To understand why phase incoherence is so common with drums, think of the physical distances between pieces of the drum kit and the microphones used to capture it. When tracks are out of phase, it may cause phase cancellation, which causes certain frequencies to sound unbalanced or disappear altogether. The fine detail of getting pitches in sync with the melodic elements of the track can go a very long way in tightening up the overall sound.Īfter adjusting the tuning of your drums, it’s important to make sure the phase relationship between the various tracks is intact.
Some players and producers even tune them to voice a chord within the song. For instance, with 3 toms it’s common to tune them to perfect fourth intervals, or sometimes major third intervals. The fewer toms, the larger the intervals. Toms are typically tuned to different intervals within a key, depending on how many drums you have. When possible, try to tune kick and snare drums to the root note or the fifth in the key of the song. The Torque plugin is specifically designed to alter the root note of a drum sound.
Then, finalize your drum mix with parallel compression, and add depth and dimension with reverb.Īlthough drums aren’t intrinsically melodic instruments, they do exert a pitch, and it's important to make sure that they are in tune. Learn how to mix drums from start to finish, from setting compression and EQ to correcting phase problems and manipulating transients.
