Your favorite device to add distortion on drums

[AllAboutTone]

pushing a couple Studer 089s pres on my overheads. Gotta love it.

[Rascal Audio]

A few different things:

• Alesis MicroLimiter (lots of compression too, but a very cool effect on room mics)
• Aardvark Aardscape (odd tape emulation unit from 90's. Not a good tape emulation, but cool for various distortion effects)
• Sansamp plug-in (and just about any other amp plug-in)
• Overloading preamps and putting a variable 600-ohm pad on the output to drop the level (make sure your pre's can push 600 ohm load)

Joel

[Axelrod]

Originally Posted by KIDBILL

What's your favorite device(s) to add distortion on drums?

sometimes i like slamming the front end of my aurora gtq2 on rooms.
sometimes i like sound toys decapitator on channel inserts and other times on drum bus parallel.

[KT1]

Soft I like decap but in the hw space can't go wrong with q culture vulture. More subtle I like the distortion stage on both fatso and looptrotter monster.

Sent from my HTC Desire S using Tapatalk

[Sotsirc]

Fatso (hardware), especially when used multiple times driven softly. Gives me converter anxiety though.

[recordinghopkins]

Studer A827.
Or a Distressor.

Or Both.

Or Kramer Tape plugin when the above aren't available. Whew, especially on toms. I go right for the "toms rock you" preset. Cheaper than tape rentals.

[tobi-mobile]

Are there any 500 series units delivering saturation and distortion effects?

I've used some real guitar pedals parallel to drums which can be great (and better than amp plug ins). Would love to see some overdrive unit in 500 lunchbox.

[string6theory]

Layer or blend of two hw PSA-1's for stereo.

[never-enough]

Originally Posted by tobi-mobile

Are there any 500 series units delivering saturation and distortion effects?

I've used some real guitar pedals parallel to drums which can be great (and better than amp plug ins). Would love to see some overdrive unit in 500 lunchbox.

the standard audio level-or is a monster for this

[Kabby]

Originally Posted by never-enough

the standard audio level-or is a monster for this

+1!

[SP2016]

Originally Posted by KIDBILL

What's your favorite device(s) to add distortion on drums?

There are occasions where the drummer himself takes care of that, simply by playing....

[Retinal]

Vintage DBX 165A, its peak stop is the s#hit
Also my 2 HCL Tubescream strips

[SP2016]

Allison Gain Brain.

[sniperschool]

Originally Posted by tobi-mobile

Are there any 500 series units delivering saturation and distortion effects?

I've used some real guitar pedals parallel to drums which can be great (and better than amp plug ins). Would love to see some overdrive unit in 500 lunchbox.

These rule IMO

Bereich 03 Density

[Rolf Ebitsch]

In a DAW as a plugin:
Abbey Road RS124 Compressor
great result

In the analog sector:
reamping (Radial X-Amp) with distortion pedals.
also good results.

R.

[jetam]

Gyraf G9

[drezz]

Gotta be the Thermionic Culture Vulture. Great palate of Distortion colours........

[BuildaFriend]

The culture vulture on drums????

[t-hiho]

Gotta try the Cartec PreQ5 on API 500 standart!!!
It's an insanely cool tool! You have that switchable output pad with multiple settings, so You can perfectly drive the xformers inside the box! Sounds instantly like early Stevie Wonder Motown drums!! Try it on snare, and You'll know what I mean!
Seriously, this is THE unit for driving drums.
And if You feel like it lacks some lowest or highest end afterwards, You have that wonderful build-in iductor EQ!
I tried to get that effect from my Helios Channel for some time, but the Cartec was simply better.
If You'd like to spend more money and have the distortion more subtle, I'd try the Retro 176 compressor - it's input gain stage sounds phantastic on drums! I wish I'd have more than one of those units.

[stephenTAPE]

Originally Posted by Rascal Audio

A few different things:

• Alesis MicroLimiter (lots of compression too, but a very cool effect on room mics)
  

Joel

Absolutely Yes


should be shite.. BUT EH


unbelievable in paralell to the drum bus

Very ' turn on the bright lights '

[Mr. Bars]

Since I have nice outboard gear I manage with distortion within analogue domain only:

• TFPro P38 compressor's clip function - very smooth clipping that in my opinion suitable especially for individual instrument (synth, bass & acoustic guitar) despite its mastering pedigree; works well sometimes on drum buss in parallel mode

• Chandler Channel MK2s pair or Vintech 573s pair pres - overdriving it to hell or use very very subtly with input / output control and impedance switch; this is set of my classics with very wide range of smells; MK2s pair on overheads and Vintech 573 on snare or toms

• Germanium drive in my Chandler Germanium compressors pair - in conjunction with dirty comp selector works very often and almost on everything; my must have on overhead processing

• API 527 - with its transformer based 2520 op amps output it is not distortion box as we used to understand, but good and distinctive drive unit, which is very individual especially on material with poor sustain; very functional remedy for room signal

• Distressors - always & everywhere (nearly); kick, snare, room, ambience, drum buss

• Studer Revox B77 - I like to slam it a bit on bass or other stuff with unobtrusive high frequencies, but it is usually enough to see meters arrows jumping within -4 / 0 dBU maximum (it's VU meter eventually and we have to remember what it shows); drum buss or room only.

[jono]

Level-Or is the bomb. TG-1 maybe not for out-and-out distortion, but very cool on the buss in right situation. And lastly - I say this with trepidation given that this is a gear forum - I tried Soundtoys Decapitator on toms - unreal....

[Retinal]

Originally Posted by jono

Level-Or is the bomb. TG-1 maybe not for out-and-out distortion, but very cool on the buss in right situation. And lastly - I say this with trepidation given that this is a gear forum - I tried Soundtoys Decapitator on toms - unreal....

Agree, the TG1 in THD mode is very nice,
also great for el guitars (i usually print those and then keep the TG1 on
the drum bus during mixing)

[Doc Mixwell]

Originally Posted by KIDBILL

What's your favorite device(s) to add distortion on drums?

KICK DRUM - DUCT TAPE - ZILDORINE [tambo with a pickup output]- MODULATION PEDAL [insert other tasty distortion choices as desired] - AMPEG 8x10 - MICROPHONE

[Jim Williams]

Fuzz Face.

[SDB_12]

Software:
Digi LoFi
Massey Tapehead

Hardware:
FATSO
Mutilated 1176

[Sino]

EL Fatso, Thermionic Culture Vulture, SoundToys Decapitator plug.
Sometimes I route them into a gtr amp.

[nickelironsteel]

maxon 808

[mowmow]

I like 1178 on ambient mics and mix them in.