONE person, the online session drummer. This will save you loads of money, and you won’t have to leave your home.

You just send the files of your songs to whoever is doing your drum sessions online, they record the custom drum tracks, then they send you the individual drum tracks after you have approved them and paid. That’s a lot easier than coordinating the schedules of multiple people with yours, and it means huge potential savings in terms of travel budget for a recording.

And if you are in Europe or Canada, you can save even more money using an American to do your drum tracks online, as the dollar is very weak right now and the exchange rate will work very much in your favor.

Okay, now that everyone is up to speed on the advantages of getting your drum tracks from an online session drummer, lets get to the point of this article:
You need to understand your options in choosing an online drum track provider, so lets discuss what to look for in order to make good decisions.

Or perhaps I should say what to LISTEN for, because the first priority is GREAT SOUND.

Regardless of how perfectly an online session drummer plays on a track, if the recording quality is not of a professional, master quality level then its no good (unless your music artistically benefits from a lo-fi drum sound).

So lets establish this right away, that you want to compare websites and find which online studio drummers are providing clients with a truly professional product in terms of sound quality. And as you compare websites, you will surely notice that there are different levels of sound quality represented!

There are two main reasons for the wide discrepancy in sound quality between some of these sites: the varying levels of recording gear used and the and the varying levels of expertise in terms of sound engineering.

The bottom line is this: your ears will be able to tell the difference between an online studio drummer with little sound engineering experience using mediocre recording gear and someone with sound engineering expertise using the highest level, state-of-the-art recording gear. Logically speaking, the online session drummer you choose must either be a professional sound engineer himself or be working with one.

Most drummers, even if they know some stuff, are not professional sound engineers. On some of the Internet drum session websites you can really hear that fact.

It would seem that the bulk of these sites are run by drummers who play well, but are not using pro-quality microphones to record with. It sounds as if they don’t know much about placement of those mics either. Nor does it sound like they have a good room to record in.

Many online drum track providers have no analog equipment, and many have only eight or fewer inputs available to them.
.

Basically you can hear that there are many weak links in the recording chain on some of these online drum track websites.

And then there are a few sites that represent sound quality that is somewhat more acceptable…but still definitely “demo quality” as opposed to “master quality”.

As it turns out, there are precious few online drum track websites out there that are offering truly professional, “major label quality” sound quality! As far as sites that offer tracks for under $150 per track, I literally only found four that I considered to be in this category.

These sites are obviously run by online session drummers who either are professional sound engineers themselves or are using one, and are using the highest quality recording gear, with no weak links in the recording chain.

The rest of the sites offering this high sound quality level are run by guys you may have heard of such as J.R. Robinson, whom charge fees that are out reach for many based on their names.

So your first order of business will be to “weed out” the lemons, which frankly are most of them.

Warning: don’t be tricked into listening with your eyes, because some of the worst-sounding sites I found actually looked very professional and had a great presentation. But lots of flash content and visual presentation in general should have nothing to do with which online studio drummer you use.

In terms of rates, you can be suspicious of the sound quality of anyone charging less than $100 per song. Go ahead and do your own research, I’m just saying you get what you pay for. I actually found a very slick-looking site offering tracks for only $35 per song…WOW, that is cheap, and it truly sounded that way, like drums in a garage (and not in a good way).

My strong advice to anyone would be to spend what is necessary to get master quality custom drum tracks. It is still more affordable than ever before to do so because of online sessions. And if that means getting your budget together takes a few more months, it will be well worth it in the end.

Now that you fully understand how important it is to get major-label quality drum tracks (with no weak links in the recording chain), your next order of business will be to compare the level of communication that would be involved with any site you may choose.

I noticed that some sites had forms to fill out, several asking about artistic considerations such as when in the song the drums should enter, what sort of vibe is desired, or if the approach should be similar to that of a specific song or drummer.

This is a great place to start, but while some sites ended it there, other sites offer real-time communication through Skype or similar programs, which allow the session drummer and client to speak to each other during the recording session.

Obviously this type of setup involves a great level of communication and increases the likelihood of the your getting what you need musically from your online drum tracks.

This can easily save you money as well, as all of the sites I looked at charge extra fees for additional takes, often referred to as "mods" (modifications), or "re-dos". This is totally fair, but having to do an excessive number of takes per song can be avoided with the better communication offered by some of the sites.

Your last order of business in choosing what online session drummer to go with is the fun part: deciding which drummer would serve your music best!

Remember, if you like the playing but the sound quality is not at a master quality level, then its not good enough for your music.

Once you have narrowed your decision down to the websites offering the highest level sound quality, you just need to listen for which drummer sounds like the one to handle your songs the most musically.

Of course you want to listen for things like groove/feel, energy level (some guys sound like they are just “going through the motions”), dynamics, musicality of parts, support of vocals, etc.

