Steven slate drums help with Hi Hat
 

Who out there is using Steven Slate Drums if so I hope you guys can help. My problem is I'm struggling getting a hi hat sound that sounds good as well as sitting in the mix

I route all my tracks out to individual tracks these then route to a drum buss and a drum parallel comp buss which I plend in subtly with the drum buss. Im happy with all my drum sound except the Hi Hat I just can't get it right. I'm finding the high hat is to harsh they don't have enough sizzle tried eq but still not right. I also find I have way to much Hi Hat or not enough. For example I get the level right for when the hi hat is closed but when played slightly open its way to in your face. I've altered the bleed control in the overhead and room mics still can't get it right

I have been listening to a few different records that I like eg Nickelback, Appetite for destruction G 'N' R, Dookie by Green Day to name a few and all their Hi Hats just seem to sit right and fit the mix. I noticed when I heard the drums on appetite for destruction they seemed to have the room mics mixed in quite high but when I turn my room mics up they just seem to be Hi Hat heavy???????

This has been driving me crazy for may days now. Anybody out there that could shed some tips tricks etc would be much appreciated

Re: Steven slate drums help with Hi Hat
 

What mics and preamps are you using.
The most obvious question is , are the hi hats being played louder or just become louder due to them being open.
Are you big into room mics as apposed to spot mics. or a blend of both.
How is the kit set are the hats alot lower in height than the cymbals.

Did you even record them or using slate trigger from a midi program.
I personally get great results with Zildjan A customs and place the overheads off the far side of left and right symbols as a starting point but if your drummer plays loud you might just need a set of hats that is quieter than those he uses. But if all that fails you might need to spot mic the crashes or trigger them to raise the volume louder than the hi hats.
Many different solutions depending on the issue but mostly mic placement is the biggest factor in hat vs cymbal volumes. Sometime a little bit of tape on the inside will reduce volume and sustain but only as a last resort because it does affect the tone as well.

Hi hats and triggering them with samples is the hardest thing on a drum set.
Get better samples or edit hi hat loops might work better for realistic feel and groove.

I think every person has the same problem with hi hats and trigger sampling. It seems to be the only thing samples dont do well. Or at least not all the time

Re: Steven slate drums help with Hi Hat
 

Thanks PBS for chiming in. Im using SSD4 so no real drums at all. Ive been mesiing about with all the variables in SSD4 and am starting to get some better results with the Hi Hat now

Re: Steven slate drums help with Hi Hat
 

I think "Bleed" is something you may want to address(it helped me with SD2 and snare in the overheads). My solution was to record the drums to separate audio tracks, then record the overheads over with the snare(in SD2) set for NONE under the snare sound options. That gave me overheads with no snare at all(as UNnatural as this may seem, it made for excellent control over mixing):o

Re: Steven slate drums help with Hi Hat
 

...that's a great idea Albee!! Wish we could do it with real drummers!! :D:D:D