Tips for Distorting Drums

Dopamine · 14th August 2007, 04:33 AM

I'm getting ready to start a mix in Protools (a Ska band) and think distortion will really help the drums.

WHAT IS THE BEST PROTOOLS PLUG IN FOR DISTORTING A LIVE KIT.

I own Amplitube (the original version), Massey's THC and Ozone's Trash, but none of them are doing what I want. Perhaps I am just not dialing in the proper setting. Any other folks having success using these plug-ins?

OR should I buy Sans Amp or Amp Farm?

Second question: is the preferred way of doing this simply routing all the drums to an aux and inserting the plug in there. In generally, does it seems to sound better to route all the drums or are there any that you leave out (room? overhead?).

I know there is no magic answer, but some general tips would really be appreciated, since my initial experimentation was disappointing

I've mixed a lot of hip hop and pop, but this is my first real band with live drums. I really want to kick ass with this and appreciate any insight.

Another obstacle is that I am mixing on a Mix rig, so I will have to deal with nudging to account for latency. Ant tips there are appreciated as well.

C Heat · 14th August 2007, 04:42 AM

What about Lo-Fi.

Crush the source a little and then blend it back in with the original.

.002

chymer · 14th August 2007, 05:15 AM

not a plugin but...the TECH 21 COMPTORTION guitar pedal.
Sounds great, its got compression and drive. Sounds great and gives the kit some nice depth of field.
Chymer

druhms · 14th August 2007, 05:53 AM

In the box, I use the Sans Amp with good success, but I rarely mix in the box. My first instinct, when distorting drums, is sending to an ADL 1500 and blister the meters.
Try the Sans Amp....it's pretty effortless.
Druhms

C_F_H_13 · 14th August 2007, 05:54 AM

IZOTOPE TRASH!!!!!

Best distortion plugin

Alex Niedt · 14th August 2007, 06:42 AM

I'd say just keep experimenting. You should be able to achieve all sorts of flavors w/ the tools you have. There's really no correct way to add distortion to something. Best of luck...

Dopamine · 14th August 2007, 06:59 AM

< What about Lo-Fi. >
I've never tried Lo-fi, but will give it a shot.

Do you folks generally add the distortion to all the drum mics?

>> IZOTOPE TRASH!!!!! Best distortion plugin>>

Which preset will get me close? I remember going thru them all and didn't like any. I find the user interface to be confusing. I feel like a real newby asking these questions (and I'm not). Just not a lot of experience with live drums.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Curve Dominant · 14th August 2007, 07:01 AM

I've been using Massey Tapehead for griming up drums, with glee.

druhms · 14th August 2007, 07:03 AM

Generally you do not add distortion to drums, but, there are no rules in this world.
Druhms

Dopamine · 14th August 2007, 07:03 AM

I use Tapehead on the snare, but that's not the sort of distortion I am talking about.

Dopamine · 14th August 2007, 07:05 AM

<< Generally you do not add distortion to drums, but, there are no rules in this world. >>

I know a lot of pros do, including some of the serious guest mods on here. I feel its just one thing I haven't been able to get a handle on.

84K · 14th August 2007, 07:28 AM

TRASH RULES!!!

Mike Caffrey · 14th August 2007, 07:32 AM

My advice is next time print with distortion.

I'd suggest send it out to the analog domain and creating the distortion there.

Another possibility would be to use a peak limiter set with far too low a threshold.

Or the obvious choices of Sans Amp etc.

Dopamine · 14th August 2007, 07:37 AM

<< TRASH RULES!!! >>

Please tell me what preset or setting you are using with Trash. (Sorry if this sounds like a high school question, but I always go thru the presets and nothing works. And the GUI drives me crazy-- frustrating with the multiple pages.

I guess I just need to spend more time with it.

Dopamine · 14th August 2007, 07:41 AM

<< I'd suggest send it out to the analog domain and creating the distortion there. >>

Interesting, maybe I will give that a shot. I could run all the drums out to my Fireworx, then back in and manually line it up. Then I would not have to worry about latency!!

Thanks for the suggestion, Mike, I will try that tomorrow.

84K · 14th August 2007, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dopamine

<< TRASH RULES!!! >>

Please tell me what preset or setting you are using with Trash. (Sorry if this sounds like a high school question, but I always go thru the presets and nothing works. And the GUI drives me crazy-- frustrating with the multiple pages.

I guess I just need to spend more time with it.

I put it on, solo the dry with the distorted, turn the knobs till its sounds like it is adding what the clean one is lacking, hit unsolo. Blend them in the track, and wallah. No preset. Just listen and adjust.

