Drum Track Processing Tips, Part 6: More Equalization Guidelines

Drum Track Processing Tips, Part 6: More Equalization Guidelines by Thai Long Ly

This is the sixth installment of my article series on the subject of processing drum tracks. Today’s focus is on equalization of overheads, toms, hi-hats, and rooms.

OVERHEADS. Where do I begin? Applying EQ to an overhead track depends entirely upon the artistic approach you’re employing for your song and their respective drum tracks (I suppose this is true for anything, but stay with me here). If you’re simply using the overheads as cymbal mics, then you’ll want to roll out most of the bottom end using a Hi Pass Filter. Simply dump everything below 500Hz or thereabouts and sneak the track up in level so that the cymbals sit in a proper place (with the drum tracks and the song in general) when struck. You may want to boost above 10kHz for some “air” as well.

If you’re looking for the overheads to convey location of the individual elements of a kit, as well as to capture the kit overall, then a fairly broad cut centered around 400Hz-500Hz is all that’s needed to pull some honk out of the kit to make room for the rest of the drum tracks and other instruments. Again, some lifting above 10kHz is nice to bring out some presence and sparkle and you may want to dip down towards 7kHz for more snap out of your snare drum track.

TOMS. “System of a Down”-type toms? Kill the bloom and resonance (below 250Hz) and accentuate the stick hit and attack (1kHz – 4kHz) of the tom drum tracks. Modern R&B? Bring up the resonance of the shell and let them ring. Find the resonant frequency and boost until they’re howling. Now fit that in with the Overheads and see what happens with the drum tracks in relation to the song. What seems like overkill when soloed now feels right when the rest of the track is playing doesn’t it? Good. That’s what it’s all about to begin with! Always take that into consideration regarding your drum tracks.

HI-HATS. Dump below 500Hz unless you want the sound of the session drummer’s foot thumping away. Adding air above 10kHz can work too. Just don’t overdo it and end up with overly sizzly sounding hats. That sounds terrible, and can ruin your drum tracks (and therefore your song).

ROOMS. Just mangle the snot out of these. Or don’t. Filter them. Effect them. Or don’t. Make ‘em dull. Or don’t. Make ‘em bright. Or don’t. See where I’m going with this? Good. Use your ears to decide what is best for you drum tracks.

CONCLUSION
So there you have it. A basic set of concepts to get you up and rolling towards amazing sounding drum tracks. And as if it hasn’t sunk in by now… EXPERIMENT! Find your own voice and signature sound when mixing drum tracks. Copying someone else’s sound is cool for about a minute… but ultimately what will set your project apart from the pack is what you discover on your own. Remember, the drum sounds you create in a mix will dictate the power and presence of your recording. What sets a demo apart from a master? Drum sounds! Good luck processing your drum tracks, and have fun.

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 Drum Recording- Why Drum Sounds are so Important

Congratulations! If you are reading this article then you must be hip to the advantages of online drum recording, that is getting drum tracks from an online session drummer. This is the easiest, most cost-effective way to get custom drum tracks for your music.

There are many considerations when choosing an online session drummer, and the drum sounds are as important as any. The actual drum sound quality being achieved on an engineering level is extremely important.

All of the online drum recording websites have drum sound samples that can be heard. Some may be examples of a fully produced song with that particular session drummer on it. In most cases you can also hear examples of dry, unprocessed drum sounds by themselves. Be careful to compare the quality of the drum sounds being achieved by each session drummer.

While it is obviously essential that the performance (in terms of the session drummer’s playing) on your drum tracks is top-notch, a great performance can certainly be squandered if the drum sounds are not what they should be.

The quality of drum sounds are the sum of: 1)how well the drums are tuned, 2)the way the session drummer hits the drums, 3)the sound engineer’s level of expertise, and 4)the recording gear being used.

Obviously if the online session drummer is engineering his own sessions, this can translate to lame drum sounds unless the drummer is a trained sound engineer. Great mics won’t even remedy this situation if the online studio drummer is not an expert engineer.

So for great drum sounds to be achieved there must be high-level, pro mics and outboard recording gear involved --and a high level of expertise in the use of that gear.

On the other side of the coin, if drums are not properly tuned and struck in a way to provide a great tone, all the high-end recording gear and engineering expertise in the world won’t save the drum sounds from lameness.

For example, the bass drum sounds must be good. You don’t want to have drum tracks that end up with the bass drum sound being weak in some way.

