Hi-Hats EQ?

[schust]

after following the 'hi-hats too loud in the OHs' thread for the last few days, i thought it would be nice to finally answer a question i've had for awhile.

i really have a hard time mixing my hats (from my OHs) so they sit well in the drum mix - and mix as a whole.

generally speaking - how do most people EQ hats when they are coming from the OHs? i'm specifically interested in hearing about the upper frequencies.

i know most the meat/clang is down around 300hz - but what about the upper freq's? which ones are generally regarded as taboo and should really be cut/rolled off to avoid 'ear strain'? is there a good balance, EQ-wise, when both the hat and cymbals are solely coming from the OHs?

thanks in advance.

 

[KeithTidd]

I usually roll off up to around 200ish, make a medium dip around 500hz for about 6db or so, then i take a high shelf at 3k and bring it down a few db. I do this to both hi hats and overheads. It makes it so i can have the cymbals alittle louder without being harsh.

 

[greyskull]

generally just eq them to add weight and a touch of detail to the oh . Usually ride them a lot too ! And really savagely, so only bring em in at all when the hats are playing g

 

[schust]

Usually ride them a lot too !

do you mean ride the fader?

 

[greyskull]

Indeed

 

[Torniojaws]

I just slap a 500 Hz highpass It'll get buried in a busy mix/fast song anyways, so it's just there for air.

 

[greyskull]

 

[greyskull]

there ya go

 

[schust]

cool, thanks.

that's pretty close to what i've been doing. i think the majority of my problem lies in the fact that a) the hats are TOO F***ING BRIGHT and b) were played too loud.

 

[ahjteam]

is it just me, but I usually rarely do anything to the hihat in the post production except for 200hz highpass... I just usually use like 30 minutes to set the mic to the correct place so it sounds good and needs minimal processing.

 

[colonel kurtz]

this is another one of those questions where it totally depends on what the track sounds like, especially in the mix...if you have good hats that are properly mic'ed in a good room, and the drummer didn't bash them like a caveman, then a HP is probably all you need...maybe add or subtract a couple db's with a high-shelf, but that's about all

if the hat track is fucked up, then start mangling it with EQ, or see if you can compress some of the harshness out of it; it's worked for me in the past by using a pretty quick attack with a med/slow knee, and a medium-ish release.

 

[schust]

this is another one of those questions where it totally depends on what the track sounds like, especially in the mix...if you have good hats that are properly mic'ed in a good room, and the drummer didn't bash them like a caveman, then a HP is probably all you need...maybe add or subtract a couple db's with a high-shelf, but that's about all

if the hat track is fucked up, then start mangling it with EQ, or see if you can compress some of the harshness out of it; it's worked for me in the past by using a pretty quick attack with a med/slow knee, and a medium-ish release.

yea, i think you hit the nail on the head. really depends on hats, mics, OH positions, drummer. in my case - i think all played a part - sadly.

i have been using Modern's VLME comp with pretty good results.