Uploading this a little early tonight because I'm off to see Drake play at the o2 in London! Here are 4 ways to process your drum group that you may or may not be doing already so either you learn or your confirm :) There is also a little trick hidden in the first part which I know is popular - I didn't go into it in too much detail but that because I would like to do a dedicated video on it... still not sure what I'm talking about? enjoy the vid!
hahah I went kind of mad when I realised there were no kicks not gonna lie. Also kind of weird doing a mix with no context of the whole track...but what do I know
I have about six months' worth of experience with Ableton and there's a much easier way to fatten drums with a stock plug-in. Drum Buss. Has a compressor, transient shaper and tone controls and it's as a whole much more beginner-friendly than fine-tuning gain stages in two locations. I'm not an engineer by the way, I'm a drummer. :)
the red indicator on the glue compressor only indicates that the signal is going above 0dB, it won't actually affect the audio until you turn the soft clip button on. you can tell by looking at the mini meters in between the plugins; when you cranked the sound on the makeup gain it shows the signal level turning red (>0dB) while the soft clip was off and then going back to yellow (right at or just below 0dB) when turned on
Some great tips on compression here. In your example of parallel processing with aggressive compression was terrific. I could clearly hear the difference with that.
I found this video very professionally produced. I like that RUclips recommended me a fairly small channel that I didn't know about, that seems to be on the rise. Subscribed! I would have liked some tips on making kick drums *fat* though. Keep it up!
Why are you trying to "fatten up" a high passed loop to begin with. You'll get more results giving us an example with a kick and a snare. You should pick some completely dry 808 or 909 drums, make a full loop then show people what the effects will do.
I’m going to do a separate video on kick and snare as they require different processing. The compressor on a drum group can be compromised if the kick and snare are fed into it hence why I’ve kept them separate. Thank you for your input and I look forward to making this video for you!
Yeah it took me waaaaaay too long to realize there were going to be no kicks or snares to ever be found. "Drums" 😂 I think I still learned something though...
An excellent and crystal clear insight into a topic I’m trying to improve on. Another request for widening the stereo field too, especially how to apply mid/side processing
This was cool. I followed along and definitely fattened up some drums in a much more interesting way than I usually do, and made some racks that I can come back to and use on any drums going forward! Very informative watch. Cheers.
Thank you dude, really smooth, professional processing. More attention should be given to these stellar Ableton stock plugins, instead of buying all these crazy expensive 3rd party ones
Really good video bro! The only suggestion I have is you should do all that processing in context with the song bc at the end of the day that’s all that matters !
I can see in your live session that the kick, snare and claps are in different groups that means that those sounds have a different treatment vs the "drums" group?
Hey bud if you watch closely you’ll see that I match both the glue and the drum buss. Se for EQ I don’t find it necessary as I want to enhance those frequencies not bring the others down (otherwise I would cut) and parallel compression is only bringing up the RMS not peak level. Hope I explained that ok!
I have watched my fair share of mix tutorials. Even bought some. The biggest difference to me here is that we actually ear what you are doing. A lot of tutorials you barely ear the difference. Kudos to you on this. I'll be watching more
Is it bad that I could tell basically zero difference until you applied parallel compression? And that I couldn't tell a difference in the final comparison when separated by you talking, but I could hear a difference when they were switched with no delay in between? Maybe that's why I suck so much at mixing. Or maybe it's because I'm only just learning how to apply these things. Or both.
You don't suck bro! Sometimes when you're not sure what you're listening out for its hard to discern the changes. You ears will become more and more tuned over time so just keep watching and listening :)
@@NoizeLondon I see, thanks for the encouragement :) Funny how artists tend to be the types to beat themselves up and overly criticize their own ability, huh?
By compressing the front of the transient really hard you crush the signal basically making it flat and dynamic-less. When mixing it into your original signal you will add more sustain and at times harmonic distortion depending on the compressor you use for the parallel chain
Haha I always go crazy with the drum bus, though usually in the sound design stage than in mixing/mastering everything at the end. It may be "gimmicky" but there's a lot you can do with it.
