Feel free to browse our blog Musicians Instruments For Sale. You will discover here the honest product review you have been looking for about Cymbal Set. If you enjoy our website, then please don"t forget to click an appreciation button above.
Ian Matthews - Kasabian
Cymbal Set
Drum Tracks And Processing, Part Six: More Equalization Guidelines By Thai Long Ly
This is the sixth installment of my article series on the processing of drum tracks. Today’s focus is on equalization of overheads, toms, hi-hats and rooms.
First lets talk overheads. Where do I start? Applying EQ to an overhead track depends on the artistic approach you’re employing for your song and their respective drum tracks (which is true for anything, but stay with me here). If you’re primarily using the overheads as cymbal mics, then you’ll want to roll most of the bottom end out 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 also want to boost above 10kHz for some “air”.
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 to get more snap out of your snare drum track.
Now lets talk toms. “System of a Down”-style toms? Get rid of the bloom and resonance (below 250Hz) and accentuate the stick hit and attack (1kHz – 4kHz) of the tom tracks. Modern R and B? Bring up the resonance of the shell and let it ring out. Find the resonant frequency and boost them 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 may have seemed 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! You should always take this into consideration in terms of your drum tracks.
Next lets discuss hi-hats. Get rid of everything below 500Hz unless you want the sound of the studio drummer’s foot thumping away. Adding air above 10kHz can work as well. Be careful not to overdo it or you could end up with excessively sizzly hats. That sounds awful, and can jack up your drum tracks (and therefore your song).
Lastly, lets talk about rooms. Just mangle the [insert expletive] out of these. Or don’t. Filter 'em. Go ahead and effect them. Or, don't. Make ‘em dull. Or don’t. Make them bright. Or, don't. You can see where I'm going with this? Good. Your ears should tell you what is best for your drum tracks.
So there you have it: a basic set of concepts to get you up and rolling towards amazing sounding drum tracks. And as if I haven't said this enough by now in my articles… EXPERIMENT! Find your voice and signature sound as you mix your drum tracks. Copying someone else’s sound is great for learning purposes… but ultimately what will set your project apart is what you discover on your own. Remember, the drum sounds you create in a mix will greatly affect the power and presence of your recording. What sets a master apart from a demo? Your drum sounds! Good luck processing your drum tracks, and have fun.
If you are looking for a different item here are a list of related products on Musicians Instruments For Sale, please check out the following:



































































































