bring out that Bass

[filkove]

using adobe audition, how can i bring out the Bass drum on the drumset without effecting how the rest of the set sounds? (FYI, the drums are recorded using 3 mics but are all on one track)

[brandondrury]

I'm assuming you didn't put a mic on the bass drum. Is this correct?

The usual 3 mic setup has a mic fairly close to the kick drum and 2 other mics used more as overheads or whatever.

Of course, changing the level of any mic on a drumset is going to have at least a subtle effect on the overall sound of the kit due to leakage and bleed.

Now are you asking about level or are you asking how to get the kick drum to cut through better?

Brandon

[filkove]

the 3 mic setup is one by the kick, one between the snare and high-hat and one overhang.

the recording volume is already set up to the point where if i turn up the kick mic anymore it will spike.

i want the kick to really be felt while listening to the song... especially if someone was to listen to it in a system in there car. but I find that when i adjust the Lows Mids and Highs on the drum track, its easy for me to find the level of Bass i want, but when i do that, the integrity of the snare always gets fudged up a bit. in other words, is there a way to bring the bass out more but keep the crisp sound of the snare?

[brandondrury]

the recording volume is already set up to the point where if i turn up the kick mic anymore it will spike.

Okay, well you don't want to clip.

Read this: The Basics Of Setting Gain Structure

If you are clipping and the kick is too soft, pull down the drums as a whole.

its easy for me to find the level of Bass i want, but when i do that, the integrity of the snare always gets fudged up a bit.

Okay, this makes sense. I had a similar situation here:
Drum Recording: A Weak Kick Drum Can Nearly Ruin Your Snare Drum Tone

It sounds to me like the drummer and instrument isn't giving you what you want or you have not placed the mic in such a way that the mic is picking up what you want.

You will always get some bleed from the snare into the kick drum. All drum mics pick up all the instruments in different proportions.

Is the kick mic in the drum or outside it? Have you tried using blankets to block out some of the snare leakage? Is the drummer crushing the drum?

Brandon

[Irish614]

I have a similar problem. Check out my bands myspace and listen to the tracks, the bass guitar pretty much drowns out the kick drum. On the song called "Imagine" I recorded using CAD 7 piece drum mic kit cost me 150$ at musicians friend then they bumped it up to 200 a week later so I was happy. With that kick mic you can kinda hear the punch of the kick drum but not like if you were listening to a professional studio track. I just love the sound of the kick drum and want it to be heard. heres the link http://www.myspace.com/maplea

heres a list of what my friend uses -PC Recording: Delta 66 soundcard w/ Omni Breakout Box

-On-site Recording: Mbox2 PRO on my Macbook Pro - he also has protools.

[brandondrury]

Not a bad song.

First of all, your electric guitar's low end is out of control in the second verse. I'd immediately put a high pass @ 80Hz without thinking about it. I have That's a start.

I've got a feeling the problem isn't the kick drum mic necessarily. I've got a feeling that your drummer has a weak foot and your are mixing the kick drum to sound weak. On one of the songs, the bass is down quite a bit more, but the kick still isn't there.

Is the kick loud and powerful in the room when the drummer is playing? I've got a feeling that it isn't because I'm not hearing any kick drum in the overheads. There are no mixing tricks to make up for a weak kick drum in the first place.

There are quite a few tricks to fixing a not-so-good mic.

#1 Just turn the thing up. See what happens.
#2 Suck out the junk in the kick drum (anywhere between 200-600 Hz).
#3 Add attack as needed. 3K 5K 7K 10K all have their merits depending on the song.
#4 Use parallel compression.
#5 If necessarily, put a low shelf boost on the kick.

http://www.recordingreview.com/music...l-compression/

http://www.recordingreview.com/artic...mpression.html

Brandon

[Irish614]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

Not a bad song.

First of all, your electric guitar's low end is out of control in the second verse. I'd immediately put a high pass @ 80Hz without thinking about it. I have That's a start.

I've got a feeling the problem isn't the kick drum mic necessarily. I've got a feeling that your drummer has a weak foot and your are mixing the kick drum to sound weak. On one of the songs, the bass is down quite a bit more, but the kick still isn't there.

Is the kick loud and powerful in the room when the drummer is playing? I've got a feeling that it isn't because I'm not hearing any kick drum in the overheads. There are no mixing tricks to make up for a weak kick drum in the first place.

There are quite a few tricks to fixing a not-so-good mic.

#1 Just turn the thing up. See what happens.
#2 Suck out the junk in the kick drum (anywhere between 200-600 Hz).
#3 Add attack as needed. 3K 5K 7K 10K all have their merits depending on the song.
#4 Use parallel compression.
#5 If necessarily, put a low shelf boost on the kick.

http://www.recordingreview.com/music...l-compression/

http://www.recordingreview.com/artic...mpression.html

Brandon

Hey man thanks for the feedback, I can say with 200% confidence that the drummer doesn't have a weak foot because I am the drummer lol. All of those songs were recorded in my friends basement and my kick sounds like a cannon (it also sounds really good in my garage too, we just recently recorded 2 new songs that will be posted within a week or 2). The other 2 songs were recorded using a vocal mic on the kick drum because I didn't own any drum mics at the time so the kit sounds like junk on "stop stalling" and "don't take it back". I think it has to do with the mixing of the song, it sounds good by itself but when you add the vocals, bass and guitar the kit becomes overwhelmed. I will have to show this to my friend and bandmate that does the recordings.

[brandondrury]

I can say with 200% confidence that the drummer doesn't have a weak foot because I am the drummer lol.

Fair enough. It's my experience that 99% of all drummers think they hit hard. Only about 1% really do. I'll take your word for it, but the odds aren't in your favor.

other 2 songs were recorded using a vocal mic on the kick drum

What kind of "vocal mic"? I've used a Shure SM 57 with good results. It's probably very similar to your "vocal mic".

it sounds good by itself but when you add the vocals, bass and guitar the kit becomes overwhelmed.

This is what concerns me. The kick drum doesn't have to fight with much (just the bass guitar and maybe something in the high end but that's usually an easy fix). In other words, a dense mix is tough, but the kick drum usually isn't the tough part.

That low end should be blasting right through.

I will have to show this to my friend and bandmate that does the recordings.

Get him on here! He should be the one asking questions!

Brandon