You're totally right - its definitely something that should be used in a sound design approach rather than for finesse but I do think that some people are lured by the name 'Drum Buss' and who out there isn't looking for a quick fix haha ;)
Im a bit confused about the parallel compression. When I copied your settings in the return tracks compressor it caused a ton of distortion and my compressor was red lining. It sounded like shit basically. Any idea why? I did it just like you..
Hi Carlo, thanks so much I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I'm currently working on a personal music project with some very exciting artists which I will reveal soon. In the meantime you can check out my website if you like to listen to artists that I engineer for. www.noizemusic.io ;)
a parallel is much easier in Ableton using chains in a rack group, put one with nothing on it and add a chain with the extreme compression, than add the wanted volume
Liked it alot - yet have a question! If you still have this set, bring it up in Live 10. Turn on parallel compression which you so painstakingly created. Now turn it off and using your 'best' EQ - hardware or software, flicking between the parallel that you created and no compression, use your best EQ to match the sound of the parallel group. Now, simply crank up the volume on your drums group. Can you tell a meaningful difference in quality between the parallel group sound and the EQed-higher volume group? Then within the context of the full track can you say that your painstaking paralleled group sounds better in a track than the same effect created with good quality EQ and a higher volume on the drum group? This is not a trick question or a disparagement of the fine work you did with your parallel group. It's just that when I was learning audio with a professional engineer, he reinforced again and again (which I sort of knew) that relative volume is BY FAR the most important part of mixing. By a factor of 100! Dynamics are important of course in many contexts. Yet, for those listening in a club (monophonic) or in a car or anywhere where their ears aren't situated perfectly between 2 monitors..while I don't question many could hear a difference with parallel compression, I question whether anyone would say it makes a track more exciting than simply cranking the volume which always makes drums more exciting and some clever EQ. Just curious what your thoughts are with respect to my question.
Hi Allan, the signal's loudness is higher in perceived volume not metered volume and therefore is not louder in peak, but it is in RMS. I'm avid about gain staging but I also believe there can be leniency when trying to exaggerate the amplitude of certain frequency areas without having to readjust the volume, especially when subtle.
Thanks so much Joe - this is actually the second request I've had for widening so I will try and publish a vlog on it on Tuesday! Please let me know if you have any other topics you would like covered - more than happy to help.
Wow RUclips recommended has been doing a good job lately. Can’t believe this guy only has under 2 thousand subs??? Look forward to seeing more from this channel
Hi, thanks for the vid:) The dark sounding perc thing in the loop, that is not a hihat or a clap. Does anyone know what it is? how to create ir or where to get that type of sample?
Question, maybe this was answered, but why use a return track for the parrel compression vs doing a 2nd single chain on the insert and blending it that way?
This was tremendously helpful - thank you so much. It was so well done that I am going to check your other videos. Anyone who has true studio quality speakers can hear how much difference there is. I can.
Good question! - Sometimes I do both but totally depends on the project. What's useful about having a return track is that I can send other elements to the parallel compressor if necessary. It can also reduce the amount of processing on your computer which can become rather heavy if you're creating a lot of audio effect racks!
and it's also actually the way you would parallel compress in a real studio mixing desk (using a bus or return track), think about it, those do not have effect racks - it's just the beauty of ableton
I didn't like how it sounded with the drumbuss on. It sounded too sharp for my liking. But after the parallel compression I liked it better. The overall end result definetly sounded better :) In general I'm not a fan of Drumbuss. When it was just announced I thought it was badass and thought it sounded great. Then when I began using it myself I thought that it sounded muddy and harsh no matter what I did and how subtle I used it. Not as good as what I could get with other plugins. But I guess that's just me, because I know that a lot of people loves it ;)
Thanks for the vid! :) What's the advantage of using parallel compression via send/return instead of having the same compressor on the group using the dry/wet function?
Uploading this a little early tonight because I'm off to see Drake play at the o2 in London! Here are 4 ways to process your drum group that you may or may not be doing already so either you learn or your confirm :) There is also a little trick hidden in the first part which I know is popular - I didn't go into it in too much detail but that because I would like to do a dedicated video on it... still not sure what I'm talking about? enjoy the vid!
weird flex but ok
@@hushedtones7168 lol
Enjoy the show brother!
