Bass Drum Compression

[beatpoet]

I'm gearing up to record my next album. This will be the first release I will be recording for myself on DIY equipment.

The problem: I am shabby on the bass drum volume.

Does anyone have any decent compression tips to level out my bass drum volume without squashing the bass peaks?

What kind of compressor would y'all use?

Thanks

 

[Joechris]

Well, with the right settings, I guess any compressor will work.
Personally I like the scamp rack comp for kick.

jo

 

[thermionic]

The best technique will be to practice your drumming and only apply a gentle lick of limiting! :wink:

Failing that, I'd go for a comp that's very fast, but smooth - a FET-based comp is probably the ticket. It can work as an effect, but VCA-based comps can make a kick sound 'boxy'. Variable-mu should work well, but you'll want one with a fast attack.

edit: I haven't used one, but a 'Tape Saturation Emulator' such as the EL 'Fatso' could be worth trying. Some tape saturation should help control your dynamics, but without taking the guts out of the 'oomph'.

Justin

 

[rascalseven]

If you kick drum dynamic is inconsistent, I don't suggest you try to 'fix' it while tracking, which is the application your asking about (is that correct?). I'd focus on the right tuning/mic/preamp combo to get the overall character you want from the drum and then once you have the performance on tape (disk) you'll then have the ability to try multiple dynamics options, both hardware and software, to see what best controls the drum for your playing and the style of music.

When mixing an erratic kick level, I tend to pick a compressor to contain the dynamic itself (something with a very fast attack that can quickly 'grab' the transient before it pops out of the mix), and then follow that with a de-esser.

The de-esser is to remove the additional HF content of the really louds peaks. When a kick is played hard the volume increases, but so does the HF content, giving loud strikes more attack. This frequency variance, as much as anything else, really gives the dynamic away, so compression/limiting alone won't fix an erratic kick dynamic. Dialing in a good de-esser to contain much of that increased HF content can really smooth out the overall feel of the performance.

You can also try putting the de-essing in line first and then the compressor. Either way I recommend you wait till after it's tracked to fix the problem.

Worst case scenario (I don't recommend this unless other options simply don't work) is to limit the dynamic of the kick track and then use that processed signal to trigger a good kick sample. Like I say, not my first choice, but it's worked pretty well in situations where the track was for whatever reason beyond repair.

Hope that helps.

JC

 

[amorris]

Watch the tuning of kik with the tuning of the bass gtr. similar ranges will peak your final mix with very little perceived volume. basically if you have a really deep bas gtr, tune the kik up a little and if you have a higher toned bgtr, you can take the kik down a little. this will give seperation and wont take over your 2mix meters.

 

[pucho812]

there is a lot to getting good drum sounds be it kick or whatever.

IMO I tend to not compress, unless it's really necessary, when recording tracks that way I am not stuck. I have been with a few drummers who playu really quiet then out of nowhere BooM and you year the compressor really squash for a sec then back to quit. Thats no good.

Best drums sounds? Start with the drum. New heads, proper tunning, Filled/packed lugs, and solib bearing edges. FIlled lugs means the lugs have felt or something inside them to prevent them from ringing. YOu would be suprised how much bad overtones that can cause. for a good chunck of $$ drums doctors in LA will do it for you or you can DIY that. Next is the bearing edges. Run your finger and check for uneven edges. IF there are any Take sanding paper and sand them to even then out. This will insure proper tension on the head and give you the best in tunning. Another Drum doctors mucho dinero price tag one can DIY. Tunning is up to you but watch how it may or may not conflict with the bass guitar. Try panning it slightly to one side like 1 o'clock and the bass at like 11 o'clock to help seperate the 2. A good mic pre and a decent mic will work wonders over an EQ, compressor or limiter. take time and you will do fine

 

[SSLtech]

I don't believe that similar tunings sum any more strongly... :?

I use a bass drum compressor to change the bass drum SOUND, even when the level is consistent, when the tune demands it.