So lets summarize: when choosing an online drum track provider, find one that will give you tracks of major-label sound, uses an online session drummer whose playing you really dig, and is going to be able to communicate effectively with you, hopefully in real time. I hope this article has been of some help to you, and that you feel ready to make some good decisions. Enjoy your creativity!

Major Label-Quality Custom Drum Tracks From A Versatile Session Drummer

Email Us Now At Shay@eDrumSessions.com

"How to Easily Get Killer, Pro Drum Tracks of the Highest Sound Quality: Risk Free!"

Dear friend,

Do you need custom drum tracks of the highest sound quality?

Are you deterred by the massive costs you have paid for drum tracks in the past, including:

studio time by the hour (including setup/teardown time!), staff engineers, and cartage (transportation of drums to and from studio) in addition to paying the drummer?

Have you spent hour after frustrating hour with drum sample software such as BFD, painstakingly putting drum samples together in a useless attempt to make them sound like a custom drum track – when you KNOW it will never be the same as a real custom drum track played by a session drummer for your song?

Maybe you've considered getting your drum tracks online, straight from an online studio drummer who does it all himself with no sound engineer...

... But you should know that's a mistake, because even though you may save a pile of money compared to renting a studio by the hour and paying multiple people, you're probably going to end up getting tracks that sound like they're made by some kid in his parent's garage, not the pro drum tracks you need.

The unfortunate truth is that while they may be great players, many online session drummers are learning sound engineering on the job...

...And these well-meaning guys are also using a lot of mid-level recording gear and cheaper mics and cables, all resulting in many weak links in the recording chain...

...and here is the secret they don't want you to know:

Sound engineering is a serious skill that takes experience.

Novice sound engineering and a weak signal chain will get you “demo level” results, not the professional, major label quality sound you need and deserve in your drum tracks.

And don't listen to that devil on your shoulder saying "Its okay, we can run the drum tracks through plug-ins until they sound right"…

Because every one knows:You can't polish a turd!

But I've got good news for you...

YOU HAVE ANOTHER CHOICE!

Just imagine how STOKED you will be when you discover you can get major label-quality custom drum tracks for your music, completely ***RISK-FREE!!***

You can FINALLY...

• Stop bleeding away your precious time slaving to put tracks together with a drum sample software package such as BFD...
• Stop spending top dollar to rent studio time...
  
• Stop getting poor sound quality drum tracks from a drummer who is a novice sound engineer because you want to save money -- ending up unsatisfied with the results

Hi, my name is Shay Godwin and I am a Los Angeles studio drummer.

I have recorded and performed with many independent and label artists (RCA, Interscope, Arista, Hollywood, and others) covering a multitude of styles.

I believe my calling in life is to provide musical support for artists of all flavors and styles, and nothing gives me greater satisfaction as a studio drummer than playing exactly what a song needs. Thats what custom drum tracks are all about!

"Shay is one of the most talented drummers I've ever had the pleasure of working with. He is a real musician that plays with taste, incredible feeling, and he is amazingly versatile in his styles." Charlotte Martin: founder, Dinosaur Fight Records

As a professional who has recorded in expensive rooms (such as Capital Studio A) and has contributed to drum sample software (I did all of the brush samples on the BFD XFL premium drum module), I have a unique insight into the previously mentioned problems you can have trying to get professional quality, custom drum tracks.

I can see that drum sample software, no matter how impressive, will never make music as exciting as real drum tracks. But I can also see that that getting real, custom drum tracks for your music can be financially out of reach due to high studio costs.

I decided to come up with a solution to these problems.

So I began talking with a great sound engineer friend of mine, Thai Long Ly of TL2 Productions, who gets better drum sounds than anyone I have ever worked with.


We decided to team up to give you...

all the benefits of hiring a session drummer AND a pro sound engineer, but for less than the traditional costs of hiring a pro session drummer alone--all without paying a dime in studio time!

Here's how it works:

You send me your songs in whatever format you wish. Appropriate selections are made from a variety of great sounding, well-tuned drums to fit the style of the song.

Then, state-of-the-art analog and digital gear and high-end microphones capture solidly grooving, musical, spirited drum tracks performed with both power and subtlety.


...and you get THREE TAKES of each song you send!

That's right, ***THREE TAKES!***

Each take will have subtle to drastic differences.

That leaves you a lot of room for editing as you wish.

As client Craig Campbell of Detroit puts it,

"Your process is great. The three takes is a perfect way to make sure it works."

Now, you may wish to speak with me to communicate a general direction you want on a track; I'm all ears.

OR...

Maybe you will leave things to my judgment; you'll be happy with the results.

OR...

Perhaps you have a programmed drum pattern you would like duplicated; I'll nail it.

OR...

Some may wish to send me charts; I'll be able to read anything you send me.

However you choose to do things, you will get drum tracks of a quality you will not be able to get elsewhere...especially at an extremely LOW price...

