Hi guys,
What do you think to share some presets of your personal library of settings?
I think that's a good way to learn and improve you mix skills!
I'll start to put something that a friend of mine developed and works fine at my studio.
COMPRESSOR:
This is for use with the drums overheads mics and with the PSP VINTAGE WARMER
knee 30%
Speed 0
Release 1
Drive +6.33
Ceiling -0.6
Low +2.64 / 62.5hz
High +3.05 / 14.72k
Mix 66%
Out -0.3
Link On
Stereo On
Multiband mode
REVERB:
This is for snare. You can use it with a lot of reverb plugins:
rev room/tight room/small room
Rev room 1.2 S
Pre delay 46mS
HF damping 5.6khz
LPF 3.2khZ
HPF 160Hz
Topic Tags
Comments
Calgary wrote: This could be an incredible thread for us beginne
Calgary wrote: This could be an incredible thread for us beginners if a few of the advanced users shared a few favorite settings for mixing/tracking. 8-)
My favorite settings are the ones that sound good. I never look at knobs. McCheese tried to get me on that "set it at 12" fad he was into once, but I couldn't get my groove on looking at knobs. It threw my whole rhythm off.
Re: Let's share some reverb and compressor presets for drums tr
Re: Let's share some reverb and compressor presets for drums
tranqs wrote: Let's share some reverb and compressor presets for drums!!!
:roll:
Will people ever search for this question before posting? And subsequently stop posting this question over and over and over and over.....
Here we go again.
Don't be hasty. There's nothing wrong with asking old questions
Don't be hasty. There's nothing wrong with asking old questions anew, many people have learned new stuff to share since the last time they answered a question. New people with new ideas have arrived since the last post as well. It would be a big mistake to rely exclusivley on old data and prevent new data from being explored.
I say it's a great question. 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)
It's just unfortunate that no one is taking advantage of the opportunity to make this forum a little better by offering some insights on the settings question. Seems like many folks are afraid to share their settings because they feel as though they will be immediately attacked by hasty folks.
It's a terrible question, as it has no answer. Never will. How
It's a terrible question, as it has no answer. Never will.
How were the instruments tracked?
What kind of sound are you starting with, and what kind of sound do you want to wind up with?
Should the drums sound like they're in a closet, or in a cathedral? Obviously the settings for those two scenarios are practically opposite of each other.
What kind of compressor/reverb are you using? Different compressors and reverbs sound completely different, and 2 different compressors (or reverbs) with identical settings can sound drastically different.
The only real answer is to learn your pieces of gear, learn the sounds you want and don't want, and learn what happens when you push 'x" button or turn 'y' knob. Experiment to find the sound that you want. Take the initiative to learn WHY you like that sound. Experiment, experiment, experiment.
Threads along these lines exist in abundance on this site, and I'm sure that a simple, quick search would reveal that. Those threads come to the same conclusion: that there are no magic settings that anyone uses.
It's a terrible question, as it has no answer. Never will. Then
It's a terrible question, as it has no answer. Never will.
Then why do they spend so much energy exploring a variety of specific example settings in Bobby Owsinski's, "Mixing Engineer's Handbook"?
Most importantly why are you being so aggressive, this question is clearly *not* inconveniencing you in any way. Folks like myself and the person who started with post would enjoy hearing a couple basic ideas and example settings from the brilliant folks here. Nobody is asking anyone to post "a complete education on every aspect of processing", we're just looking for one or two very basic reference guidelines/tips.
It's a great question, which is why all the best mixing books dedicate a great deal of energy to addressing it. I truly do not understand your need to tell other people who are just trying to learn that their questions are invalid. That's perplexing behavior. What on earth do you get out of that? 8-)
No hostility intended. I'm just not giving the answer that you
No hostility intended.
I'm just not giving the answer that you want to hear.
That's also why others above are being sarcastic and humorous in their replies.
All due respect, don't speak for others. I think they were just having fun and joking around, which is good, because silliness is important. I've made my point, no sense in overstating it. I'm not looking for "magic settings", just a couple basic beginner tips, i.e. "here's a starting point for EQing the kick drum in a hard rock band", etc. Cheers. 8-)
He's right, there is no correct answer. I think the better ans
He's right, there is no correct answer.
I think the better answer for the initial poster has got to be a description of the knobs on the compressor and what they accomplish.
Obviously EQ is another story as far as "getting started" goes, but that can be argued the same as well. The setting I use to make my electic-Industrial kick drum go BOOM obviously has no application to the hard rock guy who cannot have the kick drum consume all in its path that way.
