Tips & Techniques for mixing the drums into music

[Neb]

The kits sounds great alone, or with just bass and vocals. Really big, roomy, powerful sounds.

But the more I’m getting into recording, trying to improve mixes, using reference tracks, the more I’m realising that after adding layers of keyboards, guitars and backing vocals, that the kits take up too much sonic space out of the box. If I watch a video such as MixBusTv or Reaperblog, the drums sound great in a mix, but when they solo their drums like snares or basses, I’m always surprised about how ‘small’ and ‘tinny’ they are.

Are there tips and techniques, specifically for EZD2, or within EZD2, to help ‘thin out’ the drum sound to make it fit into the mix better?

Or is it really just a matter of putting each drum on separate tracks in the DAW, and shaping them with EQ and compression, as you would a recorded kit?

Thanks.

EZdrummer version: 2.1.8
Operating system: Windows 10

Beginner-level Guitarist/Drummer/Mixer. EZD2|3 / EZKeys1|2 / EZMix3.
Desktop - Ryzen 5 4650G @ 3.7GHz | 16Gb DDR4 | 1TB SSD | Win10 Pro.
Reaper | Roland Rubix 4x4 interface | Arturia Minilab II controller.

Topic

[Shootie]

I would start with EQ. And not just the drums, but every instrument in your session. Generic example. Vocals, Snare drum and most guitars occupy similar mid frequencies. They’re all competing for the same mid frequencies. If you have sub frequencies in your kick, that will compete with your bass guitar and typically keys can have the run of the entire spectrum depending on their sound and can compete with everything.

A rough example. Default snare in the Modern kit can punch through at 600Hz. If you like that, maybe you should take 600Hz away from the other instruments a bit and support that snare hit being clean every time it’s heard. Or visa-versa if that where you want the guitar to be heard.

Also, toss an RTA on your channel or master fader. Voxengo makes a good free one I use all of the time if you need one. Take a look at the RTA when you hit the default Modern Kit snare. Besides sub frequencies, that one snare hit takes up a ton of frequencies… frequencies that the rest of the band might want to use instead.

Compression is great, I EQ first for the most part. EQ is doing most of the job at least for me.

EZD3 Tutorials | EZBass Tutorials | Toontrack themed FB Group | Toontrack themed Discord Group

[Neb]

Thanks.

So no real techniques or tools within EZD2 itself to start shaping the sound for mixing?

Beginner-level Guitarist/Drummer/Mixer. EZD2|3 / EZKeys1|2 / EZMix3.
Desktop - Ryzen 5 4650G @ 3.7GHz | 16Gb DDR4 | 1TB SSD | Win10 Pro.
Reaper | Roland Rubix 4x4 interface | Arturia Minilab II controller.

[Shootie]

If you select the correct Library Preset sometimes you get a generic EQ and compressor in which you can barely control the parameters. Superior drummer can do what you want with it’s built in FX and routing. Or EDZ2 routed out to your DAW is the next step to be able to mix drums.

EZD3 Tutorials | EZBass Tutorials | Toontrack themed FB Group | Toontrack themed Discord Group

[Neb]

OK. Cheers.

Thanks for doing the YT tutorials. I’ll look at them when I’ve got time.

Beginner-level Guitarist/Drummer/Mixer. EZD2|3 / EZKeys1|2 / EZMix3.
Desktop - Ryzen 5 4650G @ 3.7GHz | 16Gb DDR4 | 1TB SSD | Win10 Pro.
Reaper | Roland Rubix 4x4 interface | Arturia Minilab II controller.

1

Thanked by: Shootie

[Shootie]

Good luck with your mixes.

EZD3 Tutorials | EZBass Tutorials | Toontrack themed FB Group | Toontrack themed Discord Group

[Author]

Replies