Drum bus compression and bussing

[WargasmSupra]

Okay, I've been recording rock styles for 15 years, but I'm recently starting to get more metal than ever. I need to fine tune a few things to keep records from sounding like heavy rock instead of metal.

Drum bus compression - yea or nay?

I usually do some minor parallel compression across the bus to punch the drums up a bit.

Kick and snare to their own bus, or to the drum bus? With rock I usually do kick and snare to their own and hit that with substantial compression so they super gel. Seems like that's not so common in metal styles, but I can't tell for sure due to the over the top use of samples.

What are a few reference tracks you guys use, BTW?

 

[freakkguitarist]

normally for rock and anything other then metal i would compress the drum bus...but since the point of the metal stuff i record is to be loud and proud.ill either get only 1db of gain reduction or just skip the compressor all together...metal is so squashed and has to be SO loud nowadays to make people happy...i need all the dynamics i can get for when it goes to master. also...when i record metal drums theres MUCH more compression on the individual tracks then id normally use. usually theres also a clipper on the snare bus......so that kinda helps tame everything without having to compress the drum bus.

...in logic i use buses like reaper has folders.... so kick goes straight to drum bus, all overhead mics go to their own bus, then to the drum bus, same with toms, and my snare mics/samples.




its funny cuz im actually working on a Nu-metal project now...and im using ALLLLOT of drum bus compression....makin rules to break em!

 

[WargasmSupra]

I use Pro Tools HD. I'm not familiar with Reaper. With my setup I'll usually not send an aux to an aux (buss to buss), but thanks for the layout suggestions. I use a VCA (kind of a master buss that controls all channels and auxes assigned to it) that my drums go to, but it is not a buss, per se.

 

[amarshism]

As always depends on the song and arrangement. But what I find it more dependent on is the gr on the master bus. If there is no mix compression then I might shave a db off the drums. But usually they're getting it from the mix bus. That's not to say I won't compress the drum bus anyways. If you're already inclined towards a rock aesthetic, check out some of Ermz's work to see how he's adapted his BIG rock approach to work with metal.

 

[Mikaël-ange]

For metal drum bus comp isn't really common. Para drum comp sometimes work.
Main problem you face when using drum bus comp are automation pre compression.
So when I use VCA fader for automating my individual drum (usual kick, para kick bus, snare, para snare bus and tom) I never use drum bus compression for avoid pre comp automation.
When I use drum bus compression I usually assign my VCA fader to my drum bus and automate post compressor.

Btw I never compress more than 2db GR on my drum bus.

Just a way to do thing... If you have time, try both way and pick what you like.

 

[tempe]

I love Drum Bus compression in metal, but I'm always mixing into it. So I probably end up with less channel compression than most and a little more on the drum bus and mix bus. I feel this is really a "whatever floats your boat" argument. If you've been mixing rock for 16 years, use that massive wealth of knowledge and apply it to metal. You'll probably make way more interesting mixes than everyone else!

 

[RedDog]

I find that the less active the drums are, the easier drum bus compression sounds on the ear. Nothing sucks worse than a million tom rolls and a pump that destroys all the transients. It would also rely on your settings, like attack and release times. Combined with automation, the shredding up of the comp can sound pretty cool. Depending on the aesthetic you're after, of course.