Hi, im am totally new at this.
I am using nuendo 4 and just want to know ho drum mixing works. the levels of each part of the drum kit. Must i get all of them close to 0.00 db on the faders and not exceed that. Like a louder kick drum or something. Just want to know what to do for the final mix?
thanx everyone.
Werner.

Hi Wernerdrummer,

It really depends on how the drums were recorded in the first place. and what sound you are going for.

One method is to use the overheads to give the main body of the sound, and then fade in the kick, snare etc mics to support your overhead mics.

So working that way i would start by listening to the overheads, panning each mic L or R, EQ as needed, maybe some compression.

then i think, 'what is missing?'

maybe the kick needs beefing, bring in a bit of kick mic, again eq, compression, and possibly a gate.

maybe the snare needs a bit more snap? bring in the snare mic, eq to make it 'snap', compress, gate etc.

But there are no rules to it, and the actual settings for eq, compression etc will vary on what the room you recorded in sounds like, what mics you use, how the kit was played/tuned.

its all just adjustments by ear, which can be frustrating and long winded at first but the more you do it, the quicker you'll get at dialling in the sounds.

actually, i'll go one step back and say that the best way to mix drums is to record them well in the first place!

If you get a good sounding room, well placed mics and a drummer who can balance their own playing then you'll have to do a lot less mixing to make them sound good!

But back to mixing....

A basic knowledge of EQ and compressors/gates will help a lot,

combine that with trail and error, small adjustments here and there, so you can see how changing one mics sound can affect the whole drum sound.

And i've found a HPF to be my best friend for mixing drums (you can get rid of a lot of spill from the kick on the other mics).

Hope that hasn't confused you too much!



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Ready Eddie?
Bingo Gringo!

Quote StuartBallingall:

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One method is to use the overheads to give the main body of the sound, and then fade in the kick, snare etc mics to support your overhead mics.

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For the sake of completeness I thought I'd point out that you can also work the opposite way round. Start with the kick and tweak it until it sounds good, then the snare, then the toms and finally the cymbals.

For a natural acoustic sound I'd go for Stuart's method but for a more in your face, processed sound I would work with the individual drums first.

James.

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JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

That is awesome.
Thanx guys. That helps a lot.
If i use something like ezdrummer to just create some songs and patterns, the faders are all on 0.00 as default.one friend told me that it should stay close to that for the final mix. So you cant tweak the kick a little louder thatn 0.00 for instance. Im always unsure about how loud i must put everything.
Will definitely start on those stuff.thanx.

I think your friend must have been refering to the master fader. Keeping all faders at or close to 0dB would result in everything sounding, well loud!

With drums you really need to have a lot of headroom because, invariably, they will undergo all sorts of dynamic processing, compression being the norm.

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Samplecraze
Stretch That Note

Quote Wernerdrummer:

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So you cant tweak the kick a little louder thatn 0.00 for instance. Im always unsure about how loud i must put everything.

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If you push the kick drum louder than 0db in your DAW, you are getting close to digital clipping, So i'd avoid that at all costs.

If its a heavy rock sound i'm going for i'll sometimes put a limiter on the kick, then you can push it a little louder in the mix without it clipping.

Its also about perception of loudness. i.e. you want your kick drum to sound louder, then turn down the other channels. Buss or Group compression of all the drum channels can then raise the overall level back up.

and how loud the individual parts are is totally dependant on everything else in the mix. Sometimes what sounds like a really good drum sound, will not sit in the mix very well. So sacrifices must be made.

The mix must serve the song, not the players preferences.

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Ready Eddie?
Bingo Gringo!

Post deleted by The Elf

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An Eagle for an Emperor, A Kestrel for a Knave.

Haha! nice one elf. There should be an award for the days most efficient use of knowledge!

2 posts with one stone!

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Ready Eddie?
Bingo Gringo!

Note to sElf: Check that the response you're pasting your reply into is the correct one.

Second note to sElf: Do not respond to posts from 2006.

Nurse! The screens!!!



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An Eagle for an Emperor, A Kestrel for a Knave.

I tend to have the bass solo'd aswell when I'm working on drums, I find it gets me to where I want to be quicker. I don't have to go back after working on a kick drum only to its eating the bass!

Elf, you been hittin' the shrooms again dude?

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Samplecraze
Stretch That Note