how to EQ a bass drum
imported from MySpace blog on July 27, 2009
I never wrote about how fucking good DJ Heather was. She was incredible. I've been happy as a clam the last month because i'm turning my life around and i've met this awesome chick right here on myspace and shit's just happening, i feel like i'm going somewhere... And it's times like this that an already great set can just become life-altering. She played real bumpin', jackin' Chicago house. We're talking swung to the motherfuck hi-hats, those stupidly sharp backbeat clap thingys, that boompty snaredrum hit just before the bass drops, the works. I don't think i've danced that long and hard for years - her set was as enjoyable as Miles Maeda's but oh so much more danceable. My smile was bigger than my face, seriously.
Of course my dancing - followed by some drunken basketball a few days later - completely screwed my ankle again. Physio's told me to do nothing stressful for a few weeks, and for once i am actually being responsible. Spent a weekend at home and then last weekend i went out to dinner Saturday and went to see some local bands on Sunday. Yes, bands, it's true. I was pleasantly surprised by Don't Mess With The Pony who were sorta funkish but rocky too and actually danceable - not that anyone did. Heh rock'n'roll sad sacks. At least i had the excuse of my ankle, right? But that was a fun band with triplets and shuffled beats and proper effects on the guitars and this and that and i was thinking hey if more bands were like this i wouldn't mind seeing bands more often :-)
Completely randomly last weekend i also went shopping for music and blindly picked up the self-titled Silver City album, mainly because it was $10 and on 20:20 Vision and i like Random Factor (same label). I was expecting some kind of European deep house, and it's actually these two guys from Argentina playing live instruments. They sound a lot like Herbie Hancock/Headhunters, but it's kinda almost slightly like house too. But it's also kinda not! The drums are like... SO rock'n'roll it's ridiculous. And i started thinking about how rock people EQ drums vs how we do it. It's really all about the bassdrum, yanno. I mean, in the real chunky stuff we distort and gate the hi-hats and snare, but rock guys do that too, and besides, there's plenty of techno with clean highs. But the bassdrum... Oh why oh why didn't these guys EQ their bassdrum like a 909? It's just that real short, dry hit that kinda sounds like someone bouncing a ball. I mean the music's good, but it's missing that bump. What is it about rock producers that make them EQ their bassdrums all weedy? Food for thought.
Comin up... Frankie motherfucking Knuckles. He's doing Sydney NYE and better make it down here or i will cry. Ron Carroll NYD. Miguel Migs Australia Day. Tons more local artists and just generally cool events i'm sure. Miss Libertine is wonderful on Wednesday nights. Candy Bar Thursdays. Tramp Saturdays. I have yet to check out Dig Music. And maybe i'll even do some more rock gigs - i'll form Melbourne's Premier Official Rock Bassdrum Radness Grading Committee and stroke my chin a bit hehehe
I never wrote about how fucking good DJ Heather was. She was incredible. I've been happy as a clam the last month because i'm turning my life around and i've met this awesome chick right here on myspace and shit's just happening, i feel like i'm going somewhere... And it's times like this that an already great set can just become life-altering. She played real bumpin', jackin' Chicago house. We're talking swung to the motherfuck hi-hats, those stupidly sharp backbeat clap thingys, that boompty snaredrum hit just before the bass drops, the works. I don't think i've danced that long and hard for years - her set was as enjoyable as Miles Maeda's but oh so much more danceable. My smile was bigger than my face, seriously.
Of course my dancing - followed by some drunken basketball a few days later - completely screwed my ankle again. Physio's told me to do nothing stressful for a few weeks, and for once i am actually being responsible. Spent a weekend at home and then last weekend i went out to dinner Saturday and went to see some local bands on Sunday. Yes, bands, it's true. I was pleasantly surprised by Don't Mess With The Pony who were sorta funkish but rocky too and actually danceable - not that anyone did. Heh rock'n'roll sad sacks. At least i had the excuse of my ankle, right? But that was a fun band with triplets and shuffled beats and proper effects on the guitars and this and that and i was thinking hey if more bands were like this i wouldn't mind seeing bands more often :-)
Completely randomly last weekend i also went shopping for music and blindly picked up the self-titled Silver City album, mainly because it was $10 and on 20:20 Vision and i like Random Factor (same label). I was expecting some kind of European deep house, and it's actually these two guys from Argentina playing live instruments. They sound a lot like Herbie Hancock/Headhunters, but it's kinda almost slightly like house too. But it's also kinda not! The drums are like... SO rock'n'roll it's ridiculous. And i started thinking about how rock people EQ drums vs how we do it. It's really all about the bassdrum, yanno. I mean, in the real chunky stuff we distort and gate the hi-hats and snare, but rock guys do that too, and besides, there's plenty of techno with clean highs. But the bassdrum... Oh why oh why didn't these guys EQ their bassdrum like a 909? It's just that real short, dry hit that kinda sounds like someone bouncing a ball. I mean the music's good, but it's missing that bump. What is it about rock producers that make them EQ their bassdrums all weedy? Food for thought.
Comin up... Frankie motherfucking Knuckles. He's doing Sydney NYE and better make it down here or i will cry. Ron Carroll NYD. Miguel Migs Australia Day. Tons more local artists and just generally cool events i'm sure. Miss Libertine is wonderful on Wednesday nights. Candy Bar Thursdays. Tramp Saturdays. I have yet to check out Dig Music. And maybe i'll even do some more rock gigs - i'll form Melbourne's Premier Official Rock Bassdrum Radness Grading Committee and stroke my chin a bit hehehe