Drums — we love ’em. And we want ’em big, articulate, loud, and punchy. Although many musicians reach for compression to make drums “fatter,” sometimes that obscures the sharp, percussive attack. But hey, it’s the digital age, and we don’t have to put up with anything we don’t want! So, here are five ways to make drums pop.
1. Parallel Compression
This common technique mixes in a compressed drum track (which provides the “girth”), while a dry, parallel drum track mixes some of the uncompressed peaks back in. Parallel compression is such a popular effect that many compressors include a mix control to vary the dry/compressed sound ratio.
However, processing the uncompressed audio can enhance your drum sound even more. For example . . .
2. Transient Shaping
With parallel compression, there’s often overlap between the dry and compressed audio. Having the dry signal emphasize only the peaks lets the compressed drums do what they do best. A transient-shaping plug-in (e.g., Native Instruments Transient Master) is ideal for boosting the dry signal’s attack peaks. You can now mix the dry signal lower yet retain the peaks needed to keep that percussive vibe pushing the beat.
3. Upward Expansion
Expanders aren’t limited to downward expansion — making soft signals softer when the audio goes below a particular threshold. Don’t overlook upward expansion, which makes loud signals louder when the audio goes above a threshold. This can emphasize the peaks of the dry track that you mix in with the compressed audio (fig. 1).
The key is adjusting the expander’s parameters. Make the attack as short as possible. Decay or release determines the drum sound’s “peakiness,” while threshold sets how much the peak gets emphasized.
4. EQ the Dry Track
Modern drum sounds tend to be more articulated, so a low-frequency shelf on the dry track that rolls off below 200Hz–400Hz, or a notch on only the lower mids if you need to preserve the kick, can give a more piquant and bright sound that mixes well with compressed drums. If the overall drum sound seems thin, then add a slight low-shelf boost to the compressed track to thicken everything back up.
An additional advantage is that, when using reverb on the drums, a send from the dry, EQed track will keep low-frequency mud out of the reverb. This gives a crisper, tighter drum sound.
5. Saturation
Guitar players know about this. People who love the sound of tape know about this. However, it’s counterintuitive to saturate the dry drum track because this reduces peaks, which impacts a track’s percussive quality. But, sometimes, lo-fi has its merits. I’ve produced tracks where the intended result was that trashy, “punk-meets-the-cusp-of-the-’80s” drum sound, and saturation is your friend. The Waves J37 tape saturation plug-in is a good place to start.
There you have it — five ways to lift your drums out of the mix. One more tip: oil the kick-drum pedal before you hit record. Just sayin’.