eq and compression of hats

[zap]

what the best way of eq,ing and compressing hats to get a hard percusive sound

[djTequila]

That's a very general question, so here's a general reply:

With EQing, find a good, sweepable EQ and wipe a positive spike slowly through the frequency spectrum of the sound. make a note of any characteristics you like that you may want to bring out.

Do the same with a cut. See how the sound changes, and if it sits better with certain frequencies cut. Make notes.

Use this info to get the sound you need.

For compression, usually increasing the attack will give a boost to the first few ms of the sound, thus increasing its percussive nature. Also, be careful with the release - if it's too long, it'll carry over to the next beat and squash the attack on that.

Tequila

[audioinjection]

i've learned in eqing, is before you add anything, try taking away what you don't need first, like hi-hats for example, you don't need any low end so take that out and it will bring out the hi-end part of it.

Subtractive eqing

[davethedrummer]

you don't really need to compress hihhats i don't think
you'll just take away the dynamics
just spend some time sorting out velocitys instead and that'll give you a lot of groove and you won't affect the dynamice of the sound itself

[Barely Human]

Yeah i dont think you really need to compress percusion unless its starting to sit round the midrange, in which case it can give it that really snappy sound. Ive found that you can get a relly clean sound by reverbing the percussion(shock!), then exprting the loop as a wav, and then gatting the loop to all the percusive hits. Then you get rid of that washyness of the reverb while still having that clean effect it gives.

[DJZeMig_L]

U r quite right mate .. but u can get a squashing/ pumping effect if u over compress n then use a kick or something as a Key Insert (=side chain)...

Kinda like early Adam Bayer!

Z

[Barely Human]

Might have to try that mate :D

[davethedrummer]

try inserting a compressor in stereo over a subgroup and sending kik and bass to it
zero attack and zero release lots of threshold and high ratio
then send some of your loops in there and adjust your levels
leave the top stuff (hats.rides etc ) out and get that pumping effect
i've had my studio set up like this for ages