Sirocco · 14th August 2007, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dopamine

Ozone's Trash

watt is thar?

greyskull · 14th August 2007, 10:10 AM

sansamp.
and smash the room mics

DUBSOUL · 14th August 2007, 11:59 AM

try the 1176LN. with no compression.use the input knob to crank for distortion & make sure u have output down.and blend with original source for effect.

Sirocco · 14th August 2007, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DUBSOUL

try the 1176LN. with no compression.use the input knob to crank for distortion & make sure u have output down.and blend with original source for effect.

100% correct.

however: double the kick: the 1st copy do a slight rolloff on the highs..the 2nd...do a thick highpass so most of the lows are gone - > runthis one thru the 1176lm on all buttons mode ..blend it with the 1st copy...thenbus them both together and send to another 1176ln..and do a more light compresion to blend them

DeadPoet · 14th August 2007, 12:30 PM

SSL listenback compressor (free) distorts if you push it. (but cuts hi and lo)

Herwig

**toolskid** · 14th August 2007, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by druhms

Generally you do not add distortion to drums, but, there are no rules in this world.
Druhms

I think a more accurate statement may be:

Generally I do not add distortion to drums....

To the OP, Sansamp can be really really special on drums! Use the Greg Fidelman 'Angry Drums' preset to get ya goin! I generally use this as a mult fed by kick snare and sometimes OH. It can also be great however on FOK and snare top and I sometimes use different amounts/flavours throughout a track on room mics.

1 or 2 points of distortion from LOFI can be great on a drum bus!

IZOtope Vinyl can be a nice flavour on kit elements, especially when driven with the 'wear' function doing a little work!

All the best

pjplayer · 14th August 2007, 01:13 PM

distortion on drums is something i feel very strongly about. if you're going to do it, do it recklessly with no regard for the rest of the mix and with no chance of going back (so record them to a single stereo track through something like a metal zone guitar pedal).

chymer · 14th August 2007, 02:51 PM

also, distorted drums can sound a bit offensive and washy so try keying a gate with the kick and snare over the distorted drums.
Chymer

joeq · 14th August 2007, 03:17 PM

Normally distortion on drums tends to make me think they are thin. But distorted drums can sound great in combination with some "false bottom".

send a band-passed copy of the drums to a harmonizer pitched a fifth or even an octave down. The band should be low enough to "generate" the bottom end of the snare and toms but not so low that the harmonized kick turns to mush. It helps to gate this mess, too.

Put the distortion on parallel clean tracks. Amplitube is not bad, but my favorite distortion is reamping through a practice amp, pignose, or something like that.

jonaknt · 14th August 2007, 03:48 PM

Overdrive tube pres while tracking!!!

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14th August 2007, 04:33 AM	#1
Dopamine Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miami Beach Posts: 1,395	Tips for Distorting Drums I'm getting ready to start a mix in Protools (a Ska band) and think distortion will really help the drums. WHAT IS THE BEST PROTOOLS PLUG IN FOR DISTORTING A LIVE KIT. I own Amplitube (the original version), Massey's THC and Ozone's Trash, but none of them are doing what I want. Perhaps I am just not dialing in the proper setting. Any other folks having success using these plug-ins? OR should I buy Sans Amp or Amp Farm? Second question: is the preferred way of doing this simply routing all the drums to an aux and inserting the plug in there. In generally, does it seems to sound better to route all the drums or are there any that you leave out (room? overhead?). I know there is no magic answer, but some general tips would really be appreciated, since my initial experimentation was disappointing I've mixed a lot of hip hop and pop, but this is my first real band with live drums. I really want to kick ass with this and appreciate any insight. Another obstacle is that I am mixing on a Mix rig, so I will have to deal with nudging to account for latency. Ant tips there are appreciated as well.

14th August 2007, 04:42 AM	#2
C Heat Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: BrisVegas Posts: 1,708	What about Lo-Fi. Crush the source a little and then blend it back in with the original. .002 __________________ Jules, how do I put myself on Ignore? colinmiller

14th August 2007, 05:54 AM	#5
C_F_H_13 Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 735	IZOTOPE TRASH!!!!! Best distortion plugin __________________ "it's easy, take the best aspects of Soundgarden and the best aspects of Rage Against the Machine and... throw them out the window." -Battle Angel On How To Record AudioSlave.

