Solving the Issue of Buried Crash Cymbals in the Mix

Problem:
Crash cymbals often get buried in the mix, especially when using complex miking techniques like Glyn Johns, which balances close mics with overheads. While re-recording with higher cymbals may be a solution for future projects, the challenge arises when dealing with existing recordings. With healthy compression on the drums and otherwise great sound, the crash cymbals can still sound borderline non-existent. So, what can you do from a mixing perspective?

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Understanding the Problem

Crash cymbals occupy higher frequency ranges (usually 2kHz to 10kHz), and depending on how much other high-frequency content is present (like vocals, guitars, or snare), they can easily get masked. In multi-mic setups like Glyn Johns, the overheads typically capture the cymbals, but improper EQ, excessive compression, or phase issues between the mics can bury the crashes.

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Famous Example: Dave Grohl & Nevermind

During the recording of Nirvana’s Nevermind, Dave Grohl's powerful drumming was critical to the album’s aggressive energy. But in the mix, there were early issues with cymbals getting lost in the dense arrangements. The solution? Producer Butch Vig played around with compression and EQ while also ensuring the drum overheads were processed to bring out the cymbals without overpowering the rest of the kit. A similar approach can work in your case.

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Solutions

1. Multiband Compression

Your current compression might be taming the cymbals unintentionally. By using a multiband compressor, you can focus compression on the low-mids (where the kick and snare dominate) while leaving the high frequencies more open. This can give the crashes room to breathe without affecting the overall drum sound.

2. EQ the Overheads

The cymbals are primarily captured in your overheads, so start by boosting frequencies between 3kHz and 7kHz to make the crashes more prominent. Be careful not to overdo it, as you don’t want the crashes to dominate or cause harshness.

• Pro Tip: Use a high-pass filter on the overheads, cutting everything below 200Hz to avoid conflict with the kick and toms. This helps focus the overheads on cymbals rather than duplicating the low-end content.

3. Parallel Compression

Another technique Butch Vig famously used on Nevermind was parallel compression. Send your drum bus (or just your overheads) to an aux track, heavily compress the signal, and blend it back with the uncompressed drums. This allows the crashes to become more present without sacrificing the overall dynamic range.

4. Transient Shaping

A transient shaper can help emphasize the attack of the crash cymbals without needing to raise their volume. This can give them more punch, helping them cut through the mix better, especially during busy sections of the song.

5. Phase Alignment

If your mics are out of phase, it could be canceling out certain frequencies, making the cymbals quieter. Check the phase relationship between your overheads, snare, and other drum mics, and flip the phase on any mics that seem to be causing issues. Glyn Johns relies heavily on proper phase alignment, so even a minor adjustment can bring your crashes back to life.

6. Automation

If the crash cymbals are only getting lost in certain sections, you can automate the volume of the overheads to bring the cymbals up just in those moments. This method gives you control over the dynamic presence of the cymbals without affecting the rest of the mix.

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Conclusion

There are plenty of ways to solve buried crash cymbals in the mix, whether through EQ, compression adjustments, or phase correction. Dave Grohl’s sessions for Nevermind prove that even powerful drumming can suffer from this issue, but with the right techniques, you can make those cymbals shine.

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