tom gate settings

[daemon097]

anybody have any favorite gate plugin/settings they'd like to share?

I'm having a bit of a struggle getting my toms under control....

thanks in advance!

 

[Ermz]

Well people here seem to like replacing the last tom hit of a roll with a sampled hit, because that way you can cut out any subsequent crash hits that may be leaking into your tom mics. Clever.

When it comes to gating, I pretty much just use it for what it does best.

Tom gets hit - gate opens.
300-500 ms later gate closes.

 

[Exsanguis]

Ride the faders, it'll sound more natural and dynamic. Gating is sometimes ok for kicks, in my opinion, but not much else, unless you want to use it as an effect. Other people's opinions may differ, but I'm all about using faders instead of plugins or processing.

 

[kryckan]

Or just cut everything out that you don't want on your tom tracks. Strip Silence in Pro Tools does that job well enough for me.

 

[egan.]

Using triggers as a sidechain input on tom gates is a nice trick.

 

[adrianvillan]

Using triggers as a sidechain input on tom gates is a nice trick.

Ive heard Andy mention this on another thread. Can you elaborate on how this is done please?

 

[egan.]

Ive heard Andy mention this on another thread. Can you elaborate on how this is done please?

Sure, it's something I learned in this forum. Basically you record the triggers from the drums as audio tracks and then use them as as the sidechain input for the gate on the respective drums. Sometimes it helps to pull them forward a couple of ms to make sure the gate is completely open for the transient.
Using this in technique in combonation w/ the previously mentioned "replace the last hit" technique will end in near perfect gating (with no weird cymbal chokes).

 

[adrianvillan]

Sure, it's something I learned in this forum. Basically you record the triggers from the drums as audio tracks and then use them as as the sidechain input for the gate on the respective drums. Sometimes it helps to pull them forward a couple of ms to make sure the gate is completely open for the transient.
Using this in technique in combonation w/ the previously mentioned "replace the last hit" technique will end in near perfect gating (with no weird cymbal chokes).

Ahh ok! Thank you kind sir.

 

[daemon097]

well, I usually go through and delete everything in between tom hits...but - it's that "wrrrhhrooooommmm" sound at the end of a tom hit that's really bothering me.. (I'm sure most of you know what i'm talking about..)

and I'm trying to figure out how to lessen that aftertone....

 

[egan.]

A gate w/ a gain reduction between 3-9dB (to taste) could acomplish this. Obviously you'll have to play w/ the release to get it right. However, IMO the best solution for this would be fader riding (as Exs suggested) if you've got the time.

 

[beechstudio]

Automate the hits and fade out the decay. I use to use gates till I went DAW. Its so much easier now to just automate.

 

[kryckan]

I guess it takes as much time as deleting everything in between the hits, especially if using Strip Silence, and with no automation on the channels, changing the faders goes faster.

 

[daemon097]

well, thanks for the tips guys!

I was trying to avoid all that work.. (I know when we used to pay people to record us, they certainly didn't spend that kind of time on the toms, yet I don't hear that same sort of tone....which got me thinking as to what they were doing..

but - I could see how this would be the best solution..and I never would have thought of using a triggered tone for the last tom hit..so - thanks for all the good info!!

 

[egan.]

well, thanks for the tips guys!

I was trying to avoid all that work.. (I know when we used to pay people to record us, they certainly didn't spend that kind of time on the toms, yet I don't hear that same sort of tone....which got me thinking as to what they were doing.

Probably just a different tone to tape.....there are certainly a lot of factors in play here (heads, tuning, dampening of the heads, micing, etc. etc.).