...WITH ABSOLUTELY NO RISK TO YOU BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T WANT THE DRUM TRACKS YOU JUST WALK! Your deposit (which is made upon sending us your material) will be immediately refunded and you have no obligation whatsoever!

How can I offer such a guarantee? Because I have that much confidence in my product, plain and simple.

NOT ONE CLIENT HAS OPTED OUT OF THEIR DRUM TRACKS. Our clients have been 100% ELATED, not just "satisfied".

You are going to love your custom drum tracks, and let me remind you that you will have three takes to work with and edit as you wish!

Other drum tracks sites with comparable prices will definitely not be using the same HIGH END RECORDING GEAR used here!

We're talking full-on professional studio stuff here, from a Neve 8816 board, to Royer and Audix mics, to Tara Labs cables (these are audiophile-quality cables, which makes a big difference in signal integrity) to Daking preamps. Check the gear link and see for yourself!

BUT DON'T JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, USE YOUR EARS!

GO AHEAD, COMPARE OUR AUDIO SAMPLES TO THOSE OTHER DRUM TRACKS WEBSITES--THE DIFFERENCE IN SOUND QUALITY OBVIOUS! (see link at top to "Listen to Sample Drum Tracks" page)


AT EDRUMSESSIONS YOU GET:

1. major label quality sound
   
2. custom drum tracks that are passionately played for YOUR song
   
3. to save huge amounts of time over putting together drum tracks from drum sample software such as BFD (that end up sounding sterile anyway)
   
4. big savings over paying to rent a studio, paying for engineers, drummer, etc.
   
5. a satisfying, interactive artistic experience in which you can communicate your needs to me through email or in real time (via phone or using Skype, free download)
   
6. to stay in your PJs while I track killer drums for you!

"Hi Shay, the takes are perfect, exactly what I was after and played with real
passion, thanks so much!" Owen Duff, London, UK

Under conventional circumstances, to get pro drum tracks you would have to shell out a minimum of $350 per track, plus paying for studio time and engineers, etc...

...but I AM PROUD TO BRING YOU MAJOR-LABEL QUALITY DRUM TRACKS AT THE INCREDIBLE PRICE OF JUST $200 PER TRACK if you act right now!
(A 50% per track *REFUNDABLE* deposit will be required - standard procedure).

You won't find drum tracks with a comparable level of playing and sound quality at this price anywhere else.

So if you are truly committed to getting the highest quality online drum tracks for your music and saving big money risk-free then contact me right away at Shay@eDrumSessions.com

.




Are you still thinking about it???
This is your ****RISK FREE*** opportunity to get the killer drum tracks that you've been dreaming about.

Take it from client Timothy Gillespie of New Jersey: "Shay! You nailed it! Great work. You were right. I have 'inevitable glee'. You played exactly what I imagined! I'm sure putting together a mix with your drums will be easy, but you make it hard to decide which takes I want to use..."

YOU CAN'T LOSE.

So go ahead and click the button below to make your deposit, and get the communication going right away at Shay@eDrumSessions.com!

REMEMBER, getting your drum tracks here will save you lots of money over going into a studio (while reaping all the benefits of that situation) and lots of time over using drum samples (with much more musicality), and you will be STOKED with the drum sounds!

THIS IS UNDOUBTEDLY YOUR BEST BET FOR GETTING DRUM TRACKS ONLINE, so take advantage!

IF you are serious about getting the highest quality custom drum tracks and saving then get the ball rolling by contacting me right away!

Shay@eDrumSessions.com

I look forward to working with you and giving you the master-quality, custom drum tracks your music deserves.

Online Drum Recording : How It Works

Step 1: Lets communicate. Contact me through the following email address: Shay@eDrumSessions.com. In the email provide a brief description of your project. This just gives me some preliminary info before we talk on Skype (free download) or I can provide you with a phone number.



Step 2: I will need you to send me the following:

1)Your "scratch" tracks for my reference. If you have MIDI drum tracks you want me to mimic for your online drum tracks, please send two versions of the song (one with the MIDI drums and one without for me to record to). I can record to "stems" or even to just an mp3 mix.

2) A 50% deposit per song. (Go to my eDrumSessions.com home page for Paypal button, or I can invoice you when I get the tracks.)


Step 3: I will record THREE good takes of your track (each take with subtle-to-blatant differences), then upload mp3s for your review. Once you have indicated your satisfaction, I will send you a Paypal invoice for the remainder of your balance. You then will be sent a link to all individual drum tracks. *****This means ALL THREE performances of each song.**** These will be sent "dry", with no plug-ins etc. unless you request otherwise.

Step 4: You reap the benefits of having the highest quality custom drum tracks available for your music!


If you have Skype (free download - do it!) or iChat we can communicate more thoroughly, which I strongly recommend if our schedules allow it. Or I can give you a phone number. This way you can communicate your needs/suggestions to me in conversation, which will result in an interactive and creative experience and get better results.

Any further questions, please refer to the FAQ page or contact me at Shay@eDrumSessions.com