How much EQ on the drums ??

[Sly]

How much EQ do you use when you're carving out drums to make room for the guitars, vocals, bass etc. ?
That's a question I've been asking myself since a long time. I always think I use too much EQ so it starts to sound a bit phasey... On some kick I sometimes cut 15 db in the 100-400 Hz area to make some room here. Also the 100-200 Hz area always bugs me, lots of resonances here and I can't figure out how to EQ this without making things to sound thin...

 

[Trevoire520]

If doing natural drums I find I sometimes have to eq pretty drastically. Normally a bit of a cut in the low mids to reduce boxiness and a boost up in the 3-5k range to get some attack out. Kicks particularly need alot of eq in my experience, sometimes needing 15db of boost in the attack frequencies depending on the drum/tuning/mic. I know Colin Richardson eq's drums pretty hard too.

 

[Sly]

Yes, am I the only one thinking I'm scooping too much to "get rid" of the mud, then ending in a thin and lifeless sounding mix ?

 

[El_Gato]

I eq quite a lot. With my own snare, I carve 6dBs or more (up to 12) in some freqs with a narrow Q: something like 270, 320, 380,- sorry, can't remember well-, LP, HP, 2 boosts at (+/-) 1.5 and 4.5 (max 5dBs). In the busses, I like to keep eq softer and sometimes a bit different to create some 3D effect. Some multiband compression and done.

To me, the most important thing is getting rid of nasty freqs to get a clear and punchy drum sound with no samples.

 

[AllanD]

Natural Drums:On snares I always multiband compress the 700-1000 area hard to get rid of that PANG noise. On toms I sometimes need two EQ's together with like 10 db scooped each. Same goes for the kick. The drums that I have worked with always have the NASTIEST 400-1k area, and I need to destroy that with hard EQing.

 

[Vinny]

No joke, on a mix I just did today, I COMPLETELY scooped out the 160-400hz area on my graphic EQ on the kick. Like all of the faders in that area were all at -20 dB Plus a little boost at around 60 hz, and the kick came to life.
So in other words, dont be afraid to get very extreme with your eq on natural drums. Mix with your ears, not your eyes.

 

[bryan_kilco]

No joke, on a mix I just did today, I COMPLETELY scooped out the 160-400hz area on my graphic EQ on the kick. Like all of the faders in that area were all at -20 dB Plus a little boost at around 60 hz, and the kick came to life.
So in other words, dont be afraid to get very extreme with your eq on natural drums. Mix with your ears, not your eyes.

I'm very glad to know that I wasn't being too extreme while mixing natural drums before. I'd have like an insane boost at about 5-10 khz to get the click coming thru on the kick and it just felt so wrong. Damn drummers using felt beaters, too.

 

[botus99]

No joke, on a mix I just did today, I COMPLETELY scooped out the 160-400hz area on my graphic EQ on the kick. Like all of the faders in that area were all at -20 dB Plus a little boost at around 60 hz, and the kick came to life.
So in other words, dont be afraid to get very extreme with your eq on natural drums. Mix with your ears, not your eyes.

Right on man, I find myself doing the same thing around 160-240 and about half that subtraction in the 300-600 range. No one should ever be afraid of what the graph looks like (if you're using a EQ that has one).

 

[AEL89]

If you track really well you don't need drastic eq. Some important areas for me:

- Finding a good low point for the kick. It varies with each kick. Usually around 60hz but sometimes up to 80hz. Boosting around 4dB
- Scoop the kick a little bit... -20 is too much; you've not tuned the drum low enough if you're doing this. Needs the right amount of dampening during tracking too.
- I boost 100hz a lot on snare. 200hz is way too boxy for me. I boost 200 before the compressor on the parallel compression send though
- Boost some 1.5k for stick attack and 4k for snap on the snare
- Add a little 7k to OHs for some sizzle
- Scoop a little 500hz out of the toms

It varies of course; there are no rules really. Cliche but true.

 

[pikachu69]

If you track really well you don't need drastic eq. you've not tuned the drum low enough if you're doing this.

+1

The tuning diferences between the top and bottom skins on the drums will determine where any resonant frequencies are. If your drum is tuned properly the resonant frequencies will be closer to the frequencies that like to be boosted on drums giving a naturaly big sound with little eq required, compared to an out of tune drum that may over exagerate the frequencies we like to cut therefore resulting in larger cuts being used ie - 15 - 20db.

 

[ahjteam]

TOTALLY depends on the source sound and the goal.

 

[pikachu69]

TOTALLY depends on the source sound and the goal.

well yeah, I thought that went without saying really. Every source is different and all that jazz but the general rules of tuning and the out comes of that reamain the same, surely.

 

[botus99]

I'm well aware of tuning drums (I was a drummer that lept into audio engineering later on).

It really is a taste thing. I've gotten GREAT sounds without drastic cuts like -20db (albeit more in the rock or even lighter veins of music)... but its COMPLETELY POSSIBLE to get GREAT sounds while being DRASTIC with your eq'ing (especially in metal, but also possible in all genres and styles). Sometimes the room has to do with it, the mic, the positioning... there's too many factors to blame it on ONE thing when you haven't heard the sound itself in the first place. Although, I agree tuning is VERY high on the priority list of recording drums! Especially considering how many drummers can't tune their own drums nowadays...

 

[xFkx]

pretty drastic sometimes

 

[Sonic75]

Try to tune drums and record the tracks at the best! In this way you'll need always less eq. Or mix your drums with some samples.

 

[zvish]

Only subtracting eq ;p sometimes with -20 db. Subtract then add gain in your eq, done.