It just
doesnt
make
sense.
Obviously no one is asking for "one all encompassing setting whi
Obviously no one is asking for "one all encompassing setting which applies to every possible scenario", just some simple starting points (which can easily be qualified) i.e. "Here's one method to reverb a snare for alternative rock material". 8-)
The difference between good engineers and engineers is that good engineers make complex things seem simple instead of making simple things seem complex. There *is* such a thing as focusing on one point at a time, which is of course exactly how you learned in the first place. At some point someone started sharing basic examples with you, they didn't just keep telling you, "There is no correct answer". 8-)
So far all the skilled engineers I've worked with offline had very confident, specific answers to practically any question, no matter how broad-- and had a natural interest in discussing settings and techniques. Maybe I've just been lucky. :D
1st of all!!! this topic it's not a question!!!!!!!!! All i wan
1st of all!!! this topic it's not a question!!!!!!!!!
All i want to know is:
Do you use any plugin preset , as a starting point, to set your own settings??????
Well, if you use, we are talking about the same shit!!!!!!!
If you don't have any to share stop to write BS!!!!!
DON'T BE SO RUDE!!!!!!!!!!!
WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :twisted:
I've been running a busy forum for many years as part of my day
I've been running a busy forum for many years as part of my day job, I've seen *it all*, plus more. Trust me. And I don't agree with your premise at all. In real life what do you do with a child who asks you the same question 30 times, do you "shut him down"?
My approach to life is to be happy, be helpful, always try to place myself on the other side of the equation, and give the benefit of the doubt whenever possible. I don't accept your position, I think a lot of guys in here eat mostly junk food, don't sleep much, and are just generally very edgy folks without a lot of perspective. In addition I think some are afraid to post their settings for fear of getting pounced on by the rest of you. That's my opinion.
FWIW I think it's shame, I see *so* many threads around here ruined by people who are clearly not posting for the purposes of learning or helping. I'm not exactly sure what some folks get out of their posts, but there are definitely quite a few who just seem to be plain old crabby, or even mean.
fwiw, this is not really about calgary, but he brought it up. C
fwiw, this is not really about calgary, but he brought it up.
Calgary wrote: I don't accept your position, I think a lot of guys in here eat mostly junk food, don't sleep much, and are just generally very edgy folks without a lot of perspective. In addition I think some are afraid to post their settings for fear of getting pounced on by the rest of you. That's my opinion.
maybe it's that. (damn, i need some coffee, redbull and smack right now) OR maybe it's just retarded to try to tell someone compressor settings cause it makes no bit of difference what-so-ever because the source was recorded completely different hitting different levels, so even if i said use this ratio with this attack, etc, it will sound COMPLETELY different with different sources.
some helpful things are try to aim for 3db of gain reduction, etc. not what settings. general principles are good starting places, but telling someone where to put the knobs is recockulous.
Calgary wrote:
FWIW I think it's shame, I see *so* many threads around here ruined by people who are clearly not posting for the purposes of learning or helping. I'm not exactly sure what some folks get out of their posts, but there are definitely quite a few who just seem to be plain old crabby, or even mean.
yes. this sucks, but this is a tricky industry, some people are MEAN. sometimes you need to suck it up and read between the lines. if you want professional advice from people who do this for a living, then your going to get OPINIONATED, mean spirited posts. if people don't like it, then go to a home recording forum and deal with really nice people who might not have a clue what they are talking about.
i have been around here for a long time. i always post nice posts about as often as i have time. i am no professional, but i have learned under professionals. i get paid to record bands, and i am beginning to have a good reputation in town. but jeebus, all this bitching and moaning. it's like none of you have ever been around the music business. it is a F*&^king rough place. nobody gives a damn about you or your compressor settings, or anything like that.
kind of reminds me of that movie swimming with sharks with kevin spacey.
i do not mean to come across as an asshole, but i mean come on. use the damn search functionality of this site and you will find 4000 posts about this same topic. get over it.
steve
Calgary, for someone who's "seen it all" you seem pretty ignoran
Calgary, for someone who's "seen it all" you seem pretty ignorant of the fact that I could list every single setting I've ever used on every piece of gear, and it would amount to exactly nothing. I could give you the same gear, the same musicians, and the settings, and you still wouldn't get the same results that I did. It's just how it is.
