Reducing Cymbal Bleed at the Source

Drums are the loudest, noisiest thing on stage. So how do you keep cymbals from bleeding into every other mic? (Hint: gates are not the answer, the drummer is.)
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[@Daddynixterdrums]

I love this! Really helps me as a drummer to dial down my technique/dynamics and expedited miking when I play. I’m looking forward to sharing your channel with one of our audio engineers. Hopefully he enjoys and takes it in as much as I am.

[@Lantor51]

This is amazing having a drummer and sound tech having a sit down chat together sharing their perspectives. Would be sweet to have other instrumentalists Ex: electric guitarist share how they want their guitar to sound

[@AttawayAudio]

Great idea!

[@superdrummer3578]

I love the advice! I don´t have this problem as I play electronic drums at church and at home, but I turned up the sensitivity of my cymbals to make sure that the dynamics I play with also apply to an acoustic set.

[@djabthrash]

I practice on e drums and i turned the drums way too loud to train me to hit them softer so that i sound better when i play acoustic drums :)

[@AltarDeAdoracion]

Very useful. Thanks for making this video!!!

[@djabthrash]

Also : - angle your vocal mics to reduce cymbal bleed into them - cympads and other cymbal dumpening stuff - dark cymbals instead of bright cymbals - plexis in front of the cymbals

[@MASKTERTV]

Thank you for info sir

[@AttawayAudio]

you're welcome!

[@pradeszebua]

Love your videos mate! I’m a sound engineer at a local church here in Indonesia. I have a question, we have 6 monitors facing the singers and woship leader, but somehow I always get a complain that they are not satisfied with the monitors, they can’t hear their own voices... do you think those monitors enough? By the way, two monitors on the floor and 4 are hanging a few metres in front above their their heads. Will setting up a budget to buy in ear monitor system help or will it only be wasting money?

[@AttawayAudio]

are the monitors pointed RIGHT at their heads? or at their legs? or above their heads? a lot of times people complain about not hearing a monitor wedge because they're not in its "sweet spot." A short piece of lumber can change the angle and get it pointed toward people's ears. Also, it can be helpful to "thin out" voices going to monitors, so they cut through the noise from FOH a little better.

[@verdi260]

We faced this problem as well. Then we turn to the IEM (in ears monitors) and the worship team is satisfied. Try it.

[@bz2474]

A Good drummer makes a techs job easier. constant strokes,, tone, helps tons

[@tommih597]

If you wanna use gates, it's probably a good idea to invest in some triggers.

[@sethtrey]

You said to subscribe if you were there for the exact reason I am here, so I did.

[@fabiomusic-metal3730]

I'm already thinking about this problem of sound leaks. I play according to the old school of heavy metal. very high cymbals , reduce leakage and define your sound

[@NicholasReguin]

Sick Warrior Poet Society hoodie

[@obidavekenobe]

MORE COW BELL!

[@johnangara7714]

Name of church? Do you have live stream?

[@AttawayAudio]

I'm in volunteer rotation at Christ Triumphant Church, and the place where we filmed is Forerunner Church

[@johnangara7714]

@@AttawayAudio thank you sir! I'll watch your live stream mix..

[@robertrickman3531]

I wish more Drummers would watch this....

[@mathiasddkk]

MONITORS very nice video

[@AttawayAudio]

Thanks!

[@mohamedajmal3112]

😍👏👏

[@joshwilliams7118]

Monitors 🤘🏼

[@jonathanarleys]

Anticipate bleeding for drums? Easy.. Just do some Mike Mangini trick on DT BBQ video... 😂😆

[@AttawayAudio]

Dang I thought you had actual advice for smoking meats 😭😭😭

[@Daniel-1-1-1]

:( I love hi hat

[@AttawayAudio]

so does stewart copeland 🙌🙌🙌

[@paolodizer]

Monitors!

[@AttawayAudio]

🙌🙌🙌

[@markmcclanathan3010]

Monitors

[@obidavekenobe]

or drum machine 😉

[@AttawayAudio]

I call them "boom booms"

[@frankservant5754]

They do crash those cymbals don't they SMH

[@MeTuLHeD]

"gates are not the answer" Interesting. Engineers use gates to reduce cymbal bleed routinely.

[@Lantor51]

Maybe if you’re mixing a track in post, it could work. Especially cause you would have time to nit-pick and get it perfect. In a church auditorium/live stream, which I think this context is referring to, you don’t have the time or chances to get it perfect.

[@MeTuLHeD]

@@Lantor51 As I said, engineers use gating routinely, both in the studio and live settings.

[@AttawayAudio]

Absolutely they do. But gating doesn't solve the fundamental problem. And with really dynamic drums, I don't want to miss the details, so you can end up riding the gate threshold the entire time instead of focusing on riding the vocals. And for a lot of people, they can do that, but it's not my preferred method. And even if I was going to use gates, I'd still want to use these approaches to minimize cymbals in the toms.

[@djabthrash]

Gate is not only for cymbal bleed but also the bleed of the other shells into a given close mic, or the shell that is close miked when it's not played. ex : gate on rack tom 1 : cuts the awful rack tom sound when it is not played, AS well as cymbals and other kit elements. Even with gates, it is better to treat the source first, and then use a gate if needed.

[@MeTuLHeD]

@@djabthrash I didn't say they were only used to eliminate cymbal bleed. I said they are routinely used to remove cymbal bleed.

[@sweetfoampunishment3286]

That's why I came here... to focus on Jesus!

[@radioesparta]

"sell everything you have and give it to the poor" , all the money spent in fancy equipment.

[@AttawayAudio]

And yet when Moses built the tabernacle in the wilderness, he had to tell people to STOP giving because they had too much gold, silver, precious stones and fabric. And David used his personal wealth to fund Solomon's temple, more than a hundred million dollars in today's value of gold, silver and cut stones. So yes, Jesus said that to a rich young man who trusted in his wealth, but it doesn't mean the church and those in it should be poor.

[@randomschittz9461]

Set the cymbals up waaaay above the toms so the drummers have to reach for them and they probably will stop putting in the effort. 😆 JK

[@boast1570]

Monitors!

[@AttawayAudio]

thanks for checking in Matt!

[@Elishachoko]

Monitors

[@karibuqwetu3765]

Monitors

[@jeffreybell1214]

Monitors

[@GreggOliverBass]

Monitors

[@AttawayAudio]

🙌

[@diebeatz]

Monitors

[@AttawayAudio]

thanks for checking diebeatz!