Inconsistent playing (when consistencey is desired) won't be fixed by ANY compressor in a way which will:
"level out my bass drum volume without squashing the bass peaks"...

You're asking the unreasonable. Either trigger a replacement sound, or get it played again, -properly.

Compression -ANY compression- on either the most consistent, or the most wildly fluctuating kick drum, will ALWAYS change the sound significantly. -If you don't want that, you have to get the bass drum you want to begin with.

Keith

 

[volta]

If all else fails.

Drumagog.
http://www.drumagog.com/

 

[SUPERMAGOO]

[quote author="thermionic"]The best technique will be to practice your drumming and only apply a gentle lick of limiting! :wink:

Failing that, I'd go for a comp that's very fast, but smooth - a FET-based comp is probably the ticket. It can work as an effect, but VCA-based comps can make a kick sound 'boxy'. Variable-mu should work well, but you'll want one with a fast attack.

edit: I haven't used one, but a 'Tape Saturation Emulator' such as the EL 'Fatso' could be worth trying. Some tape saturation should help control your dynamics, but without taking the guts out of the 'oomph'.

Justin[/quote]

wich vari-mu using in bass drumm or bass guitars??

 

[lofi]

whats the music? that will decide the levels, and i would guess its not metal

 

[SUPERMAGOO]

I like blur basses , franz ferdinand basses style.

 

[zebra50]

I generally record flat and then cut-and-paste any weak or over-loud beats. Then if you have to compress you can get away with squishing it a lot less.

 

[thermionic]

[quote author="SUPERMAGOO"][quote author="thermionic"]The best technique will be to practice your drumming and only apply a gentle lick of limiting! :wink:

Failing that, I'd go for a comp that's very fast, but smooth - a FET-based comp is probably the ticket. It can work as an effect, but VCA-based comps can make a kick sound 'boxy'. Variable-mu should work well, but you'll want one with a fast attack.

edit: I haven't used one, but a 'Tape Saturation Emulator' such as the EL 'Fatso' could be worth trying. Some tape saturation should help control your dynamics, but without taking the guts out of the 'oomph'.

Justin[/quote]

wich vari-mu using in bass drumm or bass guitars??[/quote]

Hi,

I haven't used a vari-mu on bass drum as compressing BDs isn't something I've got into too much. However, I mentioned a vari-mu because modern units can work fast, so - in theory - you could try one.

Here's an example of a modern, fast variable-mu comp: http://www.pendulumaudio.com/6386.html


Justin

 

[Stagefright13]

A tip I found. (After you record it):

It's a delicate blend of compression, eq, bass compressor sidechaining,
and massaging the buss compressor if you have one.

Make 3 kicks, 1 for lows. Roll this off at 50hz, boost 80-100hz and low
pass at 250hz. On the second one high pass at 200hz, low pass at 5k, and
cut 1.5K. On the third one high pass at 1.5K, boost some 3-5K
(wherever the smack is), and leave the low pass off.

Sidechain the bass guitar compressor with a copy of the low kick and eq a notch
out of the bass (4-8db) at 80-100hz (wherever the kick is boosted).

Send all the kicks to a single mono buss and blend to taste. Then put a
compressor on this track and adjust the attack until it gets punchy.

This will make your kick sit awesome in the mix without losing quality of the bass guitar. A few minutes to set it up but worth it.

Also you can get a good sample and enhance by using Beat Detective and adding the sample to your original on another track. This makes the kick more stable and consistent thru out the song. Mix the 2 together to taste.

I use my diy LA2 or 1176. I always have the drummer hit the kick a few times to get the LA triggered into compression just before the start of the take. So the first hit gets compressed properly. Just make sure not to overcompress going in! Or you'll be boxed into a corner come mix time. You can always add a little more with a plugin later.

 

[Stagefright13]

And here is a good drum site that will help your sound:

http://home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/

It's the Bible! :green: