Memphis May Fire: Kellen McGregor’s Aggressive Tom Mix

Starting with Solid Samples: MIDI and SSD4

Kellen kicks things off by triggering his toms with MIDI, rather than relying solely on the raw audio. For this particular sound, he reached for the classic Steven Slate Drums 4 (SSD4). He’s not even loading the cymbals from the kit – just the kick, snare, and three toms (though only two toms are actively used in the fill examples).

Sample Choices and Tuning

The high tom is "Quick Tom 3" from SSD4, which Kellen pitches up significantly to get that bright, exaggerated pop. The floor tom is "Quick Tom 4," left at its original pitch, providing a contrasting depth. The goal here isn't necessarily to replace "fine" live toms, but to create something more exaggerated and punchy that truly cuts.

Layering Subtle Processing for Big Impact

This is where the magic really happens. Kellen applies a chain of plugins, each contributing a small but vital part to the final massive sound.

Gentle Saturation with Softube

First up is the Softube Saturation knob. Unlike its application on the snare (where it might be set to "high"), for the toms, it's used in the "Neutral" setting. This adds a subtle sparkle and character, a different flavor of saturation compared to other tools. Even a tiny bit makes a difference, adding a touch of top-end life.

Shaping Transients with Slate Digital

Next, the Slate Digital Transient Shaper comes into play, specifically using the "Pump" feature. The "Pump" setting cleverly ducks the body of the tom slightly, enhancing the attack and the late sustain. Kellen uses just a little bit of this to bring out the initial hit. He notes he doesn't usually mess with the "Speed" setting, leaving it at default, and assumes it clips at 0dBFS.

Surgical and Broad EQ Moves

EQ is crucial for fitting the toms into the mix. Kellen employs a multi-faceted approach using what appears to be FabFilter Pro-Q. For more on EQ strategies in metal, check out our EQ hub page.

Rounding and De-Slapping

A key move is to make the toms sound "rounder" by pulling out some of the "slap" – that overly pokey attack, often found in the 500Hz-1kHz region, which can make toms feel too aggressive in the wrong way.

Taming Resonance

He notches out a "weird resonance" a bit higher up (around 2kHz in one example), a common trouble spot in toms that can make them sound honky or ring unpleasantly.

Mid-Range Control

A general pull-down in the mid-range further cleans things up and helps the toms sit without cluttering other instruments.

Low-End Trickery

This is interesting. To enhance the low-end without boosting the fundamental directly (which can make it "too much note"), Kellen uses a steep high-pass filter (like 48dB/octave) set just below the desired low-frequency area. He mentions that the steeper the cut, the more it seems to boost what's right next to it, subtly enhancing the low end of the note in a rounder way. He’s also cutting out some of the ultra-low sub information that isn't needed, tightening up the bottom.

More Saturation with FabFilter Saturn

FabFilter Saturn makes another appearance, this time focused on adding drive to the high frequencies for that "high sparkle" and "air." This is a common technique to make elements cut through without harshness. On the floor tom, Saturn is also used to add some saturation to the low end, giving it "a little bit more note" and character, alongside the top-end smack. Kellen notes this multi-band saturation approach with Saturn on toms is pretty standard these days, a technique seen from many top mixers.

Additional Transient Shaping

Another instance of a transient shaper is used. This time, it’s adding a bit of attack to both the top and low end, while also pulling back some sustain to keep the toms tight and avoid them becoming "sloppier." This tightening is a form of dynamic control, and you can learn more about how compression and transient shaping work together on our Compression hub page.

Clipping for Aggression with JST Clip

Even though some previous plugins might be clipping, Kellen isn't shy about adding more with JST Clip. This is all about making the toms sound like they're being smacked hard – unapologetically aggressive and loud. He emphasizes the "why not clip it more?" philosophy for this style. The clipper makes them sound more "finished" and "beefy."

The Power of Subtle Details: Tom Room Tails

Kellen points out that many of these individual plugin moves are quite subtle. However, when stacked, they create a significant overall effect.

An important detail is how he manages the room sound from the samples. Since the SSD4 tom samples include their own room tone, and they are routed to the main drum bus, automating the tom level up would also bring up the room level. To control this and to match the vibe of the snare's room ring, he subtly processes the tail of the tom samples, particularly the room component. He uses a transient shaper to pull out some of the tail, safeguarding against the room becoming overwhelming if the toms are pushed up in the mix. This is a nuanced move, but it contributes to the overall cohesion and control, with the difference being most noticeable on the tail of the tom hits. This helps direct the listener's ear and defines the space.

Consistency Across Toms

The same general processing chain is applied to both the high tom ("Quick Tom 3") and the floor tom ("Quick Tom 4"), with minor tweaks to suit each drum.
For instance, on the floor tom:

• The initial transient shaping doesn't use the "Pump" feature.
• EQ involves similar "junk" removal, but with a small, perhaps less crucial, boost around 778Hz.
• He also carves out a "funny low stuff" or "weird ring" and again uses the high-pass filter trick near the fundamental.
• Saturn is used for both low-end note enhancement and top-end smack, without additional processing in the middle bands for that particular tom.

It All Adds Up to Sick Metalcore Drums

Kellen McGregor’s approach to Memphis May Fire’s toms isn't about one magic plugin. It’s a systematic application of sample choice, saturation, transient shaping, EQ, and clipping. Each step is relatively simple and often subtle, but together they build a tom sound that's bright, punchy, aggressive, and sits perfectly in a modern metalcore mix. He mentions that sometimes he'll even layer more MIDI-triggered samples from other libraries like GGD or Drumforge, but for this track, the SSD4 samples with this processing chain hit the sweet spot.

Want to learn how to apply these kinds of techniques to full songs and craft mixes that stand up to your favorite records? At Nail The Mix, we bring you into the studio with the world's best rock and metal producers every month. You get the raw multi-tracks and watch them mix the song from scratch, explaining every decision. It's the ultimate way to unlock your sound beyond presets and learn from the pros. Dive deeper into Kellen's Memphis May Fire mix right here: Memphis May Fire NTM Session.