Drum Track Processing: Compression Tips
May 17th, 2010
This is the second installment in my series of tutorials addressing the processing of drum tracks. Our focus here is on compression.
I tend to use compression for two distinct reasons – to color a signal or to control its dynamic range. Hardware is ideal, but software can get you there as well. I won’t go into great lengths about how to use a compressor but will touch upon some desired approaches regarding drum track compression. There are four different types of compressors: Vari-mu (Delta-Mu), VCA (voltage controlled amplifier), FET (field effect transformer) and Electro-Optical (opto). In terms of processing drums I’d recommend sticking with VCA based designs of FETs, although you can get anything to work if you try hard enough.
First, let’s talk about color. By altering a compressor’s attack and release controls, one can alter how much sustain, attack and punch a track will exhibit. For example, through compression of a kick drum track you can control how much beater “click” you hear versus how much “body” and thump is heard. If you’d like more “snap” out of a kick, slow down your attack to allow more of the initial transient through. Do you want more “shell” or “bloom” in the bass drum track? Crank up the attack and slow the release down. Now the initial click sound has been caught and tamed while the tone of the shell is boosted. Think of this approach as a way to EQ the signal without resorting to using an EQ. Basically, you’re manipulating the attack and sustain of the drum tracks to produce more bite and punch or to round off transients for a softer mellower sound. Stylistically speaking, Modern Rock drum tracks seem to beg for massive amounts of compression, whereas Jazz and Folk tracks prefer to be untouched.
Ratio and threshold are also definitely important to drum tracks, but to me the key to proper compression is all in the manipulation of attack and release. If you’re using an LA2A, forget what you just read and carry on.
Okay, so the other reason compression is employed is to simply reduce a signal’s dynamic range. For example, let’s say you have a snare drum track that has varying intensities in amplitude (meaning the session drummer played some hits harder than others) and you want a more consistent level or placement in the track, you may want to slap a compressor on it to keep the output constant. You could also place a limiter on the snare drum track to keep from spiking into the red (overloading) while still preserving most of the original dynamics. Compressing or limiting overhead mics is a common practice and you may find that just a slight bit of compression here and there can help reign in unruly hits. If you’re looking to present a more honest and natural drum sound, then slight hints of compression at low thresholds and low ratios should be the prescription of choice. If you do decide to strap a compressor across the Drum Bus, I recommend keeping the compressor in Dual Mono as opposed to linking the compressor in Stereo. Listen for yourself and do what you like, but Dual Mono often seems more exciting and natural – allowing the drum tracks to sort of leap out of the speaker during fills and crashes.
Remember, experimentation is key with compression of drum tracks. Have fun and be sure to read my other articles in this series which address gating, parallel compression, equalization, and other concepts.
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