Dance Gavin Dance Tom Punch: Kris Crummett’s Mixing Approach

Ever cranked up a Dance Gavin Dance track and been blown away by those articulate, punchy toms? They cut through the mix perfectly, adding power and excitement without ever sounding muddy or lost. We got an inside look at how producer Kris Crummett, the man behind the console for many DGD records, wrangles those tom sounds into submission. If you're looking to elevate your own drum mixes, particularly in genres like post-hardcore and modern metal, Kris dropped some serious knowledge bombs. Let's dive into his workflow for mixing Dance Gavin Dance toms.

Setting the Stage: Tom Panning and Perspective

Before even touching an EQ or compressor, getting the foundational elements right is key. For Kris, this starts with clean tracks and thoughtful panning.

Prepping the Toms

While Kris mentions he’d already edited out all the bleed from the tom tracks – a crucial step involving muting any section where the tom isn't being hit – this meticulous cleanup ensures that when you start processing, you're only affecting the desired tom hits, not stray cymbal wash or snare rattle.

Strategic Tom Panning for Realism

When it comes to panning, you might be tempted to go wide, but Kris has a more nuanced approach. He initially had the toms panned hard left and right (100% each way) but found it wasn't quite hitting the mark, especially for two rack toms. Instead, he opts for something a bit more centered, like panning a high rack tom to 100 and a second rack tom to 80.

Why not ultra-wide? Kris explains it from a drummer’s perspective: "Your rack tom isn't where your hi-hats are… if the rack tom sounds even further left than the hi-hats, that's a really strange sound to me." By keeping toms a little more towards the center, the drum kit image feels more natural and cohesive.

The Importance of Drummer Perspective

Speaking of perspective, Kris consistently mixes from the drummer's point of view. His reasoning is simple: "The only people that care are drummers." While audience perspective is common, drummer perspective can offer a more immersive feel for those who play. For music videos, the audio can always be flipped if needed, but for the mix itself, it’s drummer perspective all the way.

Sculpting Tom Tone with EQ

With the toms panned and clean, it's time to shape their character using EQ (Equalization). Kris demonstrates his process, starting with the high rack tom.

Essential Workflow Tip: Solo-Safing Your Buses

Before diving into EQ, Kris highlights a handy workflow trick: solo-safing his drum buses (like his "dry drum bus" and "drum bus crush"). By command-clicking the solo button on these bus tracks in Pro Tools, they remain active even when he solos an individual drum track routed to them. This means he can hear the tom through its bus processing without having to solo the bus itself – super efficient!

EQing the High Rack Tom – A Detailed Breakdown

Even though the raw toms sounded pretty good, Kris knew he could enhance them. Here's a look at his EQ moves on the 10-inch rack tom:

1. Cut Annoying Snap: A noticeable "high mid snap" was tamed by cutting around 3.5 kHz. He used a relatively wide Q and attenuated by about 4.8 dB. This helps remove harshness without losing definition.
2. Add Air/Attack: A little boost around 6 kHz was added to bring out some of the stick attack and brightness.
3. Clean Up Mids: A slight cut around 1 kHz helped clear out some boxiness.
4. High-Pass Filter: To remove unnecessary low-end rumble that doesn't contribute to the tom's fundamental tone, a high-pass filter was engaged.
5. Boost Body/Fatness: Kris loves what 200 Hz can do, but on this tom, it was a bit muddy. He settled on boosting 150 Hz instead, which added a nice, fat, and full character to the tom.

Adapting EQ Across Your Toms

Since the same mics were used on all toms, Kris first checks if the same EQ settings can apply across the board. Often, rack toms can share similar EQ, but floor toms usually need their own adjustments.

"The floor tom, you have to adjust a little bit because you get more head sound than actual shell tone," Kris notes. "Because it's tuned so low, it'll get brighter and snappier."
For the Dance Gavin Dance floor tom, the initial EQ had too much low end. He also found that the other toms didn't need as aggressive a cut in the "snappy" 3.5 kHz region as the high tom did. This iterative process of applying, listening, and tweaking is crucial.

Adding Punch and Perceived Loudness with Saturation

EQ is only part of the equation for lively toms. To really make them pop, Kris turns to saturation, specifically using the Brainworx Vertigo VSM-3 plugin.

Introducing the Vertigo VSM-3

This plugin, modeled after the hardware Vertigo VSM-2 Satellite, is a beast for adding harmonic excitement and character. Kris uses it on toms to "add some snap," achieving an effect that’s "kind of along the same lines as the Crush bus, but it's a little bit different because Toms react differently." He praises the Brainworx emulation as being very close to the real thing, though slightly different in a cool way.

Dialing in the VSM-3: Crummett's "Kick and Snare" Starting Point

The VSM-3 can be complex, so Kris starts with a preset he created called "Kick and Snare," which he often adapts for toms. The key is manipulating the THD mix control for the low and high bands. He started with these around 30% but bumped them up to 50% to get more of the desired effect on the high rack tom.

The result? Without the VSM-3, the tom sounds good. With it, it becomes "so much more lively."

The Magic of Perceived Loudness

Here’s where things get really interesting. Kris points out that the VSM-3 makes the tom sound significantly louder and more energetic, yet the peak level barely changes. This is the power of perceived loudness.

"If I can get something sounding louder without limiting the crap out of it or making it sound messed up or messing up the attack, it always feels good," Kris explains. "I know that if everything is that way, I can build up to a louder overall mix, keeping my ceiling down… keeping my headroom up."

This approach—making individual elements sound louder and more forward without actually eating up precious headroom—is fundamental to achieving a powerful, clear, and ultimately loud final mix. It helps avoid that dreaded scenario where tracks look loud on the meters but sound quiet or muddy. This concept ties into understanding how tools, sometimes even those associated with compression, can shape dynamics and presence beyond simple level adjustments.

He applies the VSM-3 to all three toms, checking that the settings work well for each. The added punch and life are undeniable.

Final Checks and Keeping it Consistent

Because these are real drum performances and not samples, every hit is slightly different. Kris makes sure to listen to the toms in various sections of the song to ensure the processing works universally. He even uses Pro Tools’ "tab to transient" feature on the tom tracks to quickly jump between hits for efficient checking. While the toms sounded great at this stage, he noted they were a little dry, hinting that reverb would be the next step (though not covered in this particular segment).

Bringing It All Together (And Taking the Next Step with Nail The Mix)

Crafting those signature Dance Gavin Dance tom sounds with Kris Crummett involves:

• Thoughtful Panning: Prioritizing a natural, drummer-perspective stereo image.
• Surgical EQ: Targeting specific frequencies to remove harshness, add body, and enhance attack. Check out more EQ strategies for modern metal to deepen your understanding.
• Harmonic Saturation: Using plugins like the Vertigo VSM-3 to add punch, life, and perceived loudness without sacrificing headroom.

These are techniques you can start applying to your own mixes today.

Want to see exactly how pros like Kris Crummett build these sounds from the ground up, in the context of a full song? At Nail The Mix, you get to be a fly on the wall. Each month, members receive the actual multi-tracks from huge rock and metal songs and watch as the original producer or a guest A-lister mixes it from scratch, explaining every decision along the way.

If you’re ready to see Kris Crummett work his magic on a full Dance Gavin Dance track, you can dive into his complete mixing session right here on Nail The Mix. It’s an incredible opportunity to learn the nuances that go into a professional mix. Plus, you can grab the multi-tracks from this Dance Gavin Dance session and try these tom techniques yourself!

Ready to move beyond presets and truly unlock your sound when mixing modern metal? Give these tom tips a shot, and happy mixing!