Few things are worse than an overly-clicky bass drum sound, for instance. Some metal-type tracks might call for some extra articulation in the bass drum sound, and thusly perhaps some closer mic placement and/or a hard bass drum beater. But there must be sufficient bottom end to the bass drum sound, without it being too much. Yet many drum tracks suffer from an anemic bass drum sound that has been acoustically sabotaged through the stuffing of pillows and blankets into the bass drum.

Another annoying bass drum sound commonly heard is the “boingy” sound. This is when the bass drum has not been properly tuned and sounds like an empty water cooler jug.

Another important factor would be the snare drum sounds being achieved by any given online session drummer. Does the snare drum sound have great punch? Does it have enough “crack” without losing “fatness”? Certainly the snare drum sound should not be “papery”. That weakens the overall vibe of the drum tracks.

How about the toms? They should be warm and articulate. And the tom sounds should also be consistent. Toms should resonate equally, there shouldn’t be one that blatantly rings way longer than another. Nor should any two toms create a “flutter” sound when ringing together. That can be a real problem with drum tracks.

Each drum in general should be tuned well, with no obviously nasty overtones. That doesn’t mean that the drum sounds have to be dead or completely without overtones by any means, but no headache-inducing frequencies ought to be standing out in your drum tracks.

Overall the drum sounds have to be easy for you to mix and EQ. And of course any EQing of drum tracks must be for aesthetic, stylistic purposes—NOT as an attempt to cover up bad drum sounds.

Plug-ins (which this author is not a fan of) such as Vintage Warmer should be used on drum tracks only creatively, not to “polish a turd”.

Good luck on your quest to get drum tracks from a session drummer online.

Drum Tracks: Why Communication Is So Important When Choosing An Online Session Drummer

If you are reading this you are probably aware of the benefits of getting drum tracks from an online studio drummer. You are presumably familiar with the fact that your drum tracks will cost you much less from an online studio drummer than from a session drummer in a conventional setting.

In a nutshell, the reason getting drum tracks from an online studio drummer is cheaper is because there are fewer people to pay than when using conventional methods. You know the drill: you have to pay the owner of the studio for the studio time, the producer, engineer(s) on the job, cartage to transport the drums to the studio, and of course the drummer.

When choosing an online studio drummer for getting drum tracks, it is important to consider the level of communication that will be involved. This is especially true if you have specific ideas to convey about what you want in your drum tracks.

Despite all of the benefits of getting drum tracks form an online studio drummer, some are hesitant about doing so because they feel or know they would miss the interaction of being physically in the studio with the studio drummer.

This is indeed a legitimate concern. In fact there are studio drummers who themselves miss the creative interaction of traditional studio work.

Unfortunately, many online studio drummers have policies that hinder communication. Many online studio drummers allow only email communication through their websites. This is a big turnoff for people who would feel more confident about getting the right drum tracks if they could talk directly to the studio drummer.

In fact many online studio drummer sites limit communication about your drum tracks to a form that you fill out at the beginning of the process asking silly, generic questions such as "Should the approach be simple or complex?" Your drum tracks and your music deserve a higher level of interaction with the online studio drummer than that.

Most online studio drummers have a policy of charging extra for additional "takes" beyond the alloted number. This is fair in general, but not so much if the client is not able to discuss the drum tracks with the online studio drummer. Not being able to discuss the drum tracks prior to the studio drummer recording them increases the likelihood that you will have to shell out more money for additional takes because you didn't get what you wanted in the drum tracks.

The best way to avoid this problem is to use an online studio drummer who offers a way to communicate verbally, whether by phone or by Skype (or a similar internet conference program). If you can discuss your drum tracks with the online studio drummer prior to the drum tracks being recorded the likelihood of getting what you want in your drum tracks is increased.

It is worth mentioning that Skype is a great program. If an online studio drummer uses Skype to communicate with clients, it is certainly the next-best thing to being in the room with them...and is sometimes very much like being in the same room with them, even if they are in Australia!

So, while there are many factors to consider regarding getting drum tracks from an online studio drummer, the level of communication offered is going to be very important.

Good luck on your search for drum tracks using an online studio drummer.

FREE DRUM TRACKS: DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF FORCING THEM ON TO YOUR MUSIC

If you are reading this article then you must be in need of drum tracks for your music. You may have noticed by now that you can get "free drum tracks" or "free drum loops" from many session drummers on their online drum track websites.

The main purpose for online session drummers offering these free drum tracks is promotion. They want to get you - -the songwriter in need of drum tracks-- to visit their websites, and there is nothing wrong with that of course.

The free drum tracks can be useful to you as well, in ONE WAY: to compare the drum sounds being achieved by each session drummer on their respective drum track sites. In that respect, the free drum tracks are great for helping you decide where to get custom drum tracks recorded for your song.

