Mixing Dance Gavin Dance Toms: Kris Crummett’s Pro Drum Techniques

Nail The Mix Staff

Dance Gavin Dance. The name alone conjures up intricate rhythms, soaring vocals, and a drum sound that's both powerful and articulate. Ever wonder how those toms cut through the organized chaos with such clarity and punch? We got a peek into the process with none other than Kris Crummett, the legendary producer who’s been behind the board for many of DGD’s iconic records. He recently walked through his tom mixing techniques for a track, and there are some serious gems in there. Forget overly complex signal chains; Kris’s approach is about smart, effective moves. Let’s dive into how he gets those killer DGD tom sounds.

Setting the Stage: Tom Prep & Panning Philosophy

Before you even think about reaching for an EQ or compressor, getting your toms cleaned up and placed right in the stereo field is crucial. Kris has a straightforward but effective approach.

Cleaning Up: Editing Tom Bleed

First things first, Kris makes sure to edit out all the bleed from the tom tracks. If you’ve scrolled through raw drum multitracks, you know what we're talking about – snare, cymbals, everything but the tom hit itself. His method is simple: go through and meticulously mute any section of the tom track where the tom isn't actually being played. This ensures that when you start processing, you're only working with the actual tom hits, leading to a much cleaner and more focused sound.

Panning Toms: Drummer Perspective for Realism

When it comes to panning, Kris has a specific take, especially for toms. While some mixers love hard LCR (Left-Center-Right) panning, Kris opts for a more drummer-centric perspective. He mentioned initially having the toms panned hard (100% left and right for two rack toms), but quickly adjusted them. Why? Because as a drummer, your rack toms aren't sitting out at the absolute extremes of your kit, especially not wider than your hi-hats. That would sound unnatural.

So, he pulls the toms in a bit, maybe around 80% for the racks, to create a more realistic stereo image from the drummer's viewpoint. He emphasizes mixing for the drummer perspective because, let's face it, drummers are the ones who care most about this detail! This thoughtful panning helps the toms sit naturally within the drum kit's overall image.

Sculpting Tom Tone with EQ

With the toms cleaned and panned, it's time to shape their character. Kris uses EQ to enhance what's already there and carve out any problematic frequencies.

Smart Soloing: Using Solo Safe for Efficient Workflow

Here’s a quick workflow tip Kris employs: solo-safing his drum buses (specifically, his dry drum bus and his "first drum bus crush"). On a Mac, this is as simple as holding Command and clicking the solo button on the bus track. This means when he solos an individual drum track, like a tom, it still routes through these essential buses without him needing to solo the buses themselves. It’s a small thing, but it speeds up the process of hearing how your EQ moves are affecting the tom in the context of its bus processing.

Initial EQ Moves: Finding the Sweet Spots

Kris started with toms that already sounded "pretty full." His EQ adjustments were about refining them:

  • Taming High-Mid Snap: He noticed an annoying high-mid snap around 3.5kHz and cut about 5dB with a relatively wide Q. This helps remove harshness without making the tom sound dull.
  • Adding a Little Air: A small boost around 6kHz can add some attack and definition back in.
  • Clearing Up Mids: A slight cut around 1kHz can further clean up the tom and make space for other elements in the mix.
  • High-Passing: He high-passed the tom to remove unnecessary rumbly low-end frequencies that don't contribute to the core sound of a 10-inch rack tom, cleaning up the overall low-end of the mix.
  • Adding Weight: After initially trying 200Hz (which he found "a little muddy"), Kris settled on boosting around 150Hz to give the tom a "fatter and fuller" sound. This is a classic area to add body to toms.

For more in-depth strategies on carving out the perfect frequencies, check out our guide on EQ Strategies for Mixing Modern Metal.

Adapting EQ Across Different Toms

One EQ setting rarely fits all. Kris mentioned that while the same mic might be used on all toms, the EQ needs to be tailored. Rack toms might share similar EQ settings, but floor toms often require adjustments. For instance, he found his initial EQ settings introduced too much low-end on the floor tom. Also, the snappy high-mids he cut significantly on the high rack tom didn't need such an aggressive cut on the other toms, as they naturally had a different character.

Adding Snap & Perceived Loudness with Saturation

EQ is only part of the puzzle. To really make the toms pop, Kris turns to a secret weapon for adding snap and character.

Introducing the Vertigo VSM-3

Kris uses the Brainworx Vertigo VSM-3 plugin, a favorite for adding harmonic excitement. He describes its effect as being "kind of along the same lines as the Crush bus, but it's a little bit different because Toms react differently." This plugin can add serious punch and life to transient material.

Dialing in the Punch: Using Presets and THD Mix Control

Instead of starting from scratch, Kris uses a preset he made called "Kick and Snare," which he often adapts for toms. The key to his VSM-3 use on toms lies in the THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) mix controls for the low and high bands. He started with these around 30% and pushed them up to 50% to get the desired effect. This blends in the saturation, making the toms sound significantly more lively and punchy.

The Power of Perceived Loudness

This is a golden nugget of mixing wisdom: the VSM-3 made the toms sound much louder and more exciting, even when the actual peak volume levels were very similar. Kris emphasizes the importance of achieving perceived loudness without just cranking faders or slamming limiters. If you can make elements feel louder and more forward while keeping their actual levels in check, you create more headroom for a louder, more impactful overall mix. This approach helps avoid a muddy mix where everything is technically loud but lacks clarity and punch. Getting this right is a cornerstone of powerful drum sounds, and tools like saturation play a big role alongside effective metal compression techniques.

Consistency is Key: Applying and Tweaking

Once a great sound is dialed in on one tom, the next step is to apply it consistently, while still allowing for individual tweaks.

Copying Settings Across Toms

Kris copies the VSM-3 settings across all three toms to see if the same magic works universally. Often, a good starting point on one tom will translate well to others, providing a cohesive sound.

Checking in Different Song Sections

Crucially, Kris doesn't just loop one tom fill. He makes sure to listen to the toms in various parts of the song. Why? Because "these aren't samples. Every hit is a little different." Drummers play with dynamics and intensity, and a setting that sounds perfect on one hit might need adjustment for another. He even uses the "tab to transient" function to quickly jump between tom hits in the track to ensure consistency.

Get Those Dance Gavin Dance Drums in Your Mixes!

Kris Crummett’s approach to mixing Dance Gavin Dance toms is a masterclass in effective, no-nonsense techniques:

  • Start Clean: Edit out that bleed!
  • Pan Realistically: Think drummer's perspective.
  • EQ with Purpose: Cut the harshness, boost the body and attack. Our EQ hub page has more on this.
  • Add Character with Saturation: Use tools like the Vertigo VSM-3 to enhance snap and perceived loudness.
  • Listen Critically: Always check your moves in different sections of the song.

These are killer starting points you can apply to your own drum mixes right now. But imagine watching Kris Crummett actually dial in these settings, explaining every decision live as he works with the actual Dance Gavin Dance multitracks.

That’s exactly what you get with Nail The Mix. Every month, we bring you A-list producers who mix songs from scratch, using the original multitracks from bands like Dance Gavin Dance. You get to see their complete workflow, learn their philosophies, and ask questions live. If you're serious about taking your metal mixes to the next level, this is where you see how the pros do it.

Ready to transform your drum sounds and more?