How I Mix In Drum Room Tracks (WITHOUT Room Mics!)

Mixing Cheatsheet & Multitrack Download HERE: frightboxrecor...
So...what do you do when you want a pro-level drum mix and the recording engineer messed up by NOT recording a room mic track??
Or maybe you're mixing programmed drums and the "room mics" in your drum software just ain't cutting it...
Luckily, I have a solution for both problems.
​In this simple and to-the-point tutorial​, I reveal my favorite technique for producing usable drum room tracks out of thin air.
►► Frightbox MERCH: frightbox-reco...
► Website - frightboxrecor...

[@FrightboxRecording]

Mixing Cheatsheet & Multitrack Download HERE: frightboxrecordingacademy.com/heavy-mix-formula/

[@BonoboBerry]

As soon as you scooped the mids out of that drum reverb it sounded amazing. Great stuff as always Bobby. Miss being in the mix crypt but crazy busy with other projects these days. I'll never forget how much of a help you were when I was getting it all together! Cheers bro!

[@dvdpz89]

What I normally do is send the overheads along with snares and toms, without kick to an aux track (post fader) and use one of my slate reverbs. I gotta try that mid range eq trick though.

[@SamThredder]

I've done fake rooms on mixes for 15+ years! It's a lifesaver! I like to slam the "room" with an la-2a style comp after the reverb. Its always low and high pass eq centred around 5-700hz, wide dip in the middle>short wet reverb>compressor. Sometimes even tease in some of the close mics to get more of a certain signal in there

[@vhmendonca]

That's me right there, Bobby, haha. Thanks for the explanation!!!

[@jeffbridges6110]

Cool trick. I used to do that before I had room mics. Only thing i did was add compression to control the snare a bit (EQ , Verb , Comp , Limiter (to control peaks). That's such a useful trick if you don't have room mics.

[@barrettjones6072]

This is great to hear because I figured this out for myself as well a few years ago. Glad to see a professional as yourself use the same technique! Thanks for all the great content man!

[@paleneweyes4151]

i'll have to try this. my go to for making "fake" room tracks, is to actually record the drum sound from my daw in my mix room with a LDC and another LDC in the hall just outside the room, essentially creating a real drum room track, but it's more than work than just doing it withhin the daw

[@leec6810]

Thank you! I’ve just been thinking about how to do this over the last couple of days for my midi drums 🙏

[@Pedozzi]

Holy shit, how is your kick drum so powerful?

[@xPBKM4x]

For programmed drums, would the principal apply to sending your entire kit to an aux track (pre fader) and 100% wet reverb? I used to use multiple different drum VSTs to get my drum sound and that’s how I’ve glued them together in a “room”.

[@BeesWaxMinder]

I can't help thinking that the mid hump EQ thing wasn't a good idea… Wouldn't it just sound better with a much milder EQ (IF ANY) going into the reverb?

[@FrightboxRecording]

No because the extra highs and lows will slop up the mix, I already have enough of that from the close mics.

[@BeesWaxMinder]

@@FrightboxRecording i see👍

[@ADistortedPerception]

Great trick. Love it

[@naterblade]

That's crazy. Cuz I've actually done that I thought that's what he was going to do.

[@MatthewSwasta]

I do not have the space, equipment, or skill to record a real kit...yet. Using a very inefficient step sequencer, I am using Spitfire Hammers for drums and Spitfire Abe Laboriel or LABS vintage kit for the cymbals. I create a Hammers ensemble when figuring out how I want the drum patterns, save that, and use it as the "room mics" later. Copy and paste those tracks onto individual close Hammers drum tracks and then delete what isn't needed, as that retains all the velocity, duration, swing settings from the ensemble. I give them all kinds of little "mistakes", time shifts, velocity differences, to make them as realistic as I can, then blend it all back together. Time consuming and not perfect by any means, but gets me pretty close to what I want. I have fooled a couple KZbinr mixer guys into thinking they were real drums. 🙄

[@jimdukeproject]

I’ve done this.

[@TheDeedeeFiles]

Nice work

[@sisyphushappyxvx]

Great tip!

[@timothydillard4192]

Nice!!

[@daveoliveira]

Great tip. Could you say thats good way to creat a stereo Room track?

[@FrightboxRecording]

Yes! I'll often send a mono mic to a stereo verb in the same way to create a stereo room. Works really well.

[@boobo3763]

This is genial. Gonna be using for sure as I seem to be completely incapable of capturing a useful room sound. Lol

[@FrightboxRecording]

I have a video coming soon that might help you out when recording drums in a dead space. Stay tuned!

[@boobo3763]

​@@FrightboxRecording Appreciate you, bro!

[@ronnysmobilephone]

I just send my overheads to an aux that has the ik multi media Sunset Sound plugin on it.

[@chris91221]

Oi, thanks for this wonderful trick. Can use this in my future projects. Anyway, what’s the title of this song that you’re using?

[@lovingpeace9715]

Thanks for the tip but it took almost half the video to get to the point. Writing out a rough script to stay focused and get to the point might be useful

[@katielowen]

Panned fake room or mono though ? 🤔

[@aviatedviewssound4798]

I started using this trick for two years for hip-hop drums, and I didn't know they called it room mic until I looked for it. Make sure to use an ambiance reverb, and make sure it's stereo as well.

[@JamesRobertMusic]

That was great Bobby!

[@metalthrashingnerdpodcast9864]

Ive done this before with samples so i had a room mic and sounded a little more real. Its fun to experiment with. Great video.

[@RobertPletscher]

Great trick, thank you ! :D Question: what if it is a midi drum? What would you use there for the artificial room?

[@FrightboxRecording]

I'd use the exact same approach as long as there's enough information in the overhead tracks. Another trick you can use is send the midi rooms to a verb to diffuse them a little more.