Drums

Are your hip-hop drums not cutting through the mix? Learn how to get them to cut just right by manipulating the attack and sustain of any sample, or by adding to its body and punch. Mixer Sean Devine shows you how.

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Producer & recording/mixing engineer Joe Barresi (QOTSA, Tool, Soundgarden) shows how he uses GTR guitar pedals for mixing drums. Get some valuable tips and learn techniques that will help you make your drums shine and sound unique.

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Want to add more character & impact to the 808 kicks in your tracks? In this video, learn how to add top-end attack, distortion, and clean up a muddy mix by sidechaining your 808 kick and bass.

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Producer & recording/mixing engineer Joe Barresi (QOTSA, Tool, Soundgarden) shows how he uses the H-Reverb plugin to change his snare drum sound in a super-versatile way – using only one simple button.

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Producer & recording/mixing engineer Joe Barresi (QOTSA, Tool, Soundgarden) demonstrates how he crafts an explosive drum room sound using the HLS Channel and the PIE Compressor plugins. Blended just right, this sound can greatly enhance your mix.

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Are you mixing drums that sound weak, thin and lifeless? Learn how to add a layer of power to your mix by selecting drum samples to give your drums an extra lift. Then, learn how to 'glue' them together for a cohesive, natural sound.

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Producer & recording/mixing engineer Joe Barresi (QOTSA, Tool, Soundgarden) breaks down his approach to mixing drums and the benefit of looking at the different parts of a drum kit as a single, unified instrument. Phase, panning, level and parallel compression are all part of his holistic approach.

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If your drums feel too thin, try this: Grammy-winning mixer Dave Darlington (Avicii, Sting) shows how he makes his drum mixes hit harder using two plugins: Torque to fine-tune drum pitch, Smack Attack to boost drum transients.

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“Drums can just be drums. But now they’re not.” Watch how producer Focus… (Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Recordings, Kendrick Lamar) uses the Torque drum tone shifter and other plugins to give his drum samples the exact feel he wants.

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How do you breathe life and soul into programmed drums? We hit up producer, mixer and original 80s drum machine master Jimmy Bralower (Madonna, Nile Rodgers, Kurtis Blow, Hall & Oates) for his drum programming secrets.

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