Re: Making my drums stand out?
Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:28 pm
Sidechain compression is a bit of a cheaty way out. If you want the "breathing" effect in your tunes, by all means do it. But if you're having EQ and mixdown issues you're better off steering clear of sidechain compression. You're sweeping a problem with your tune under the carpet rather than fixing it. If you learn to EQ and mixdown properly it will pay dividends to you in the long run.
The best way to explain EQing is to think of your tune as a big empty box. Each element of your tune should have a place in the box and your elements should not overlap. Everyone structures their EQs to their own taste, so it's best to experiment and listen to what works in your tune. Personally, I tend to high roll sub bass around 60-70hz and sometimes give it an EQ boost to add warmth. I low roll my mid range bass around 80-90hz, which gives a nice space between the sub and the mid for my kick to sit. If the kick is still struggling to punch through in the mix, then i'd layer it with a kick with lots of high end, or perhaps EQ boost a bit higher up for some crunch. The same goes for your snare. You want it to be peaking at 200hz - so EQ your snare to taste, consider boosting around 200 and also cut a notch in your mid range bass at 200 to give your snare some breathing space. Do this for every element of your tune - its important frequencies dont overlap each and munch up that room.
When it comes to mixing down, your gain structure can help bring different elements to the front of your mix and likewise, put other elements at the back of your mix. There is a thread on here called the moneyshot thread which containts pretty much everything you need to know about gain structuring. But as a general rule of thumb, your sub bass and drums shuold be the loudest (i.e at the front of your mix)
The best way to explain EQing is to think of your tune as a big empty box. Each element of your tune should have a place in the box and your elements should not overlap. Everyone structures their EQs to their own taste, so it's best to experiment and listen to what works in your tune. Personally, I tend to high roll sub bass around 60-70hz and sometimes give it an EQ boost to add warmth. I low roll my mid range bass around 80-90hz, which gives a nice space between the sub and the mid for my kick to sit. If the kick is still struggling to punch through in the mix, then i'd layer it with a kick with lots of high end, or perhaps EQ boost a bit higher up for some crunch. The same goes for your snare. You want it to be peaking at 200hz - so EQ your snare to taste, consider boosting around 200 and also cut a notch in your mid range bass at 200 to give your snare some breathing space. Do this for every element of your tune - its important frequencies dont overlap each and munch up that room.
When it comes to mixing down, your gain structure can help bring different elements to the front of your mix and likewise, put other elements at the back of your mix. There is a thread on here called the moneyshot thread which containts pretty much everything you need to know about gain structuring. But as a general rule of thumb, your sub bass and drums shuold be the loudest (i.e at the front of your mix)
