Quickly Fix Muddy Drums | Chain by Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj Producer/Mixer
October 29, 20209,490 Views
Watch how the StudioRack chain preset ‘Tab Fix My Mix’ by producer/mixer Chris Tabron (Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Mary J. Blige) can transform muddy-sounding drum sub-mixes into powerful, hard-hitting grooves.
'Tab Fix My Mix' is included in the StudioRack plugin chainer as an Artist Preset. Download StudioRack free now, and try it in your next top-down drum mix.
A quick way to get muddy multitrack drum mixes to feel more focused and detailed is to start your processing journey on a sub-mix. You do this by creating an auxiliary track, into which all the separate drum elements feed via a bus. This approach is known as top-down mixing, which involves processing stereo buses before diving into working on individual tracks.
Chris Tabron’s StudioRack chain preset, shown in this video, helps you take this approach in a quick and easy way. The chain features the H-EQ, SSL G-Master Buss Compressor, V-Comp, Q10 Equalizer and Scheps 73 plugins, combining their controls into quick-access EQ and compression macros.
Chris Tabron about the 'Tab Fix My Mix’ StudioRack Chain
"I came up with my StudioRack chain presets when I was mixing some records, finding sounds that made me go: ‘Oh, THIS is a thing; this chain is a handy starting point I can call on again and again in the future.’”
“The macros in this particular chain preset are called Tidy Up, De-Muddy, Clarity, and Density – which hopefully gives you a good sense of what this preset can do. It can enhance drums from a creative standpoint, but it’s also useful in addressing technical processing issues."
‘Tab Fix My Mix’ – Macro Controls
- Tidy Up: H-EQ high-pass filter (18 Hz to 35 Hz rolloff)
- Booty: 60 Hz boost (0 dB to +6 dB)
- De-Muddy: 300 Hz cut (0 dB to –6 dB)
- Clarity: 3 kHz boost (0 dB to +6 dB)
- Glue: Lowers threshold + raises makeup gain in SSL comp
- Density: Parallel rack output level for V-Comp, Q10 crush bus
- Glisten: Scheps 73: 12 kHz boost (0 dB to +3.5 dB)
Check out our other StudioRack Unchained episodes featuring Chris Tabron’s StudioRack chain presets:
Related Products
[ { "DocumentName" : "V-Comp", "SKU_MSRP" : 149.000000000, "SKUPrice" : 59.990000000, "SKUDepartmentID" : 2, "CouponPrice" : 35.99, "Discount" : 76, "CouponCode" : "CREATE40", "Icon" : "https://img.wavescdn.com/1lib/images/products/plugins/icons/v-comp.png", "DocumentUrlPath" : "/plugins/v-comp", "SKUNumber" : "VCOMTDM", "SKUID" : 211, "ReviewsTotal" : 92, "Rating" : 4.75, "Category" : "", "BadgeText" : "", "BadgeClass" : "", "CouponCampaignID" : 483, "SaleEndDate" : "5/27/2021 5:00:00 AM", "GSFCategory" : "Modeling", "Note" : "", "SKUEnabled" : "True", "IsInventory" : "", "IsPreorder" : "False", "ExpectedShipping" : "", "MainOrder" : 10031, "DocumentPageDescription" : "Modeled+on+the+rich+lush+buss+sound+of+the+vintage+2254+hardware+with+its+time+constants+and+fixed+nominal+output+gain%2c+V-Comp+packs+the+musical+punch+heard+on+countless+hit+records.", "VariantsMinimalPrice" : 0.000000000, "IsVariantsPriceSame" : "False", "IsProductOptions" : "False" }, { "DocumentName" : "SSL G-Master Buss Compressor", "SKU_MSRP" : 249.000000000, "SKUPrice" : 59.990000000, "SKUDepartmentID" : 2, "CouponPrice" : 35.99, "Discount" : 86, "CouponCode" : "CREATE40", "Icon" : "https://img.wavescdn.com/1lib/images/products/plugins/icons/ssl-g-master-buss-compressor-v2.png", "DocumentUrlPath" : "/plugins/ssl-g-master-buss-compressor", "SKUNumber" : "SSLGMBTDM", "SKUID" : 329, "ReviewsTotal" : 