How To Mix Live Music Chapter 10 - EQ for Drums

Welcome back. We’re learning how to mix live music, and in this session we will focus on drums. As in kick, snare, hat, toms and overheads! Probably the loudest instruments in the band, and the ones with the most focused range of frequencies. Each mic used will require different treatment. But firstly, make sure the drums are tuned well, to sound good in the room:

if they don’t sound good naturally, they will never sound good through a microphone! Now many drummers don’t know how to tune their own instruments well, so there is always a chance for a sound engineer to develop this useful new skill. We’re going to skip that topic for now though… let’s assume the drums already sound awesome!

In keeping with tradition, let’s start with the kick drum or bass drum. Let’s assume you’re using just one microphone for this drum, and is positioned a little inside the drum. You may want to emphasize the low frequency “thump” of the drum. Or the higher “clap” of the beater against the skin. Or perhaps both.

But what you don’t want to do is boost the high frequencies, because there is nothing nice there. Turn down the high band immediately between -3 and -6 dB. Next, listen to the low frequencies. Turn up the low shelf half-way, to increase the bottom-end power. Does it sound good? Alternatively, turn it down if you prefer to reduce “boom”.

My general rule in live sound is never to boost an EQ more than 6 dB. Cut as much as you like, but be careful with boosting, as nasty feedback noises can occur! Now the mid band. Here’s a tip: boost the band at least half-way, and sweep the frequency from minimum to maximum, and find the frequency that carries the desired “clap” sound.