Drum effects when recording

[leadfoot]

We recently recorded a live project on ProTools audio. We're at the stage of setting the levels and getting a proper mix. I'm looking to get your suggestions as to any effects that may be useful to get a good sound out of the recording. Specifically, we're looking for more pop out of the snare and a solid sound out of the toms. The kick is set. Help if you can please.

[sidereal]

Man, that's so broad a question ... it's like asking "how to I mix a session?" A lot of people see Pro Tools as this weird, unfamiliar thing, when it's really just a mixing console. The same rules apply.

 

But I can give you some general Pro Tools pointers:

 

-First thing to do is create a group for all drum tracks.

 

-For individual processing on kick and snare, use the inserts and patch in a compressor and EQ and see what happens. I have best success with Waves Rennaisance, McDSP and Channel Strip plug-ins.

 

-For something like reverb, assign each drum channel to a buss routed to an aux channel. on that aux, instantiate a reverb plug-in (I use Reverb One), set the fader to unity. then set each individual's buss fader to your liking. This way you get control over how much each mic is effected (i.e. more on the snare, far less on kick, etc)

 

-Also buss all drum channels to a main aux channel where you can apply some compression to the overall drum mix (and also control the stereo drum mix with one fader).

 

That's just touching the surface. There's simply too much involved to go into great detail.

 

Have fun...