Mixing Drum

Mixing drums is one of the most crucial aspects of a track, as they form the backbone of rhythm and energy in most genres. Each drum element needs to be treated to achieve balance, clarity, and power, and the goal is to make sure the drums sit well in the mix without overpowering other instruments. Here’s a step-by-step guide for mixing drums:

Step 1: Organize the Drum Tracks

What to do: Start by organizing your drum tracks to keep things manageable.

Steps:

1. Group the drum tracks: Create a drum bus or group for all the individual drum tracks (kick, snare, toms, hi-hats, cymbals, etc.).
2. Label and color-code: Name each track and assign colors to each group (e.g., kick is red, snare is blue) for easy navigation.
3. Check phase alignment: Ensure all drum mics are in phase, especially if you’re working with multiple microphones (e.g., overheads, room mics).
   • Use a phase correction plugin or flip the phase on individual tracks (like overheads or tom mics) to make sure the kick and snare sound punchy and not thin.

Step 2: EQ Each Drum Element

What to do: Use EQ to shape each drum’s tone and carve out space for them in the mix.

Steps:

• Kick drum:
  1. Apply a high-pass filter to remove sub-bass frequencies below 30-40 Hz (unless you’re going for a deep sub-kick effect).
  2. Boost around 60-100 Hz for low-end punch.
  3. Cut around 200-400 Hz to remove muddiness.
  4. Boost around 3-5 kHz for attack and click (especially in rock or metal).
  5. Add a small boost around 8-10 kHz for extra clarity and beater noise.
• Snare drum:
  1. Apply a high-pass filter to remove unnecessary low-end rumble below 100 Hz.
  2. Boost around 150-250 Hz for body and weight.
  3. Cut around 500 Hz to reduce boxiness.
  4. Boost around 3-7 kHz for crispness and snap.
  5. Add a touch of high-end boost around 8-10 kHz for extra air and brightness.
• Toms:
  1. Apply a high-pass filter to clean up rumble below 80 Hz.
  2. Boost around 100-250 Hz for body.
  3. Cut around 300-500 Hz to reduce muddiness.
  4. Boost around 3-5 kHz for attack and clarity.
• Hi-hats and cymbals:
  1. Apply a high-pass filter around 200-300 Hz to remove low-end bleed from other drums.
  2. Boost around 5-10 kHz for brightness and shimmer.
  3. Be cautious with boosting too much, as hi-hats and cymbals can easily become harsh or overpowering.
• Overheads:
  1. Use a high-pass filter around 100-150 Hz to remove low-end rumble.
  2. Boost around 3-6 kHz for clarity and attack on cymbals.
  3. Add a small boost around 10-12 kHz for air and sparkle.
• Room mics (if present):
  1. Apply a high-pass filter around 100-150 Hz to control low-end build-up.
  2. Boost around 2-4 kHz for presence and to highlight the natural reverb of the room.
  3. Add a subtle boost around 10 kHz for brightness.

Step 3: Compress Each Drum Element

What to do: Use compression to control dynamics, add punch, and make the drums sound more consistent.

Steps:

• Kick drum:
  1. Set the threshold so that the loudest hits trigger about 3-6 dB of gain reduction.
  2. Use a medium attack (10-30 ms) to let the initial transient through for punch.
  3. Use a fast release (40-80 ms) so the compressor resets quickly between hits.
  4. A ratio of 4:1 or 5:1 works well for keeping the kick punchy.
• Snare drum:
  1. Set the threshold to achieve about 3-6 dB of gain reduction on the loudest hits.
  2. Use a medium attack (10-20 ms) to allow the initial snap through.
  3. Use a fast release (50-100 ms) to retain the snare’s natural decay.
  4. A ratio of 3:1 to 5:1 is typically effective for snare drums.
• Toms:
  1. Apply a medium attack (10-30 ms) to preserve the transient attack of the toms.
  2. Use a medium to fast release (40-80 ms) to maintain punch while allowing the toms to breathe.
  3. A ratio of 4:1 or higher works well for tightening up toms, especially in rock and metal.
• Hi-hats and cymbals:
  1. Typically, hi-hats and cymbals don’t need much compression, but if required, use a light compression with a high threshold and a gentle ratio (e.g., 2:1).
  2. Set a fast attack and release to tame peaks without squashing the natural sound.
• Overheads:
  1. Use a gentle compression with a ratio of 2:1 to 3:1 to glue the cymbals and kit together.
  2. Use a slow attack (30-50 ms) to preserve the transients of the cymbals.
  3. Use a medium release to maintain the natural decay of the overheads.