That's fine, but you shouldn't think for one second that there are any benefits to forcing free drum tracks on your music. I say forcing free drum tracks on to your music because that is exactly what you would be doing.

Your music deserves drum tracks that are custom-recorded. Even if a free drum track is a beat that sounds okay for some of your song, there will be moments when variation will be needed. Sometimes the variation would need to be subtle, sometimes drastic. Either way, having generic "free" drum tracks with no variation and possibly a wrong vibe will damage your music. Considering this unacceptable sacrifice, these free drum tracks are not "free" at all, as your music will pay the price.

People can hear a lifeless drum track whether they realize it or not. Its a subliminal thing. Free drum tracks were not made with your song in mind. Even if the listener is not conscious of why your song doesn't feel quite right, the lack of energy coming from the free drum track will be felt by the listener. So even if the drum sounds are good, forcing free drum tracks on to your music is not the way to go.

Of course, the session drummer websites that offer free drum tracks know that you will eventually reach the conclusion that custom drum tracks are necessary to really give your music life! This article is just a bit of friendly advice to save you some time and get you ahead of the curve.

Free drum tracks are not the way to go, your music deserves custom drum tracks.

Good luck with your research into drum tracks from an online session drummer.

Session Drummer Shay Godwin

"Shay Godwin is one of the top session drummers I've had the pleasure of working with. He's a one take wonder, which is great in the studio because time is money. Shay was extremely professional, and well prepared. He has killer sounding drums, and was able to give me all kinds of snare tones to choose from. We will be working together for many years."- Jay Ruston, Producer/Engineer/Mixer, credits include Brian Wilson, The Donnas, Abandoned Pools, Dianna Ross, American Idol, Morrissey, Polyphonic Spree, Meatloaf

Shay Godwin is a versatile professional session drummer who has accompanied many very creative independent and major label artists. He brings both power and subtlety to any music he is involved in.

Some of the artists Shay has performed and/or recorded with include Charlotte Martin (RCA), Butterfly Boucher (Interscope/Geffen), Paul Freeman (Arista), Rama Duke (Hollywood), and James Blunt (Atlantic).

All of the brush samples on the BFD premium drum module 1st edition expansion kit were performed by Shay.

In 2004 Shay was honored to contribute drum tracks to "Eight O'Clock at the Shop", an independent release by singer Caren Manuel on which many great musicians played including Al McKay (guitar - Earth, Wind, & Fire) and Tim Carmon (keyboards - Eric Clapton, Babyface, Marcus Miller).

On Sarah MacLachlan's 2004 Afterglow Tour, Shay played with the opening artist Butterfly Boucher, with whom he also performed on AOL Sessions Live.

Shay has toured the world several times with legendary Persian singer Siavash Ghomayshi.

Shay's drumming has been heard in the the film "The Breakup" (WB) and on television shows "Las Vegas"(NBC), "One Tree Hill"(WB), "Summerland"(WB), "Twilight Zone"(Sci-Fi) and others.

Television appearances include the Late Late Show (CBS), The Sharon Osbourne Show, MTV's Advance Warning, "Las Vegas"(NBC), "Miss Match"(NBC), and "Charmed"(WB).

Shay proudly endorses Vater Percussion, Aquarian Drumheads, Axis pedals/hardware and Turkish Cymbals.

Drum track FAQs

Who owns the rights to the drum tracks? After payment has been received and you receive your drum tracks you own the rights to them and may do as you wish with them without my consent.

If I have added MIDI drum tracks to my song, can I have you play the same or similar pattern? Yes, just send two versions of the song: one with the MIDI drum tracks for my reference, AND a file without the MIDI tracks for me to record my drum tracks with.

Why do I have to pay a deposit? This is standard practice and is done to "weed out" less committed clients.

Will my information be shared with anyone? I will NEVER share your information with any third party, that is my policy. This is a secure site.

What is your standard microphone configuration? We have 16 high-quality inputs and generally use 12 of them: BD internal, BD external, snare under, snare over, tom1, tom2, tom3, HH, overhead R, overhead L, room R, room L. We can make any variation on that configuration that you request.

What if I have a large file but a slow internet connection? You can always send me the file through regular mail on a DV-R.

How can we communicate? Emailing me some info about your musical preferences is a good start, but beyond that we could communicate though Skype (a free download) or iChat.

Can I be physically present at the recording session? If you live in LA (or want to travel here) and want to be at the recording sessions, separate rates apply. Contact me at shaydrums@hotmail.com for further info on this.

How do I pay? With Paypal, of course! Most major credit cards accepted.