Looking for more presence, punch and depth in your drums?
Many of us (including me when I was starting out) don’t really appreciate the nuances and power of overheads. All too often you see mixers just high pass them and call it a day! *horrified face emoji*
But the truth is that while they aren’t as straightforward as close mics or shells, they’re oftentimes the key to giving your drums the kind of size, presence and depth that makes the difference between good and great – so don’t let yourself get away with half-assing them!
As one example, check out this clip from Henrik Udd’s Nail The Mix session featuring “Gone With The Wind” by Architects – he spends quite a bit of time painstakingly notching out these overheads, and while the dummies in the YouTube comments think it’s “just basic subtractive EQ,” this is the kind of attention to detail and patience it takes to really get the most out of your drums (or anything else in your mix). If it’s so basic, why don’t your drums sound this good? 🙂
Challenge yourself to really listen to the overheads and ask yourself if you’re getting everything you possibly can out of them before reaching for reverbs or samples!
Nail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Gojira, Meshuggah, Machine Head, A Day To Remember and State Champs. Join now for instant access!