Processing Your Drum Tracks: Parallel Compression
May 14th, 2011
This is the third installment in my series of articles on the subject of drum track processing. We focus here on parallel compression.
So… your guitarist has decided that he’d like to triple track all nineteen of his brilliant ideas using his Mind Bleeder distortion pedal and your keyboardist wants to layer every cool Moog and Nord patch he’s ever programmed since the 80’s. Your bassist insists on playing nothing but the chords he just learned in Bass Frenzy magazine on his Booty Humper Low F# seven string. So how do get your drum tracks to punch through this sonic wall?
You may want to experiment with parallel compression of your drum tracks. Simply put, you’re blending a compressed drum track with an unprocessed track for added “oomph”. I don’t generally care for this technique on anything Jazz related but if you’re dealing with a wall of mud and you can’t carve out the proper space any other way (or don’t have the time), this technique is worth exploring. Here is how to get started.Start by getting your drum tracks sounding amazing utilizing the techniques described above. That’s it, right? Call your girl to tell her you’re coming home early ’cause you’re feeling frisky!
Kidding. Seriously… once you’ve gotten your drums in a good place, take a few elements of the drum tracks… say your kick, snare, and toms and bus them to the input of a compressor in wait via an aux send. Remember your drums are still being bussed to the master out in addition to the aux send you’ve just created. Now smash the snot out of the compressor and gently blend the output of this mangled signal with your original drum tracks until you start to feel the drums gaining weight. You may find that you won’t need much… just a “touch” is all it may take to cut through that wall of sound. Essentially, you’re increasing the perceived loudness of the drum tracks without resorting to radical EQ or unjustified levels of gain. Some of the mixers that have mastered this subtle art have produced amazing drum sounds that we hear every day on the radio. Experiment with it and see what works for you. Hell, if you’re really feeling frisky (audio – wise) mess around with some slight distortion on the snare and kick drum tracks as well.
Have fun experimenting with parallel compression on your drum tracks, and be sure to read part four of this series in which I will discuss ambiance.
Categories: Music and Gadget
