Unlock the Secret to Punchy Drums: Master Dual Drum Busses

Inside The Recording Studio

In this episode of Inside the Recording Studio, Chris and Jody dive into a powerful mixing technique for drums—setting up two separate drum busses to take your drum mix to the next level. Specifically, we’ll cover how to use one bus for shell-style drums (kick, snare, toms) and a second bus for metal-style drums (hi-hats, ride, cymbals).

If you’ve ever struggled to get clarity and punch from your drum recordings, this episode is for you. We’ll break down:

• Why Two Drum Busses?: Discover the benefits of splitting your drum kit into two busses—how it allows for greater control over the dynamics, EQ, and processing of the different types of drums, from heavy, punchy kicks to shimmering cymbals.
• Setting Up the Shell Drum Bus: Learn how to treat your shell-style drums (kick, snare, toms) as a unified group, from EQ and compression settings to how much low-end punch and midrange power to dial in.
• Processing the Metal Drum Bus: We'll guide you through processing your hi-hats, rides, and cymbals separately, emphasizing top-end sheen, clarity, and space without overwhelming the mix.
• Balancing the Two Busses: Once both busses are dialed in, we’ll discuss how to balance them for maximum impact in your mix, ensuring that your drums sit perfectly in your track without competing frequencies.
• Advanced Techniques: Explore creative options like parallel compression and reverb settings that are bus-specific, enhancing the separation and power of your drum elements.

Whether you’re working on a dense rock mix or a more spacious, dynamic track, this episode will help you achieve a clean, balanced, and powerful drum sound. Tune in now to Inside the Recording Studio and revolutionize how you mix drums!

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Gear we used:
Jody's Mic & Voice Chain: Telefunken C12 - Groove Tubes Vipre - Apollo - UA Neve 1073 - UA LA2A - UA Studer A800
Jody's Channel Strip: iZotope RX Spectral DeNoise - iZotope RX Mouth DeClick - UA Neve 1073 - UA LA2A - UA 1176E
Chris' Mic & Voice Chain: Slate ML1 - Apollo - UA - Slate VMR (FG12, FG73, API Eq, SSL 4kE) - iZotope RX Voice - DeNoise
Chris' Channel Strip: Eventide Precision Time Align - iZotope RX Spectral DeNoise - iZotope RX Mouth DeClick - UA Neve 1073 - UA LA2A - UA 1176E
Master: Oek Sound Soothe 2 - iZotope Ozone Imager - iZotope Ozone Maximize.
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