A Guide To Drum EQ

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EQ is arguably the single most effective type of FX processing you can do to improve the sound of the drums, both for individual drums and for the kit as a whole. And today, you’ll see an EQ demonstration from a recent Drumeo session with Jonathan Moffett, the long-time drummer for Michael Jackson. In this video, you’re going to get some really easy and effective ways to EQ your drum recordings.

Cut vs Boost: (1:50)

I generally cut or carve out portions of the sound that are unpleasant a lot more than I boost portions of the sound that are pleasant. This approach usually delivers the sound that I’m looking for, the fastest.

High Pass Filter: (3:00)

I use a high pass filter on every single track to clean up the low-end. Even for the bass drum, I’ll cut off either more or less of the low-end, depending on the microphone.

How To Cut:

– w/ The Snare (4:39)
– w/ The Bass (8:43)
– w/ The Toms (13:00)
– w/ The Overheads (14:30)

The EQ makes a massive difference on the microphones, cleaning up the entire mix so each shell and cymbal sings to its full fidelity — making the entire drum performance a lot more clear and crisp.

There’s a lot more you can do for processing, compression, gates, editing, etc. If you’d like more, make sure to check out our Ultimate Guide To Recording Drums!

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Jared Falk is a lifelong drummer, drum teacher, and the co-founder of Drumeo. For over 18 years, Jared has been a leader in the online music education industry, publishing his first online video lessons in 2003 and founding Musora in 2005.