Dynamics

video Corrective EQ for Drums

Corrective EQ for Drums

Delve into the art of EQ’ing drums with Trey Smith. He guides you through his approach to building a mix, emphasizing the importance of EQ in crafting the ideal drum sound. From kick to snare, and hi-hat to toms, each part is carefully adjusted to fit in the mix. Your first EQ adjustments serve as the base for further improvements with compression and gating. Key Points: Starting the mix with EQ adjustments on drums lays a solid foundation. It begins with the kick and moves through snare, hi-hat, and toms. The starting EQ setting for each drum part is critical. It focuses on removing bad frequencies while keeping the drum's character. Using high-pass and low-pass filters on the kick drum helps clean up the low end. It also narrows the frequency range to emphasize in the mix. You must find and cut low-mid frequencies. They make the kick drum sound muddy. This is key for clarity and for it to blend with the bass and other instruments. You balance the top and bottom mic inputs to EQ the snare drum. This gets the crack and body you want, without spoiling the drum's natural sound. Overheads capture cymbals. They also show the whole drum kit. They make the mix lively and deep. Managing the EQ for toms requires careful thought. You must consider their role in the mix. You should ensure they help without overpowering. Challenges, like non-standard drum setups, involve unique features. For example, a kick drum without a kick hole and unusual tom sounds. They need specific EQ and processing techniques. These make them fit well into the mix. You may need to revisit the EQ settings when new mix elements are added. This shows that mixing is dynamic and iterative.


video Precision Gating Techniques for Drums

Precision Gating Techniques for Drums

Using gates for drums in a live mix enhances clarity and impact of kick, snare, and toms. Tailor gating to each drum’s uniqueness. This includes proper kick setup to achieve a natural, controlled sound that blends well in the band mix. Key Points: Handling a kick drum with no hole in the resonant head requires some special gating techniques. By using frequency-specific gating, you can ensure the gate responds accurately to the kick drum’s sound. This approach lets you capture both powerful hits and delicate nuances effectively. Make your decisions on gating the snare top and bottom based on the finesse of the drummer’s playing style. The aim is to preserve the natural dynamics of the snare while controlling bleed and resonance. Each tom should be gated alone, paying special attention to the filter settings. Focus on the gate and the tom’s frequencies. This approach lets the tom’s natural tone shine and minimizes interference from other drum parts. Adjust the attack, hold, and release of the gates to match the drums’ natural decay. This avoids a compressed or ‘robotic’ sound. Carefully manage the range setting to ensure the gate reduces volume without muting the drum’s resonance. Flexibility in gating is key. This is especially true in subtle song sections where a softer touch on the drums needs a different gating approach. Sometimes, you’ll have to bypass the gates for full musical expression. Blending with the rest of the band is the final step. After tuning the drum gates, blend the gated drum kit with the rest of the band. Gate Settings for Natural Sound: Adjust the attack, hold, and release of the gates to match the drums' natural decay. This avoids a compressed or 'robotic' sound. We carefully manage the range setting. It ensures the gate reduces volume without muting the drum's resonance. Adapting Gating in Different Song Sections: Flexibility in gating is key. This is especially true in subtle song sections. There, a softer touch on the drums needs a different gating approach. Sometimes, the gates must be bypassed for full musical expression. After tuning the drum gates, the last step is blending the gated drum kit with the rest of the band. This integration is used to judge the gating’s effectiveness in the whole mix. Make any adjustments needed for a cohesive sound.


video Simplifying Effects

Simplifying Effects

The strategic use of effects in your live mix should help create an immersive atmosphere without overpowering the core of the performance. Tastefully apply reverb and delay to drums, vocals, and instruments with the goal of ensuring that the effects enhance, not distract, from the music. Key Points: Restraint is key, with the idea that “less is more”. The goal is to enrich the mix with atmospheric depth rather than overwhelming the audience with overt effects. Create atmosphere for your drums with the use of drum plate and room reverbs as key effects. The selective use of reverb on kick and overheads lends air and a sense of space to the drum kit. Adding effects to vocals should be tone in a tailored approach to ensure the lead and background vocals have a warm reverb and delay. This step is crucial. Pull the vocals into the same atmospheric space as the instruments to bind the mix together. Balance reverb and delay levels across different mix elements to avoid over-saturation and adjust effects with the full band. You should adjust settings based on the full mix. This ensures that each elements adds to the live sound for a coherent and immersive experience. No part should feel isolated or overly processed.


video Enhancing Clarity and Atmosphere in your Mix

Enhancing Clarity and Atmosphere in your Mix

Vocal effects can be an incredibly sophisticated world. Carefully add reverb, delay, and pitch-shifting effects. These are used to improve vocal tracks. Use strategic EQ on the send and return to craft a clear and enveloping vocal sound. Key Points: EQ adjustments on effects sends and returns are a common practice. Make big EQ cuts on the aux send channel feeding the reverb and the reverb’s return channel. Remove frequencies below 200Hz and above 12kHz. When you do this, it will help prevent muddiness and ensure that the reverb adds vocal clarity and warmth. Extra vocal effects help add depth and interest to the lead vocal. Using reverb on the background vocals and a chorus effect can help you create a lush, cohesive blend. Adjust the reverb decay time to make the BGVs sound fuller and more integrated into the mix. Small changes to effect levels can greatly affect the vocals’ placement and perception in the live mix. Take the “less is more” approach to vocal effects, which advocates for subtle enhancements that support, not overshadow, the vocal performances. Use effects carefully to keep the song’s natural dynamics and emotional impact.


video Sweetening Your Vocals with EQ

Sweetening Your Vocals with EQ

Trey moves from dialing in the rest of the band to dialing in vocals. This includes Sarah’s voice and the BGVs. Trey uses a mix of hardware and console EQ for the best sound. He explores EQ settings, gain adjustments, and high-pass filters. He emphasizes the importance of ear-based adjustments over visual cues. These adjustments enhance vocal clarity and presence. In addition, the approach to background vocals shows the tailored EQ treatment based on their role in the mix. Key Points: Trey uses the Manley VoxBox on Sarah’s vocal for its coloration and saturation. It enhances the texture and warmth of her voice. Trey makes EQ adjustments to Sarah's vocal, using a simple but effective setup. It has a low peak, mid-dip, and high peak. He pairs this with the console's channel strip EQ. It gives him precise control and tonal shaping. High-pass filtering is crucial. It is needed for both the insert effect and the channel strip. It manages low-end feedback and keeps vocal clarity. Background singers get individual EQ attention. This highlights their harmony parts without hurting their overall contribution to the mix. Trey emphasizes the need to keep the frequencies that support their vocal parts. The process shows the importance of listening over visual EQ’ing. Trey encourages reliance on sound to make informed adjustments.


video SSL Bus+ D EQ Overview

SSL Bus+ D EQ Overview

The SSL Bus+ Compression and Dynamic EQ unit is a modern take on the classic SSL G Channel bus compressor. It’s an all analog circuit, but it has a few digital controls to help with modern usability. Jeff walks through the Dynamic EQ side of the unit, there’s a lot to cover here!