Andres velasquez thanks bud!!
@@NoizeLondon Is there a specific reason you created a return for your parallel compression instead of using the "Dry/Wet" knob on the compressor?
I appreciate creators who use stock plugins only, thank you for that 😊
"How to make your drums PHAT"
*Proceeds to only use hihat and a shaker as the sample
Check out my redemption video... I know I did wrong ;)
ruclips.net/video/5VRIxyKehpM/видео.html
hahah I went kind of mad when I realised there were no kicks not gonna lie. Also kind of weird doing a mix with no context of the whole track...but what do I know
And an anorexic clap
honestly wtf did i just watch, this was pure percussion fail
@@NoizeLondon that was gold subscribed
I have about six months' worth of experience with Ableton and there's a much easier way to fatten drums with a stock plug-in. Drum Buss. Has a compressor, transient shaper and tone controls and it's as a whole much more beginner-friendly than fine-tuning gain stages in two locations. I'm not an engineer by the way, I'm a drummer. :)
This was before drumbuss but yes I agree!!
@@NoizeLondon you use drum buss in the video o.O
I was about to say the same exact thing and then realized this was 4 years ago lol
?? he literally uses drum buss in the video lol
the red indicator on the glue compressor only indicates that the signal is going above 0dB, it won't actually affect the audio until you turn the soft clip button on. you can tell by looking at the mini meters in between the plugins; when you cranked the sound on the makeup gain it shows the signal level turning red (>0dB) while the soft clip was off and then going back to yellow (right at or just below 0dB) when turned on
so subtle but so professional, i love it. from 90% of the way there to 100%
Thanks Steven :)
this is helpful.. The idea of doing many small things rather than one or 2 big things makes a huge difference and i love it
It’s all about the subtleties;) So glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for watching :)
Some great tips on compression here. In your example of parallel processing with aggressive compression was terrific. I could clearly hear the difference with that.
Thanks bud
I have been using Ableton for about a year now and still use the stock plugins. They are the best.
I love your tutorials they are so helpful. Thank you!
Outstanding!! I've been been looking for that drum sound for a long time ago.
Nice! Thanks for watching Neni :)
I found this video very professionally produced. I like that RUclips recommended me a fairly small channel that I didn't know about, that seems to be on the rise. Subscribed! I would have liked some tips on making kick drums *fat* though.
Keep it up!
Thanks bud! Do you mean individual drums?
@@NoizeLondon Yeah, like kick drums alone. Or a drum beat like in this video, but one that has kicks!
Pedro Devoto ok sure thing bud stay tuned will do it soon :)
Really liked this video as well, can't wait for a video on kicks and/or snares :)
Why are you trying to "fatten up" a high passed loop to begin with. You'll get more results giving us an example with a kick and a snare. You should pick some completely dry 808 or 909 drums, make a full loop then show people what the effects will do.
Because he's a RUclipsr
I’m going to do a separate video on kick and snare as they require different processing. The compressor on a drum group can be compromised if the kick and snare are fed into it hence why I’ve kept them separate. Thank you for your input and I look forward to making this video for you!
The Internet indeed I am ;)
Yeah it took me waaaaaay too long to realize there were going to be no kicks or snares to ever be found. "Drums" 😂 I think I still learned something though...
@@PakessoMukash Glad you did thanks for tuning in :)
An excellent and crystal clear insight into a topic I’m trying to improve on. Another request for widening the stereo field too, especially how to apply mid/side processing
Thank you very much Simon - you are one of many who has requested a video on widening so it will be coming soon! Thanks for the support.
This is the video I was looking for , in a long time😮
really gonna buy your course this video really made my day hope u return to Canada soon
Thanks bro! Lots more courses coming soon too… watch this space ☺️
DRUM bus was my hero to make the difference between my past drums....thx a lot
you're welcome dude!!!
This was cool. I followed along and definitely fattened up some drums in a much more interesting way than I usually do, and made some racks that I can come back to and use on any drums going forward! Very informative watch. Cheers.