As for me being mean? Yeah, I'm a fucking asshole when I want to be. That's because I remember when this place was a hell of a lot cooler. Then some idiot got famous here, more idiots flocked in, most of the mods apparently vanished, and now this place is nothing more than a collection of questions like "Which $50 peice of gear will make up for my complete lack of ability" and people that are too lazy to do any real work, and want the skills of a great engineer magically bestowed upon them through the powers of the internet. I'm all for helping people out, but contrary to what you've been told growing up, there are stupid questions. Doing a bit of research like reading manuals and using search features before you open your mouth can filter out most of them.
This isn't the industry for carebears. If you need someone to hold your hand through every single step, you're not going anywhere but back to your bedroom portastudio.
And if you think this place is harsh, don't bother stepping foot in the marsh.
New people are joining all the time who were not part of those p
New people are joining all the time who were not part of those past threads. I'm very interested in hearing those people in addition to reading the old threads. That's just one point but I doubt you're hearing me so I'll spare you any follow up points. The bottom line here is that this thread causes you absolutely no inconvenience. To tell a beginner that their questions are invalid is a terrible thing to do. To do it for no reason other than the fact that you feel irritated for whatever reason is irrational. Period.
McCheese, I do just fine in the marsh. If you want to be a "fucking asshole" that's your perogative, I'm definitely not telling anyone how to live. 8-)
Now I know. In my case I've "seen it all" in terms of online forums but I've never met someone like you at any of the studios here in Calgary. I'll deal with it when it happens. Until then I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt.
As far as I'm concerned your posts here are meant to argue, not to help, and not to learn. My goal here is to help and learn. So we're not playing from the same page, probably best thing is to just ignore me. if I irritate you and I'll do my best to mellow. 8-)
jdsdj98 wrote: The only real answer is to learn your pieces of g
jdsdj98 wrote: The only real answer is to learn your pieces of gear, learn the sounds you want and don't want, and learn what happens when you push 'x" button or turn 'y' knob. Experiment to find the sound that you want. Take the initiative to learn WHY you like that sound. Experiment, experiment, experiment.
Threads along these lines exist in abundance on this site, and I'm sure that a simple, quick search would reveal that. Those threads come to the same conclusion: that there are no magic settings that anyone uses.
There's the answer to the original question. I quote myself. Not being rude, nor am I trying to be. Do not call someone rude simply because you do not like the answer.
If you do not agree with that answer, or don't see it as a logical step to becoming a better engineer, then you truly do not understand the concept of audio engineering and you should probably consider a career change.
I have donned my flame proof vest and my can, so I'm in... Okay
I have donned my flame proof vest and my can, so I'm in...
Okay, so I realise I'm pretty wet behind the ears, but let's take an example. Let's say we look at Mutt's work with Leppard. Now to my ears it's basically one sound from about 1983 to the early 90's. You need to have the breaks between the songs to know it's not just one long song, they're so much alike.
So I'm thinking he would be the 'King of Standardization,' no? One would imagine him having at least a few presets. At least he would use them as a starting point and tweak from there?
Why would he walk into the room with nothing written down, and nothing dialed in, and then try to reproduce the settings to get it to sound the same as the last album he did 4 years ago?
I would think the thought bubble above his head would look like this: 'Okay we tune the snare to this note, he hits it with a stick this big, I use this mic located here, I use this pre, I set them up like I did last time, I dial in this much compression, I use this attack time, I use this release, I set the eq to this, I hold my tongue like this and VOILA!-I think I'll label this preset, "One Armed Drummer" '
But you guys are fairly adament that the concept of running this or that instrument through a 'preset' is valueless information. So please explain this apparent contradiction for those of us who are naive enough to think that the concept of a preset is useful.
I have a few presets I've created for certain situations, with certain desired results, and they always seem to give me a good predictable starting point, especially when all other components in my signal chain are the same, so how is it useless to have that 'starting point' to make this instrument head in a direction we want it to?
And yes, I have read Shotgun's compressor theory 101.
let the flames begin
Keith
If you want presets for compressors you shouldn't be using them
If you want presets for compressors you shouldn't be using them IMO. It is simply not possible for a preset designer to know the input levels & dynamic range of your signal in advance..
As a general rule: set the threshold so that only peaks trigger gain reduction. Set the ratio for the required amount of ducking and adjust the make-up gain so that bypassing the compressor does not result in a major volume difference. Now you can use the attack & release parameters to shape the dynamics of the drum sound. A faster attack will stamp down on the initial transient which can help to bring out the tone and body of the drum ("fatter"), while a slower attack will allow the transients through while stamping down on the decay ("punchier"). Fast release times will result in a higher average level than slow release times, but are more likely to pump audibly.
