Mix Presets Reference Virtual Drummer

Character

Description

Use for...

Room

Smooth

Tamed in the mid range, with subtle upper range. Only subtle dynamic

treatment.

Acoustic, natural sounding mixes, e.g. in Songwriter, Indie or Country music.

Large studio recording room

Edge

“Rehearsal Room” sound – raw, powerful mids, medium compression, wall reflections.

Creating drums that bite, e.g. in Garage, Punk, EDM.

Drum booth with tiled walls

Retro

Tape machine and analog console kind of sound, perfect for the 70’s and earlier.

Aging the sound of the drum kit, e.g. for 60s/70s impression.

Old drum booth with stone/wooden walls

Big

Sound of a big stage, subtle dynamics and EQ for a more present sound.

The typical sonic image of 80s, soft rock and ballads.

Empty rock concert hall

Power

Strong dynamic processing for extra punch, EQ-ing for presence.

All kinds of Rock.

Recording Room of a small studio

Crush

Exaggerated compression, medium EQ-ing and subtle distortion.

A crushed, “low bit-rate drum loop” sound for Punk, Sound Design, Experimental, EDM.

Concrete room

Character

Description

Use for...

Room

Close

Removes mid-range, adds lows and highs and generally makes the kit sound like it gets pulled closer to the microphones.

… drying out the sound of the drum kit for a super-dry, “attacky” sound.

Dampened studio recording room

Broad

Significantly beefs up kick and snare, and adds punch to the overall kit.

… material that needs punchy, beefy drums, particularly 80s/90s styles.

Drum booth with tiled walls

Bright

Adds edge and punch, making the kit sound much crisper and fresher.

… to make the drum stick out even against a lot of mid- range tracks play- ing.

Medium hall

Punch

Adds low end and virtually shortens the drum kit without making it artificial.

… when you need additional power but still a quite natural sounding kit.

Short, reflective booth

Rattle

Adds lower mid-range and generally makes the drum kit sound like the screws got loosened.

… creating a drumloop-like, lofi character, great for drumloop-based electronic styles.

Recording Room of a small studio

Character

Description

Use for...

Room

HiFi

Big in bass and treble, attenuating the mid- range for that old- school ghetto blaster sound.

… late 70s and all 80s material, when you’re after a polished, not necessarily natural sound.

Large studio recording room

Raw

Adds bite and rawness to the sound by using a combination of EQ and multiband compression.

… adding a punk flavor and making the drums stick out.

Drum booth with tiled walls

Retro

Subtly removes digital fidelity and adds a flavor of tape saturation.

… creating a vintage 60s to early 70s sound.

Old drum booth with stone/wooden walls

Punch

Exactly what the name says.

… exactly what the name says.

Empty rock concert hall

Comp

Adds punch and attack to the drum kit mainly by using a carefully tweaked combination per- instrument and master compression.

… making the transients more obvious and the drum kit more present, particularly in mix with a lot of mid-carrying instruments.

Recording Room of a small studio

Crush

Over-compression galore – add punch and sustain to the overall drum sound.

… creating the exact opposite of a natural drum kit with tons of punch and edge.

Medium hall