14th August 2007, 06:42 AM	#6
Alex Niedt Lives for gear Join Date: May 2006 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Posts: 601	I'd say just keep experimenting. You should be able to achieve all sorts of flavors w/ the tools you have. There's really no correct way to add distortion to something. Best of luck... __________________

14th August 2007, 05:15 AM	#3
chymer Gear addict Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sydney Posts: 489	not a plugin but...the TECH 21 COMPTORTION guitar pedal. Sounds great, its got compression and drive. Sounds great and gives the kit some nice depth of field. Chymer

14th August 2007, 05:53 AM	#4
druhms Gear maniac Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 216	In the box, I use the Sans Amp with good success, but I rarely mix in the box. My first instinct, when distorting drums, is sending to an ADL 1500 and blister the meters. Try the Sans Amp....it's pretty effortless. Druhms

14th August 2007, 06:59 AM	#7
Dopamine Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miami Beach Posts: 1,395	< What about Lo-Fi. > I've never tried Lo-fi, but will give it a shot. Do you folks generally add the distortion to all the drum mics? >> IZOTOPE TRASH!!!!! Best distortion plugin>> Which preset will get me close? I remember going thru them all and didn't like any. I find the user interface to be confusing. I feel like a real newby asking these questions (and I'm not). Just not a lot of experience with live drums. Thanks for all the suggestions!

14th August 2007, 07:01 AM	#8
Curve Dominant Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: PHITOWN Posts: 1,920	I've been using Massey Tapehead for griming up drums, with glee. __________________ http://www.curvedominant.com http://www.myspace.com/studiocurvedominant

14th August 2007, 07:03 AM	#9
druhms Gear maniac Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 216	Generally you do not add distortion to drums, but, there are no rules in this world. Druhms

14th August 2007, 07:05 AM	#11
Dopamine Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miami Beach Posts: 1,395	<< Generally you do not add distortion to drums, but, there are no rules in this world. >> I know a lot of pros do, including some of the serious guest mods on here. I feel its just one thing I haven't been able to get a handle on.

14th August 2007, 07:28 AM	#12
84K Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: right coast Posts: 3,766	TRASH RULES!!!

14th August 2007, 07:32 AM	#13
Mike Caffrey Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 2,582	My advice is next time print with distortion. I'd suggest send it out to the analog domain and creating the distortion there. Another possibility would be to use a peak limiter set with far too low a threshold. Or the obvious choices of Sans Amp etc.

14th August 2007, 07:37 AM	#14
Dopamine Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miami Beach Posts: 1,395	<< TRASH RULES!!! >> Please tell me what preset or setting you are using with Trash. (Sorry if this sounds like a high school question, but I always go thru the presets and nothing works. And the GUI drives me crazy-- frustrating with the multiple pages. I guess I just need to spend more time with it.

14th August 2007, 07:41 AM	#15
Dopamine Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miami Beach Posts: 1,395	<< I'd suggest send it out to the analog domain and creating the distortion there. >> Interesting, maybe I will give that a shot. I could run all the drums out to my Fireworx, then back in and manually line it up. Then I would not have to worry about latency!! Thanks for the suggestion, Mike, I will try that tomorrow.

14th August 2007, 10:10 AM	#18
greyskull Gear nut Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: surrey Posts: 126	sansamp. and smash the room mics

14th August 2007, 11:59 AM	#19
DUBSOUL Gear nut Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 75	try the 1176LN. with no compression.use the input knob to crank for distortion & make sure u have output down.and blend with original source for effect.

14th August 2007, 12:30 PM	#21
DeadPoet Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Belgium Posts: 668	SSL listenback compressor (free) distorts if you push it. (but cuts hi and lo) Herwig

14th August 2007, 01:13 PM	#23
pjplayer Gear maniac Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 200	distortion on drums is something i feel very strongly about. if you're going to do it, do it recklessly with no regard for the rest of the mix and with no chance of going back (so record them to a single stereo track through something like a metal zone guitar pedal).

14th August 2007, 02:51 PM	#24
chymer Gear addict Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sydney Posts: 489	also, distorted drums can sound a bit offensive and washy so try keying a gate with the kick and snare over the distorted drums. Chymer

14th August 2007, 03:17 PM	#25
joeq Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: New York Posts: 3,785	Normally distortion on drums tends to make me think they are thin. But distorted drums can sound great in combination with some "false bottom". send a band-passed copy of the drums to a harmonizer pitched a fifth or even an octave down. The band should be low enough to "generate" the bottom end of the snare and toms but not so low that the harmonized kick turns to mush. It helps to gate this mess, too. Put the distortion on parallel clean tracks. Amplitube is not bad, but my favorite distortion is reamping through a practice amp, pignose, or something like that. __________________ . “What you ask about is music. What you like is sound. Now music and sound are akin, but they are not the same.” — Confucius

14th August 2007, 03:48 PM	#26
jonaknt Gear maniac Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 153	Overdrive tube pres while tracking!!! __________________ Jon Harter www.khmstudios.com

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