Bass Drum EQ Nugget

When I'm setting up my board I typically start with the Kick, snare, tom, tom, tom, OH, OH, HH, Bass Guitar, Keys, then other instruments.......

So I figured I would post some blogs about each channel one by one.....

Channel 1 Kick:

With channel 1 muted and the PFL (Pre fade listen) Button pressed in, I always check the input level on the meter before moving up the fader or un-muting. This allows me to make sure the level coming into the board will not destroy any of the equipment. I then turn the gain knob (Typically the top knob of the channel strip) up or down to get the level on the meter to "0".

After me channel level is at Zero, I'll un-mute the channel and begin to bring the fader to Unity or "0". This of coarse is after the main fader has been brought to unity.

I'll listen to the sound of the kick drum to see what can be done to make sure it has the low end presents and the high in attack that allows it to cut through the mix. I'll begin by moving the mid-sweep freq to around 300hz to 500hz and cut 10 to 15db. I will usually be happy with the kick once I find the mid freq that make the drum sound muddy.

Now that we cut 10 to 15db in the eq....look at your PFL again...we may need to add more gain to bring the channel back up to unity. This is also something to think about when adding DBs with your EQ. Make sure your levels are as close to "0" as possible.

After I'm happy with the mids, I may add a hair of 63-80hz and 5k for attack.

Some drummers like to drive the sound guy nuts by not putting any pellow in the drum. Something needs to rest just slightly on the resonant head (Front head...not the one you kick) or the kick may have a after taste.

Make sure the heads are tuned...60lbs on the batter 65lbs on the resonant head. Make sure the kick beater is correct for the application. If your doing jazz, dont use a plastic head...use something soft.

If you have any questions please email me at Tony@creativesoundsolution.com

or

Call 239.738.2942