:)
took-the-red-pill wrote: Let's say we look at Mutt's work with L
took-the-red-pill wrote: Let's say we look at Mutt's work with Leppard. Now to my ears it's basically one sound from about 1983 to the early 90's. You need to have the breaks between the songs to know it's not just one long song, they're so much alike.
So I'm thinking he would be the 'King of Standardization,' no?
You're only speaking of one band within one producer's (Mutt) credits over a 10 year period. I'm not familiar with all of his work, but that might be just a bit too narrow of a selection in all of recorded music, IMO, to say that there's a specific range of settings to start with for one specific effect (i.e. compression) that one can use as a "universal" starting point. tranqs didn't come here asking how to get Def Leppard's drum sound. tranqs asked for some good compression/reverb settings, without giving any info regarding how he/she records or what his/her desired sound is.
One would imagine him having at least a few presets. At least he would use them as a starting point and tweak from there?
Why would he walk into the room with nothing written down, and nothing dialed in, and then try to reproduce the settings to get it to sound the same as the last album he did 4 years ago?
Because his experience(s) have taught him how to achieve a specific sound when the producer/artist ask him to achieve said sound, based on that specific producer/artist's previous albums. This has absolutely nothing to do with "presets". New compressors and other hardware devices are released into the market every year. I don't think it's logical to think that over a 10 year span, year after year, any forward thinking producer or artist would rely on the exact same pieces of gear for their sound.
I would think the thought bubble above his head would look like this: 'Okay we tune the snare to this note, he hits it with a stick this big, I use this mic located here, I use this pre, I set them up like I did last time, I dial in this much compression, I use this attack time, I use this release, I set the eq to this, I hold my tongue like this and VOILA!-I think I'll label this preset, "One Armed Drummer" '
All of the things you mentioned here express exactly the reasons that the notion of "presets" are completely ridiculous. Do you see how many variables are in that approach? How can one even begin to guess at how to set a compressor?
I really think Spy said it best when he asked, "How long is a piece of string?" Do you folks really not understand this? We're all in the business of audio, right (tongue in cheek)?
But you guys are fairly adament that the concept of running this or that instrument through a 'preset' is valueless information. So please explain this apparent contradiction for those of us who are naive enough to think that the concept of a preset is useful.
Was this a good drummer to begin with?
a) How do the tracks sound now?
b) How do you want/need them to sound at the end of the day?
What reverb/compressor are you using?
What's the genre?
etc. etc. etc.
Do these questions not make sense? Why can't you understand the vagueness of these questions, this thread, and the countless identical threads that have come before it???? I'm not at all trying to be hostile, rude, or cold in this, but the poster of the original question here didn't specify any of this to begin with. How can he/she expect to be given a useful answer?
I have a few presets I've created for certain situations, with certain desired results, and they always seem to give me a good predictable starting point, especially when all other components in my signal chain are the same, so how is it useless to have that 'starting point' to make this instrument head in a direction we want it to?
Your presets only apply if tranqs's recording environment, drumset, drummer, microphone selection, mic pre selection, compressor/reverb hardware/software selction, genre, and intended drum sound are completely identical to yours. Somehow, I doubt that's the case. That's a lot of variables that need to come together.
And yes, I have read Shotgun's compressor theory 101.
I haven't. I'd be willing to bet his/her sentiments would be in line with mine.
let the flames begin
Keith
Done, but gently. You asked for it. As much as I want to see all threads of this nature burned and destroyed, I'd love to see this one continue until everyone understands how useless this discussion is. Come on, folks. THERE ARE NO RULES. THERE ARE NO PRESETS. QUIT RELYING ON OTHERS TO TELL YOU WHAT TO DO.
IMO, if you come here asking for compressor presets, you don't understand in any way what a compressor does and how it works.
The same applies to reverbs.
RTFM. And then turn some knobs. Quit wasting your time and get your hands dirty. You'll learn more in the process and be a better engineer at the end of the day.
And yes, these threads DO inconvenience us. RO's bandwidth is hindered by unnecessary threads & posts. Additionally, the users like myself that take the time to search out the good threads have to sift through threads like this to find the good stuff. So yes, we ARE inconvenienced by this. Use the search function first.
And yes, these threads DO inconvenience us Jdsdj98, It's very
And yes, these threads DO inconvenience us
Jdsdj98,
It's very simple to solve this inconvenience!!!! You don't have to read or write at this kind of thread!!!!
You don't have to waste your time writing this crap!!!!All BS!!!!
This is your point of view, not the "truth"!!!
Why all the plugins come with a library of presets????????
Ask this simple question to convince me that you're right!!
bye
I turn it to 12. Everything is better at 12.
I turn it to 12. Everything is better at 12.