Mixing Toms

[pikachu69]

SethTheGreat, I do it to tame it bro, I know the compressor pretty well.....I know what it does.

Listening to the clip on your website I do wonder myself. It has a HUGE pumping effect, you can here the whole mix get sucked out when the kick hits in particular. This may have been to achieve loudness but its not a pleasing effect to listen too to my ears. This could be what is sucking your toms back too...

 

[docwright15]

haha professorlamp, yeah indeed one of those times. and lovin' the username!.......the huge pumping effect is sort of the problem....I got it to stick out, but I want it to be warmer? I would Maxxbass but I can't afford that plugin but I know that would do wonders to them

 

[SethTheGreat]

SethTheGreat, I do it to tame it bro, I know the compressor pretty well.....I know what it does.

I'm sorry man, I just wasn't sure where you were at. Kinda sounded like you thought the attack knob was a treble control

 

[docwright15]

no don't be sorry dude, its all cool. Any tip can be helpful trust me, where I am at...I need a lot of tips.

 

[Skinny Viking]

I would Maxxbass but I can't afford that plugin but I know that would do wonders to them

considering your current use of compression .. maxxbass would only compound your problems. That plugin would not do wonders and the simple truth is that if you can't get the chimaira to sound good using some simple EQ & comp ... introducing something like maxxbass into the equation is gonna bulldoze everything into a flat lane of audio mud

work with your compression and EQ. Those particular samples almost drop themselves into a mix if you know what to avoid and what to enhance

 

[docwright15]

I am not looking to make them stick out like I said, I am trying to get them to sound more vibrant in bass, I just don't the right words to describe what I want. It's just my taste of what I want, may not be so much yours.

 

[Skinny Viking]

and again, anything you are looking to do with those samples can easily be done using simple EQ & compression. It really sounds like you don't have the best understanding of how either works if you're looking to just drop maxxbass on something and assume that will work wonders. It won't ... and just when you think it is helping, you'll burn a copy to disc or throw it on your ipod, listen in your car and proceed to drive yourself off a cliff because of how shitty it sounds

honestly you haven't really articulated your intentions very well .. thats why there seems to be some confusion as to what is the proper direction to point you in. There is no reason at all you can't get those samples to sound more "vibrant" in their low end. You figure how to solve that little problem on your own with just using EQ/Comp, you'll be a LOT more prepared to deal with the next issue that comes up ...

bro

 

[docwright15]

okay sir, I have tried listening to it in car speakers and etc....and I have done a lot of EQ and Compression, its more than that....When you EQ something yeah it may lower it, make the lower frequencies stand out....I have done research and I have found that Maxxbass does more, it actually gives the frequency boost to where you actually feel it more. Thats what I want, not to hear it better or to make it stand out, to have more kick to the face, which I know you can that in EQ and Compressoin but I WANT MORE THAN THAT!!! Just trying to try new things. I just want to know what other people usually do to add spice to their toms. i can make the toms sound like....the generic "ideal" sound but i want something different. I really don't think you exactly understand what I want man

 

[pikachu69]

I really don't think you exactly understand what I want man

Then maybe you should think about the way you are explaining yourself rather than just giving people attitude for not understanding you. From where I am sitting I agree 100% that you don't seem to know what you are after so how do you expect us to know? Almost every post you have put up on this subject contradicts the last so you need to sort out in your mind what you want first, then ask questions.

Alot of what you seem to be explaining is what comes during mastering and as I have already commented, your clip has way to much compression applied to it and that has a large part to play in what you don't like. It is all good to say you know what a compressor does, but can you hear what it does? If you can't hear a difference every time you move one knob to it's next setting then you can't say you can hear it, but you need to be able to, to begin to really understand compression.
This only comes with years and years and years of practice and although a year or 3 of doing it may seem like a long time, some guys here have been doing it for longer than you have been breathing so please don't fall into the trap I have seem so many younger noobs fall into and that is to not learn how to take constructive comments. Don't think every comment is a stab at you or your skills, we are all here for the same reason and as soon as you stop getting offended and take our advise for what it is you will learn more than you thought you would.

 

[Skinny Viking]

anybody else feel like Christopher Walken right before he shot Dennis Hopper in the face in "True Romance"?

I tried ... good luck with the toms man. Maybe try blending some samples

 

[docwright15]

I am not taking it personal at all, nor am I giving attitude. I am not going to let Ultimate Metal Forum make me mope, dude its all cool, I understand what everyone is doing, trying to guide. If I come across as giving attitude, then i am terribly sorry and that is NOT what I was tending to do. and stabbing my skills? thats not a problem, i don't feel that way, I am 19 and I record every instrument myself, by myself and I have only been recording for a couple years. I feel that I am doing pretty well and I am on my way especially for how little experience. I guess I am just hoping that someone will know what I mean, but doesn't seem that anyone is getting what I mean, it is kinda hard for you guys to help when I am not explaining myself in good detail. I don't know, BUT I just recorded a clip and everything is sounding great.....especially the toms.

 

[docwright15]

I am going to make some of my own this weekend, with my set. I hope I can get it good, but Skinny Viking, thanks! I understand what you are trying to do, and it's helping.

Later guys

 

[Skinny Viking]

I was serious too, when I said about if you're looking to try things a little different you can experiment with blending samples. Get the crack and hit sound from one set and use a different set of samples that have a low end extension that works for you. Get a blend of the samples and it may do a lot of what you're looking for

However, everything I said about EQ & comp is true, as well as tools like maxxbass. I'm not suggesting you throw away a toy you might really like, just saying to spend more time really learning the toys you have. Do that and you may not even want to use something like maxxbass or whatever.

 

[docwright15]

yeah I agree, I made a reallly nice kick blending my royce kick with Sneaps Nightwish Kick, it sounds pretty good. So I am going to try the same procedure with the toms

 

[Skinny Viking]

Sneap's Nightwish kick?

ok

 

[docwright15]

sorry, Erkan's pack he had for people to download...sorry I have it under Sneaps kick for some reason..... folder my bad. I believe Nightwish is recorded by their synth player Tuomus.