Great dude!! Thanks for watching 😁
Awesome tutorial this. Feels easy to follow and very polished. Feel like I finally have a grasp on the various types of compression!
Thanks Charlie - glad you enjoyed it :)
Thank you dude, really smooth, professional processing. More attention should be given to these stellar Ableton stock plugins, instead of buying all these crazy expensive 3rd party ones
Thanks dude ;)
Really good video bro! The only suggestion I have is you should do all that processing in context with the song bc at the end of the day that’s all that matters !
You’re totally right dude - here is a link to the finished record m.soundcloud.com/flux_xo/gypsy-woman-flux-remix/s-ieoo0
Saturator is a great plugin. I love the Color Limiter which is a Max4Live device. Sounds great on drums!
I will check that out - is it free?
@@NoizeLondon yea, should be apart of one of the max4live packs. As long as you have the top Ableton package.
Love the parallel compression jawn! thank you so much :)
Thank you for sticking to just the stock stuff. Inspiring channel!!!!
Will do more stock stuff if you like !! :)
That-s a great video. Thanks mate
Thanks buddy
This is a next level Tutorial. Thank you so much for this
You are most welcome buddy - thank you for watching :)
thank you for your Compressor explanation
You're welcome!!
This video has changed my life!
Woohoo!
This is fantastic, night/day difference
Thanks Tee - glad you enjoyed :)
Been using ableton for 4-5 years and I still found this pretty helpful. Good stuff!
Really glad that I could help bud!! :)
this is like the "today i found out" of dance music production aha
Just re-watched this: real help. Thank you Fabio!
great cideo !! i love your informative and complete way of teaching
Thanks man, the last trick is genius and so simple!!
No problem man :) my pleasure !
Great vid, do you always exclude your kick when compressing your drums?
I’d like to hear that answer as well lol
I can see in your live session that the kick, snare and claps are in different groups that means that those sounds have a different treatment vs the "drums" group?
In electronic music it’s helpful to keep the kick separate for more controlled processing
@@NoizeLondon thnks, greetings from 🇲🇽
* disclaimer * no drums were used in this whole video.
hahaha... we should probably stop calling it a kick drum then eh?
😂
Looks like a Logic user sabotage
@@EBMZEQUENZER LMAAAOO
this is very helpful. thank you so much
Another great video, clean and simple thanks!
Thanks for watching buddy!
Awesome video!!
Thank you for this great video ! :)
Amazing video!!!
Thank you so much ,keep it going!!!
lovley tutorial thank you!
No bullshit talk and very informativ. Have you also videos about low end processing?
Big luv from Switzerland!
Sending love back!! I am also Swiss ;)
Yes there is one on kick and bass on my channel
Really helpful video! Thank you so much!
he has such a wonderful voice to listen to, very studious :D
*4 WAYS to make your DRUMS FAT in ABLETON*
-"Well, feed em'"
lolololol
Great video!
Thanks !!
You should match the dB levels when comparing. People often think "louder" is just better.
Hey bud if you watch closely you’ll see that I match both the glue and the drum buss. Se for EQ I don’t find it necessary as I want to enhance those frequencies not bring the others down (otherwise I would cut) and parallel compression is only bringing up the RMS not peak level. Hope I explained that ok!
In the end it’s the perceived volume that is louder not the metered volume which is what we are trying to achieve
I have watched my fair share of mix tutorials. Even bought some. The biggest difference to me here is that we actually ear what you are doing. A lot of tutorials you barely ear the difference. Kudos to you on this. I'll be watching more
Very cool. Love the delivery of the information; very practical and helpful 💯
I like how he moved the dial in the drum buss made the camera moved to the back
Great video. I liked the first part with combining glue and utility. Going to try that. Subscribed 4 sure
✌️
props for using utility plugin for unity after soft clipping
Is it bad that I could tell basically zero difference until you applied parallel compression? And that I couldn't tell a difference in the final comparison when separated by you talking, but I could hear a difference when they were switched with no delay in between?
