Reverb and Compression on Drums

[drumkid]

I was just wondering how all of you put reverb and compression on mulitpe drumset tracks.

[spkguitar]

The typical method for using the same effect on multiple tracks is with sends on the tracks bussed to a stereo aux track with the effect inserted on the aux. Reverb is typically set 100% wet in a situation like this and blended with both/either the send level and/or the aux level.

Many of these techniques are covered in the archives of the digizine, especially the
LE Bootcamp Archive. You might want to take a look at some of those arcticles.

A good book on protools might help, too.

[Equality 7-2521]

are there any reasons for using either just the send level or the send level & aux level for balancing the reverb. what are the pros and cons of each or is it just a personal preference thing?

thanks

[drumkid]

Should the send be set to pre or post?

[spkguitar]

are there any reasons for using either just the send level or the send level & aux level for balancing the reverb. what are the pros and cons of each or is it just a personal preference thing?

Depends on how you have it set up and what you are sending to it, and how you want it to sound; each session is different. Let's say, you wanted the entire session to sound like it was recorded in the same room, but you wanted the guitars to be "closer" and the drums to be further away. In that case, you would set the aux level and use the sends for each. In other circumstances, you might want the verb more subtle, so the level of the aux would come down. It's all a matter of what the tune needs, and how you really want it.

Should the send be set to pre or post?

Again, your preference. Sending it pre-fader, the track goes through the send no matter what the track fader is set for, post-fader and the send gets it's intitial level from wherever you have the track level set. Each has different uses. Experiment with it. See what it does. Figure out how you want it.

An understanding of mixers in general might help: This Article might be useful to you, as well as the site that it is linked from.

[sean shannon]

Pre-fader sends are for things like headphone mixes, where your fader moves don't affect the headphone mix. Post fader sends are typically used for effects so that when you move the fader down, the reverb goes down with it, for example.

Compression is typically used as an insert, and is not driven by a send. You "insert" a compressor on a channel in Pro Tools the same way you would on a hardware mixer.

Reverb and effects are driven by a "send", or "aux send" on each individual track, and are typically not used as inserts, just as with a console. You may want to "send" more snare to the reverb than kick, for example.

It is not necessarily a book on Pro Tools that you need, it is material on general recording techniques and practices that will help you. Recording on computers evolved from recording on tape through hardware consoles and devices, and the same basic fundamentals apply.