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Quickie Guide to DAW Mixing, Part #21
03/29/2006

Since we're focusing on DAWs, there's a good chance you're using sampled drum sounds. It's important to keep in mind that these sounds may have been EQed within an inch of their lives during the production process. If you've chosen a sample, chances are you already like the sound. The only issues you really need to contend with are EQing drums to fit in the mix. Here are some basic guidelines that apply to both samples and acoustic drums.

For a defined, punchy kick drum, boost at 80Hz, cut around 400 Hz (to remove boxiness and conflicts with other instruments), and boost at 3-4kHz (to bring out attack). For snare, add body at 250Hz, presence at 1.8kHz, and highs at 7kHz for a little crispness. Toms should be handled individually if possible; the approach is pretty much the same as for kick drum with the exception of boosting the lows. If you like a crisp, clean sound on hi-hat, roll off the lows and boost a little at 10kHz. If you like a chunkier sound, boost the upper mids (5-6kHz) a bit.





Other Techtips from March 2006:
March 31 - Managing UAD-1 plug-in latency in Pro Tools LE and M-Powered
March 30 - Quickie Guide to DAW Mixing, Part #22
March 29 - Quickie Guide to DAW Mixing, Part #21
March 28 - What Does "Breaking In Speakers" Mean?
March 27 - Using EQ During Recording
March 24 - Controlling room mics
March 23 - Public Service Announcement
March 22 - Effective EQing in a DAW
March 21 - Accessing Waves Plug-in Presets in a DAW
March 20 - Conserving Plug-in Resources in Windows XP
March 17 - Quickie Guide to DAW Mixing, Part #20
March 16 - Quickie Guide to DAW Mixing, Part #19
March 15 - Quickie Guide to DAW Mixing, Part 18
March 14 - Quickie Guide to DAW Mixing, Part 17
March 13 - Quickie Guide to DAW Mixing, Part 16
March 10 - How does a limiter work?
March 09 - Mid-side miking
March 08 - Quickie Guide to Mixing, Part #15
March 07 - Quickie Guide to Mixing, Part 14
March 06 - Avoiding hi-hat plosives
March 03 - Quick and easy pop filter
March 02 - Controlling the bass without a compressor
March 01 - More Advanced Shortcuts for Pro Tools


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