Topic: How to compress a prominent kick drum in SBD recording, eh?

[capnhook]

I'm making a matrix recording, and I'm finding that everything is AOK except for a kick drum being too damn loud in my soundboard source.  What can I do, besides lowering the volume or using a high-pass filter (too drastic for me) to tame it?   

I guess I need to compress the kick, and leave much of everything else alone.

I'm trying a low-shelf filter, knee at 500Hz, attack 1 ms, decay 100 ms, -15dB threshold (seems to kick in around there), and a better than 30:1 slope

Am I way off, or whut would you suggest?

[Todd R]

I thought low shelving was an EQ function, so I don't understand how compressor settings fit in. That said, a 30:1 ratio seems huge to me. Unless the kick is really out of control, I think I'd try to go no more than 5:1 or 6:1. But I never really use large compression. You might also play with shorter release times too, but a 1ms to 5ms attack time seems good.

Also, instead of a low shelf, you might try a multiband compressor. Isolate the kick frequency and compress that band and leave the other bands as is.

[page]

A low-shelf filter with envelope settings is practically a multiband (well single band) compressor I would think.  That's the approach I would take, although I think 500Hz is too high of a band for just kick.  Maybe 150Hz would do.

I thought about this too, but if it's already a bright kick, he might need to bring some of that upper end down.

I'd start around 250 or so and adjust based on what's left.

I thought low shelving was an EQ function, so I don't understand how compressor settings fit in. That said, a 30:1 ratio seems huge to me. Unless the kick is really out of control, I think I'd try to go no more than 5:1 or 6:1. But I never really use large compression. You might also play with shorter release times too, but a 1ms to 5ms attack time seems good.

Also, instead of a low shelf, you might try a multiband compressor. Isolate the kick frequency and compress that band and leave the other bands as is.

all of this. I like the short attack and I'd look at a shorter release (maybe 50ms, maybe as high as 80), depends on how much bloom/tail there is already.

[capnhook]

I'm thinking I'm finding the main frequency to be 126 Hz.  I'll try to compress it at that notch, not so big a ratio.   

[runonce]

Is there anyway you could create a subtractive effect using phase - and an extra set of tracks?

Like - clone your tracks - so you'll have 4. Run a low pass on the clone - maybe isolate the frequencies a bit, invert it - and mix it in to taste with the original tracks.

Maybe too much risk to the rest of the low end...?

[Patrick]

Is there anyway you could create a subtractive effect using phase - and an extra set of tracks?

Like - clone your tracks - so you'll have 4. Run a low pass on the clone - maybe isolate the frequencies a bit, invert it - and mix it in to taste with the original tracks.

Maybe too much risk to the rest of the low end...?

Depending on the DAW you use, this could create more problems than it fixes. 

[db]

i think you have an aud recording there...

[capnhook]

Also, instead of a low shelf, you might try a multiband compressor. Isolate the kick frequency and compress that band and leave the other bands as is.

That has worked the best so far, thanks for the suggestions everyone, I tried them all.