How You Can Fix Flat Sounding Drum Overheads #ProductionHub

How You Can Fix Flat Sounding Drum Overheads #ProductionHub

7th October 2021

Drum overhead recordings are sometimes recorded poorly and can lack the excitement, energy and brightness to drive a mix forward. However, they can be easy to fix with the right processing techniques! On our #ProductionHub, we look at how you can create exuberant overheads for your mix using transient shapers, EQ, reverb, and saturation plugins from Waves Audio and Abbey Road.

 

  1. Increase Attack with a Transient Shaper

A transient shaper allows you to control dynamics in a way that doesn’t rely on a threshold level, as opposed to compressors. This makes transient shapers, like Smack Attack, perfect for sculpting the attack and sustain of dynamic overhead recordings.

Overhead mics are usually positioned further away from their sound source than other drum kit mics. If the overhead mics used weren’t able to pick up the detail required to produce a dynamic recording, try increasing the attack level on Smack Attack; the result will be overheads that sound lively and exciting.
 

  1. Add Top-End Clarity With EQ

The overheads are often the only mics that capture a drum kit’s cymbals. If your cymbals sound dark, this can cause the overall drum tone to feel “dull.” Try boosting the top-end of your overheads using an EQ, like the PuigTec EQs, so that they become a little more exciting and don’t get lost within your mix; they’re meant to dominate the upper-frequency range in a pleasing manner and add energy to the song. Experiment with high-end boosts at different frequencies on the PuigTec to see which one best suits the source material and overall mix.
 

  1. Use a Bright-Sounding Reverb

It’s quite common to send all your drums to the same reverb, but applying a separate reverb to a finicky set of overheads may be what’s required to prevent them from sounding “flat.” Abbey Road Reverb Plates has a shimmery personality and allows you to filter its output signal; this helps separate the reverb from the input signal. Send a small amount of your overheads to an aux track with this reverb, and apply a high-pass filter around 300 Hz and a low-pass filter around 3,000 Hz for a sustain that sounds bright and shiny on your OHs.
 

  1. Control Harshness with Saturation

Some of the processing techniques discussed may have made your overheads sound more lively but could also have introduced some top-end harshness. You can control harshness using a saturator like Abbey Road J37 Tape. Saturation will distort problematic harsh frequencies, and essentially mask them. It will also apply compression to your audio signal which can help tame resonance. Turn up the input level on the J37 until you’ve dealt with the harshness that’s present in your overheads.
 
 

Related News

 
24th November 2024

Abbey Road Amplify 2024

Our annual Amplify programme returns for a fourth edition. Over eight days in November (15 Nov, 18 - 23 Nov) we will open our doors to the next generation of artists, engineers and creatives for a free festival featuring masterclasses, immersive recording sessions, production workshops, A&R listening sessions, mix feedback and Q&As. Hosted across the The Gatehouse, Studio Two and Studio Three by members of the Abbey Road team as well as some of the music industry’s leading names, the event will see panellists, mentors and hosts share career insights and essential advice for upcoming talent. ...
Read more
 
5th August 2023

Abbey Road Rooms: Mastering Suite 5 with Geoff Pesche

Our latest behind-the-scenes room tour sees us step inside the legendary Room 5. Read on as engineer Geoff Pesche (Yard Act, Kylie Minogue, New Order, Travis Scott, Mica Millar) walks us through the gear he's used for the past 17 years. Geoff is one of the engineers on our Online Mastering portal, available to master your music and get it sounding as good as it possibly ...
Read more
 
2nd July 2023

Abbey Road Rooms: Dolby Atmos Music Mastering Suite 35 with Oli Morgan

Our latest behind-the-scenes room tour sees us step inside Room 35, our new Dolby Atmos Music Mastering Suite. Read on as engineer Oli Morgan (FKJ, Sam Smith, The Chemical Brothers, Howard Shore) walks us through the latest and greatest gear in Room 35. Oli is one of the engineers on our Online Mastering portal available to master your music to get it sounding as good as it possibly ...
Read more
More news