Making Toms Have That 'Boing' Sound

[Suntower]

I'm having trouble getting the toms in my sample lib to sound '3-d-' That is, they sound flat, like those oil filled ones from years ago. There's no 'air' or roundness in them.

I'm using Scarbee Imperial Drums and when I hear the toms in isolation they sound fine, but in the mix? It sounds like big Quaker Oatmeal cylinders to me.

Any idea on how to bring out the -bottom- (the 'airy' boing) part?

Here's an example to demonstrate what I mean...

http://www.suntowermusic.com/311_hi.mp3

TIA,

---JC

 

[brian]

Hey JC,

I think you might want to experiment with your EQ in the 500-900Hz range on those toms. I use DFHS for drum sounds, and have gotten excellent results on toms. I usually give the floor toms a little 60Hz boost with the Pultec and a big 8Khz tight boost for the attack. For rack toms I use a HP filter from Cambridge, then usually boost around 3Khz with the Pultec for a real nice attack. I have found that the \"boing\" sound usually resides in the 650-900Hz range. Try boosting down there with a fairly narrow Q. You may need to boost them a large amount in the context of a mix, from 3dB-8dB. Depending on the toms, you may need to compensate for this boost with a small cut lower down, maybe around 400Hz to remove some boxiness. Hope this helps.

 

[Suntower]

Hey.... 600hz was the ticket.

Thanks.

---JC