Step 4: Add Reverb (and Room Ambience)

What to do: Add reverb to give the drums a sense of space and depth.

Steps:

1. Snare reverb:
   • Apply a short to medium plate or hall reverb to the snare for that classic reverb tail.
   • Use a pre-delay (around 30-60 ms) to keep the snare punchy before the reverb kicks in.
   • Adjust the decay time depending on the style of music (shorter for faster, punchier genres like pop or rock, longer for ballads or slower tempos).
2. Tom reverb:
   • Add some room reverb to the toms for natural ambience and depth.
   • Be cautious with the amount of reverb to avoid muddying the toms’ clarity.
3. Kick reverb (optional):
   • In most genres, the kick is left dry for clarity, but in some cases (e.g., synthwave or electronic music), a small amount of reverb can add depth.
   • Keep the reverb time very short and subtle to avoid losing the punch of the kick.
4. Overheads and room mics:
   • If using room mics, they will naturally capture the room’s reverb.
   • If not, consider adding a subtle room reverb to the overheads to create a sense of space around the kit.

Step 5: Use Parallel Compression on the Drum Bus (Optional)

What to do: Use parallel compression to add thickness and punch to the entire drum kit without losing the natural dynamics.

Steps:

1. Send all the drums to an aux/bus channel for parallel compression.
2. Insert a compressor on the bus and apply heavy compression (e.g., 8:1 ratio or higher).
3. Set the attack and release times to medium-fast, so the compressor reacts to the drums’ transients but allows the body of the sound to come through.
4. Blend the compressed signal back in with the original drums to taste, just enough to add punch and thickness without over-compressing.

Step 6: Balance the Drum Elements

What to do: Adjust the volume levels of each drum element to achieve a balanced drum mix.

Steps:

1. Start with the kick and snare, as they are the most important elements in most drum mixes.
2. Gradually bring in the overheads to add clarity and stereo width.
3. Add the hi-hats for detail, adjusting them so they complement rather than overpower the snare and cymbals.
4. Bring in the toms for body and power, particularly during fills.
5. Adjust the room mics (if used) to taste, using them to add depth and ambiance to the overall drum mix.

Step 7: Use Sidechain Compression (Optional)

What to do: Use sidechain compression to create space between the kick drum and other elements (like bass) that occupy the same frequency range.

Steps:

1. Insert a compressor on the bass track (or any other element that clashes with the kick).
2. Set the kick drum as the sidechain input for the compressor.
3. Adjust the threshold, ratio, attack, and release so the bass ducks slightly when the kick hits, allowing the kick to punch through without muddying the low end.

Step 8: Final Bus Processing

What to do: Apply subtle processing to the entire drum bus to glue the kit together and add final polish.

Steps:

1. Drum bus compression: Use a gentle compressor (2:1 or 4:1 ratio) on the entire drum bus to glue the elements together and add punch.
   • Aim for 1-3 dB of gain reduction.
2. Drum bus EQ: Use subtle EQ to shape the overall tone of the drum kit, boosting or cutting frequencies that need final adjustments.
   • For example, add a small boost around 100 Hz for more low-end weight or around 10 kHz for more air.
3. Saturation (optional): Add a touch of saturation for warmth, glue, and subtle harmonic distortion. Use tape saturation or analog-style saturation plugins for this purpose.