Maybe that's why I suck so much at mixing. Or maybe it's because I'm only just learning how to apply these things. Or both.
You don't suck bro! Sometimes when you're not sure what you're listening out for its hard to discern the changes. You ears will become more and more tuned over time so just keep watching and listening :)
@@NoizeLondon I see, thanks for the encouragement :) Funny how artists tend to be the types to beat themselves up and overly criticize their own ability, huh?
thanks for the tips, very interesting. Should you be compressing the snare, kick, etc, by themselves? i see you are processing the whole drum set...
This is a great video tutorial teaching us how to use the Ableton live tools. Thanks
so with or without parallel comp. what's the difference ? when i put your para-comp settings, it's like 'breathe sound' of my drums.
By compressing the front of the transient really hard you crush the signal basically making it flat and dynamic-less. When mixing it into your original signal you will add more sustain and at times harmonic distortion depending on the compressor you use for the parallel chain
thank you, helped heaps.
subbed for ableton stuff
Sweet !!
Great Advice! Thanks for the info
This helped make my drums so much more prominent. Thank you for the video and for the advice! Appreciated.
Recommended. Great vid.
The trick on parallel was great!
Thanks Alexandre!
thank you, it's helpful
You are most welcome 🙏🏼
Also, at the 4 minute mark, are you adding a utility with -10db because of headroom within the mix?
Haha I always go crazy with the drum bus, though usually in the sound design stage than in mixing/mastering everything at the end. It may be "gimmicky" but there's a lot you can do with it.
You're totally right - its definitely something that should be used in a sound design approach rather than for finesse but I do think that some people are lured by the name 'Drum Buss' and who out there isn't looking for a quick fix haha ;)
Im a bit confused about the parallel compression. When I copied your settings in the return tracks compressor it caused a ton of distortion and my compressor was red lining. It sounded like shit basically. Any idea why? I did it just like you..
Thanks man, great video with no gimmicks, no expensive plugins, and good sound. Where can we listen to your music?
Hi Carlo, thanks so much I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I'm currently working on a personal music project with some very exciting artists which I will reveal soon. In the meantime you can check out my website if you like to listen to artists that I engineer for. www.noizemusic.io ;)
Great video , great channel . Thanks.
Thanks Julien!
You did something in between adding EQ8 and the drum bus that was the only change that made a noticeable difference, but didn't show what you changed.
might've tweaked it a little
a parallel is much easier in Ableton using chains in a rack group, put one with nothing on it and add a chain with the extreme compression, than add the wanted volume
Can i apply the chain process to kick and 808 bass ?
You can but I think there could be a better approach to this.
Liked it alot - yet have a question!
If you still have this set, bring it up in Live 10. Turn on parallel compression which you so painstakingly created. Now turn it off and using your 'best' EQ - hardware or software, flicking between the parallel that you created and no compression, use your best EQ to match the sound of the parallel group. Now, simply crank up the volume on your drums group.
Can you tell a meaningful difference in quality between the parallel group sound and the EQed-higher volume group? Then within the context of the full track can you say that your painstaking paralleled group sounds better in a track than the same effect created with good quality EQ and a higher volume on the drum group?
This is not a trick question or a disparagement of the fine work you did with your parallel group. It's just that when I was learning audio with a professional engineer, he reinforced again and again (which I sort of knew) that relative volume is BY FAR the most important part of mixing. By a factor of 100! Dynamics are important of course in many contexts. Yet, for those listening in a club (monophonic) or in a car or anywhere where their ears aren't situated perfectly between 2 monitors..while I don't question many could hear a difference with parallel compression, I question whether anyone would say it makes a track more exciting than simply cranking the volume which always makes drums more exciting and some clever EQ.
Just curious what your thoughts are with respect to my question.
Hi Allan, the signal's loudness is higher in perceived volume not metered volume and therefore is not louder in peak, but it is in RMS. I'm avid about gain staging but I also believe there can be leniency when trying to exaggerate the amplitude of certain frequency areas without having to readjust the volume, especially when subtle.
Great editing!
Thanks dude!!
Your videos are awesome and so helpful. Keep it up! I'd love to see a video about widening the stereo sound signature of a track.
