Drum Mic Tutorial - Part 5-1: Compression and Reverb

[RiffTV915]

you're very educated dude i like this video but you should talk about parallel compression as well i think it'd help the understanding of compression with drums best of luck if you ever get the chance man use an 1176 on the snare fuckin mouth watering

[RedCl0ud22]

Great videos. I have a question though: How would compressing the snare drum a lot effect ghost notes?

[SnareSpectre]

@RedCl0ud22

Best I can describe it is that it affects them the same way it does "regular" notes - it will make the gap in volume between ghost and regular notes a little smaller depending on how much you compress, but not so much that it hurts the effect of playing them (in other words, I really like the sound, and since the ghosts that I play are pretty quiet, I like that it boosts the volume a little).

[RedCl0ud22]

@SnareSpectre Ok, awesome. That answers my question. Thanks!

[RemiLegresley]

what about reverb?

[SnareSpectre]

@RemiLegresley

It's in part 5-2...I had to split this section up because it was too long for YouTube to have it in one video.

[RemiLegresley]

@SnareSpectre okay thanks man, this will help me alot !

[DetroitDoc]

Nice video but some before and after sound clips of each drum would have been awesome.

[SnareSpectre]

@DetroitDoc

The second part of this video (5-2) shows clips before and after both compression and reverb. The entire "series" has several instances of before-and-after sounds.

[darktiki101]

Under 5k. All digital boards offer compression and gates and the like, including the studio live. The board also supports fire wire multitrack recording.

[darktiki101]

You should invest in a presonus studio live. You can get either a 16 channel or 24 channel for undser

[Shirobarai]

I hear animusic in the background!

[BIueFlame]

Thanks very much, this video was really helpful. Great Job !

[NickRoelsConcerts13]

one dynamic the entire time...hmmmmm *cough* travis barker* cough*

[randompersonsband1]

highly informative video, what about doing a video or something explaining compression as it relates to different kinds of music? such as settings for music types other than metal? maybe I should just experiment. I think your explanation of 'dynamics' is the real kicker in all this recording stuff.

[Shuwiy]

@SnareSpectre this was really educational i like it!

Thanks alot (:

[askinner97]

You like Porcupine Tree... Listen to King's X.

[SnareSpectre]

@askinner97

I've tried, but could never get into them for some reason. I'm picky when it comes to my prog. :)

[pearldrummer23456789]

Where are you putting these compression setting in on? Cubase?

[mrooster09]

this is wassup!!!!

[TheDunwichHorrorBand]

Hey I am currently using cubase le4....how do you enter your compression settings on the standard on board compressor on cubase le4...all it is is like knobs....there is no ratio's just numbers if you get me...

[N4bUl5k1]

Hi, regarding compression, if im using a mixer (pre processing) that doesnt do compression, can i just put compression on the sterio track i record from my mixer onto my Cubase LE software or is that not possible. Thanks

[SnareSpectre]

@N4bUl5k1

Yes, you can - the only problem there is that you're compressing EVERYTHING. This is good for getting it louder and making the dynamic more stable to fit the mix of a song, but it doesn't allow you to compress individual tracks. For example, I like to compress the snare and bass drum, but not my overheads.

[SONORSQ2guy]

Your video's are the best tutorial for drum recording I've ever seen! Count me in as a subscriber for sure.

[cMaXeJIJIo]

Now that some1 had graphically explained it it`s all much clearer! Can`t get my head around the ratio tho-ratio between what and what?

But anyway, tried your snare drum settings-excellent! Although I made the attack time a tad longer. I`m using superior drummer(for lack of having normal drums lol).

[Thecityheights]

What kind of camera do you use to record these videos with? I'm trying to find a camera That can record decent drum quality so I can do covers and what not. :p

[SnareSpectre]

@Thecityheights

Creative Vado HD - you can find them for pretty cheap, especially if you get a refurbished one. I recently bought a refurb for $40...and for the quality, I think that's a great price. Note, though, that I recorded all the audio through microphones, so the audio throughout these videos isn't indicative of the sound you'd get using it for drum covers.

[sickpuppyband]

Your diagram really made everything more clear, this is the best I've seen in a while, I have the Tascam DM 3200 and I can record with compression on every channel independently, you really help keep up the good work.

[Drumsarefun094]

Thank you very much! I think i'm ready to get some mics now =D

Did i hear Animusic at the back?=P AWSOME!

[penski77]

This is a REALLY great video, man. Thanks for the help!

[JasonDrums95]

Awesome video, thank you so much! The visual and audio representations are really useful. Unfortunately, I'll probably have to watch it through a dozen times before anything starts to sink in... :)

[dbdrummer89]

awesome tutorial...and anyone who uses animusic in the background is a good guy in my book haha

[DefenceSpeech]

What do you use for compression, and where do you place it in the chain? I'll have to go with software, but I know everyone has their own personal preference for compressors. One of my friends uses the Nomad Factory Analog compressor (CP-2S) for his kick drums, which I think sounds good for metal and hard rock.

To add to what you've touched on here, I read that Led Zeppelin used to use the now famous UREI 1176 peak limiter on their overheads and guitars. Never tried overhead compression myself

[SnareSpectre]

Honestly, I don't even know what plug-in it is (free one you can get on the internet) - it's been a while since I found it and set it to what I like, and I never really compared compressors. It comes after EQ and noise gate in my chain, but before reverb. (Haven't experimented with chain order much.)

I've tried compressing the overheads; with a small amount of compression the drums sound alright, but I've tried saturating them with like a 4:1 ratio and didn't really care for the sound.

[drummerchild]

I agree, this video has helped me the most and I've looked everywhere for advice.

Thank you!

[JGEW33]

you are the best!! thank you :)

[sharonzazsa]

this is the single best explaining video presentation about compression

i have ever seen in the 20 years i have been recording.

[SnareSpectre]

Thank you so much! I'm glad to know the effort I put into making this video was worth it, and I'm glad you thought the explanation was clear!

[nebdrummer]

i dont know what happened, but i didnt see that at all. my bad.

i didnt mean the program made it sound cheap, just my ability to EQ the drums. haha

thanks again!

[nebdrummer]

whats the settings for your toms? threshold,ratio,attack, and release.

i have cubase LE as well, and messed around with it, but you can tell its a cheap sound. and i dont like it! im gonna give yours a try and see how it works out for me.

mics are audix fusion series. going through tascam 1641.

[SnareSpectre]

The settings I use for tom mics start at 5:56.

Cubase LE shouldn't make anything sound "cheap" - it's likely more dependent on the mic placement, tuning, or the settings on your tascam.

Thanks for watching!