Drum Track Processing Tips, Part 4: Ambience by Thai Long Ly

Drum Track Processing Tips, Part 4: Ambience by Thai Long Ly

You’ve now just downloaded your WAV’s from an online recording studio, imported the tracks into your session and pulled up the faders to zero. “Holy chasmic echo, Batman… that’s a lot of room!” Well, yes and no. Yes, that’s a lot of room if you solo the drums by themselves. Now start adding guitars, bass, keys, vocals, etc…

Too much room now? Or do you simply notice that the drums are sitting in a nice “space” in the mix without the need for artificial reverb? I generally like to record my room mics on the hot side, with plenty of level. Maybe more than you’ll actually use in the final mix… but it’s there if you need it. This gives you the most latitude when it comes time to create your atmosphere and space. Trust me, you’ll thank me in the end.

So, if you want more of a Beach Boys type thing or a 70’s dry drum sound, then back those faders down. If you want a modern R&B thing where the drum kit sounds more like samples, then simply mute the room mics altogether. Rock? Crank those room mics up from the beginning! How about this for a creative, fun use of room mics: sneak the room mics in during choruses only, or during big drum fills. This will add more presence and excitement without resorting to EQ or level changes. Again, suit to taste and don’t be afraid to experiment with processing.

Bear in mind that a healthy use of compression on room mics is pretty much standard practice for most rock productions. The aim is to get the compressor pumping in time with the track so that the drums start to sound exciting – like they’re about to explode out of the speakers.

But dig this: once you realize that a good drum track isn’t merely about punch and impact, that it should have depth and a real sense space as well, your productions will take on a whole new life. The quickest, most natural way to a cool sonic landscape is through the creative use of room mics in your mix.

Check out my other articles on drum processing on this site, covering topics such as use of compression and gating. In Part 5 equalization will be the focus. Until then, enjoy the process of applying what you have read.

Drum Track Processing, Part 5: Equalization Guidelines

Drum Track Processing Tips, Part 5: Equalization Guidelines by Thai Long Ly

Writing about equalization of drum tracks (or any tracks) is a tough subject. It’s sort of like smoking about bath water. Generally speaking, subtractive EQ is better than boosting, but really, anything goes. I tend to favor hardware over software, but often times a plug-in allows more surgical moves so I’ll utilize them with drum tracks when necessary. Here are some concepts that I tend to think about when I approach a mix.

KICK DRUM and BASS GUITAR. Here you must decide where each element will live. Will the bass carry the low end information while the kick drum track provides the punch or will the deep impact of the kick dominate the lows while the bass sits right on top? There are no rules, but I tend to let the tempo and busy-ness of the bass line dictate who lives where. If you have a down tempo number with a fairly slow bass line, it may be nice to have the bass carry the bottom octaves while the kick drum track smacks you in the chest. Conversely, if you have a busy 16th note bass line on a fusion track, the kick may want to live in the basement while the bass surfs the stairs. This is usually my first critical decision when I start a mix and it will set up the way I address the rest of the tracks beyond the drum tracks.

SNARE and VOCAL. How do you get a snare drum track to “crack” with punch and clarity without stepping all over the lead vocal? You either have the snare sit above or below the frequency of the vocal. In a lot of modern R&B tracks, you’ll find that the snare drum track sits above the lead vocal, with a lot of the bottom end pulled out. The snare takes on more of a “snap” than a “whack” type quality. This leaves a lot of room for the dozens and dozens of vocal tracks that are the norm for this style of music while still providing a solid backbeat. A lot of Rock and Pop settings will have the snare EQ’d slightly below the vocal so that the voice is the brightest thing you hear besides cymbals. This allows the snare drum track to really “smack” like it would if you were sitting next to it. In this type of situation, I tend to boost anywhere from 100Hz to 250Hz in subtle amounts to give the snare some “weight” and “slam”. Remember, a properly tuned snare will be quite throaty sounding in a good room. The snare drum track should have some low end. Again, there are no rules, just things to think about as you’re searching for sonic bliss. Often times, a good ol’ fashioned notch around 300Hz – 400Hz will remove the honk and boxiness of a snare (or any drum track, for that matter) so experiment there. Also, boosting in the 3.5kHz – 4.5kHz range can do wonders for finding the right amount of “crack” and presence for your snare drum track.

Go ahead and experiment with these concepts, and be sure to read my other articles on this site. Part six will further address equalization of drum tracks and will focus on overheads, toms, hi-hats, and room.

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!

eDrumSessions.com and Engineer Thai Long Ly in NAMM publication

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