Thanks so much Joe - this is actually the second request I've had for widening so I will try and publish a vlog on it on Tuesday! Please let me know if you have any other topics you would like covered - more than happy to help.
Wow RUclips recommended has been doing a good job lately. Can’t believe this guy only has under 2 thousand subs??? Look forward to seeing more from this channel
Thanks so much Kade - your support means the world and encourages me to keep pushing!! See you tomorrow with a new one :)
Hey, this video helps me a lot, I just wanted to thank you !
Amazing Video. Thank you so much 🎉❤
within the first step, I was ok with the results. Great tutorial! Bless!!
Awesome ! :)
Hi, thanks for the vid:) The dark sounding perc thing in the loop, that is not a hihat or a clap. Does anyone know what it is? how to create ir or where to get that type of sample?
sounds like a wooden knock
If Jesus said it - then its probably right.
@@NoizeLondon God bless you
Question, maybe this was answered, but why use a return track for the parrel compression vs doing a 2nd single chain on the insert and blending it that way?
Bad habits ;) also good for being able to send multiple tracks to the same parallel processing and less CPU heavy :)
you should give reason a go, its a great tool for getting ideas up and running quickly
yeah its cool, but kinda confusing to me
Threshold set to trigger -5db, with a Slow attack and a fast release?
absolutley spot on thanks for doing this and sharing your awesome wisdom !!!
You are most welcome !! Thanks for the support 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Sick video mate! Really helpful tips
You are most welcome Sam! Thanks for the support
I followed these steps. It sounds good but I have white noise on the parallel compression track when nothing is playing through it.
Are you using a different compressor? 3rd party perhaps?
nice! Thank you!
This was tremendously helpful - thank you so much. It was so well done that I am going to check your other videos. Anyone who has true studio quality speakers can hear how much difference there is. I can.
What's the purpose of the low cut?
To control the build up of low frequencies or remove unwanted lows that may trigger the upcoming compressors or processing
Great video. Is there any reason why you use a return track for your parallel compression instead of an audio effect rack with two chains?
Good question! - Sometimes I do both but totally depends on the project. What's useful about having a return track is that I can send other elements to the parallel compressor if necessary. It can also reduce the amount of processing on your computer which can become rather heavy if you're creating a lot of audio effect racks!
and it's also actually the way you would parallel compress in a real studio mixing desk (using a bus or return track), think about it, those do not have effect racks - it's just the beauty of ableton
ExiledMango another great point. Thank you Exiled Mango
puppiesinspace shouldn’t do, unless you’re using a very processor heavy plugin such as linear phase EQ
Great tutorial, this channel looks promising great job
Thank you Josh!!!
Using logic because is a engineer no pun intended
I didn't like how it sounded with the drumbuss on. It sounded too sharp for my liking. But after the parallel compression I liked it better. The overall end result definetly sounded better :)
In general I'm not a fan of Drumbuss. When it was just announced I thought it was badass and thought it sounded great. Then when I began using it myself I thought that it sounded muddy and harsh no matter what I did and how subtle I used it. Not as good as what I could get with other plugins. But I guess that's just me, because I know that a lot of people loves it ;)
It's not a great effect to be honest, I agree with you - way too gimmicky and not smooth enough
@@NoizeLondon - Aarh okay, I'm glad that it's not just me then ;)
Great content, great execution; overall a great quality tutorial!
Thank you Michael - please let me know if there are any other topics you would like to see covered
Nice video! i'll be sure to make use of this in the next track i make, a subtle but effective effect chain!
Nice one dude ! :)
BRILLIANT.... thanks mate
you are most welcome!
Very nice and high quality video, look forward to see more and more video ! That's gonna be an awesome RUclips Channel for sure !
Thanks buddy !!
Hi, thank you for making this. When do you anticipate part 2 will be done?
Check out my video “mixing your drums” ;)
if you rrerally want to match the level of the sound you should use RMS levels
Thanks for the vid! :) What's the advantage of using parallel compression via send/return instead of having the same compressor on the group using the dry/wet function?