668, "Rating" : 4.86976, "Category" : "", "BadgeText" : "Top Seller", "BadgeClass" : "badge badge-best-seller", "CouponCampaignID" : 483, "SaleEndDate" : "5/27/2021 5:00:00 AM", "GSFCategory" : "Modeling", "Note" : "", "SKUEnabled" : "True", "IsInventory" : "", "IsPreorder" : "False", "ExpectedShipping" : "", "MainOrder" : 10049, "DocumentPageDescription" : "Modeled+on+the+master+buss+center+compressor+of+the+SSL+4000+G+console%2c+the+SSL+G-Master+Buss+Compressor+plugin+captures+every+nuance+of+the+original%e2%80%99s+unique+sound.", "VariantsMinimalPrice" : 0.000000000, "IsVariantsPriceSame" : "False", "IsProductOptions" : "False" }, { "DocumentName" : "Scheps 73", "SKU_MSRP" : 199.000000000, "SKUPrice" : 59.990000000, "SKUDepartmentID" : 2, "CouponPrice" : 35.99, "Discount" : 82, "CouponCode" : "CREATE40", "Icon" : "https://img.wavescdn.com/1lib/images/products/plugins/icons/scheps-73.png", "DocumentUrlPath" : "/plugins/scheps-73", "SKUNumber" : "SCH73SG", "SKUID" : 463, "ReviewsTotal" : 547, "Rating" : 4.82633, "Category" : "", "BadgeText" : "", "BadgeClass" : "", "CouponCampaignID" : 483, "SaleEndDate" : "5/27/2021 5:00:00 AM", "GSFCategory" : "Equalizers", "Note" : "", "SKUEnabled" : "True", "IsInventory" : "", "IsPreorder" : "False", "ExpectedShipping" : "", "MainOrder" : 10065, "DocumentPageDescription" : "The+Waves+Scheps+73+is+a+colorful+3-band+EQ+modeled+on+the+classic+1073+console%27s+EQ+and+mic+preamp+module+and+developed+in+association+with+world-renowned+mixing+engineer+Andrew+Scheps.", "VariantsMinimalPrice" : 0.000000000, "IsVariantsPriceSame" : "False", "IsProductOptions" : "False" }, { "DocumentName" : "Q10 Equalizer", "SKU_MSRP" : 99.000000000, "SKUPrice" : 49.990000000, "SKUDepartmentID" : 2, "CouponPrice" : 29.99, "Discount" : 70, "CouponCode" : "CREATE40", "Icon" : "https://img.wavescdn.com/1lib/images/products/plugins/icons/q10-equalizer.png", "DocumentUrlPath" : "/plugins/q10-equalizer", "SKUNumber" : "V5-QND40", "SKUID" : 180, "ReviewsTotal" : 130, "Rating" : 4.77692, "Category" : "", "BadgeText" : "", "BadgeClass" : "", "CouponCampaignID" : 483, "SaleEndDate" : "5/27/2021 5:00:00 AM", "GSFCategory" : "Equalizers", "Note" : "", "SKUEnabled" : "True", "IsInventory" : "", "IsPreorder" : "False", "ExpectedShipping" : "", "MainOrder" : 10126, "DocumentPageDescription" : "Multiband+paragraphic+EQ+with+10+bands+of+precision+equalization+for+mixing+and+mastering+%e2%80%93+a+go-to+tool+for+both+surgical+repair+and+gentle+coloring.", "VariantsMinimalPrice" : 0.000000000, "IsVariantsPriceSame" : "False", "IsProductOptions" : "False" }, { "DocumentName" : "H-EQ Hybrid Equalizer", "SKU_MSRP" : 179.000000000, "SKUPrice" : 49.990000000, "SKUDepartmentID" : 2, "CouponPrice" : 29.99, "Discount" : 83, "CouponCode" : "CREATE40", "Icon" : "https://img.wavescdn.com/1lib/images/products/plugins/icons/h-eq-hybrid-equalizer.png", "DocumentUrlPath" : "/plugins/h-eq-hybrid-equalizer", "SKUNumber" : "HEQTDM", "SKUID" : 312, "ReviewsTotal" : 219, "Rating" : 4.80822, "Category" : "", "BadgeText" : "", "BadgeClass" : "", "CouponCampaignID" : 483, "SaleEndDate" : "5/27/2021 5:00:00 AM", "GSFCategory" : "Equalizers", "Note" : "", "SKUEnabled" : "True", "IsInventory" : "", "IsPreorder" : "False", "ExpectedShipping" : "", "MainOrder" : 10128, "DocumentPageDescription" : "Features+vintage+and+modern+EQs+inspired+by+the+finest+consoles%2c+7+filter+types+per+band%2c+spectrum+analyzer%2c+MS+mode%2c+and+a+keyboard+that+lets+you+choose+frequencies+by+notes.", "VariantsMinimalPrice" : 0.000000000, "IsVariantsPriceSame" : "False", "IsProductOptions" : "False" } ]