Oceano’s Crushing Drums: Buster Odeholm on Phase Alignment

Getting your drums to absolutely slam in a metal mix isn’t just about killer samples and hard hits; it’s about making sure every piece of that kit works together. One of the biggest culprits for weak, thin, or just plain ‘weird’ sounding drums? Phase issues. Get it wrong, and your kick and snare can turn into a muddy mess or lose all their punch. Get it right, and you’ve got a rock-solid foundation. In a recent session, mixing guru Buster Odeholm (Humanity’s Last Breath, Vildhjarta) walked through his meticulous process for phase aligning the monstrous drums for deathcore titans Oceano. Let’s dive into how he tames the phase beast for a powerful, cohesive drum sound.

Why Phase Alignment is Non-Negotiable for Metal Drums

In modern metal, drum sounds are often built from multiple layers – a close mic, overheads, room mics, and a plethora of samples for the kick, snare, and toms. Each of these sources captures the sound at a slightly different time, and their waveforms can either reinforce each other (good!) or cancel each other out (very bad!). When waveforms cancel, you lose low-end, punch, and clarity. While you can try to eyeball waveforms, your ears are the ultimate judge. Buster Odeholm’s approach with the Oceano drums shows that even when the usual low-end cues are tricky, there are pro methods to get it right.

Buster’s Ear-Training Secrets for Nailing Drum Phase

Beyond the Bass: Finding Phase in the Mids

Typically, when you’re phase aligning, say, a kick drum sample with an overhead mic, you’re often listening for the fullest low-end around the 200Hz mark. But what happens when your individual drum tracks have already been processed, and that low-end information isn’t as prominent on a specific track you’re trying to align? Buster ran into this exact scenario with the Oceano drums.

His solution? Focus on the mid-range. He identified a key frequency in one drum element (like a snare top) that was getting audibly cancelled out when combined with another (like the kick). To fix this, he’d introduce a simple time-adjusting plugin or delay (many DAWs have a basic one built-in, or you can use dedicated tools like Sound Radix Auto-Align, though Buster focuses on using his ear) on one of the tracks. By subtly nudging the timing with the delay, he listened intently until that specific mid-range frequency returned to the combined signal. The reappearance of that frequency, loud and clear, was his cue that those elements were now playing nice and in phase. This is a killer technique when the usual low-end rumble isn’t giving you enough to go on. Proper phase here means you’ll need less corrective work with your EQ strategies for mixing modern metal later on.

Giving Snares Width BEFORE You Align

Another pearl from Buster’s Oceano session involved treating a one-shot snare sample that initially sounded a bit too mono for his taste. Before even thinking about phase aligning it with other snare components, he first focused on its stereo image. To achieve a wider sound, he applied a substantial boost specifically to the side information of the signal, leaving the mono (mid) component untouched. This can be achieved with a mid-side EQ (like FabFilter Pro-Q 3 or similar) by boosting the ‘side’ channel, or with a dedicated stereo imager plugin.

Why do this first? Because the character of the sound you’re aligning matters. By making it wide before aligning, he ensured that this wider, more spacious snare element would integrate correctly with the main snare, adding depth and dimension rather than just another centered hit. Once widened, he then proceeded to phase align it with the primary snare, focusing on how it added to the overall depth without cluttering the main impact.

The “Satisfying Attack” Test for Layered Samples

When it comes to blending multiple drum samples, especially snares from different libraries with varying tunings and mic placements (like the classic ‘dong’ snare he incorporated for Oceano), Buster relies heavily on what he calls the “satisfying attack” test. This is less about looking at waveforms and more about pure listening.

If a sample layer sounded ‘off’ or ‘thin’ when combined, he’d meticulously nudge its timing—often by mere milliseconds or even sub-milliseconds—forwards or backwards relative to the main sample. He’d listen for that sweet spot where the combined sound became fuller, punchier, and felt “more like a unit, more glued together.” If moving the sample one way made the sound thinner, he’d try the other. Sometimes, a simple polarity flip (often labeled as a ‘phase invert’ button on console channels or plugins) on one of the samples can make all the difference, so always try that too! It’s this attention to detail that separates an okay drum mix from a truly punishing one. Drums that are perfectly in phase will also respond much more predictably and powerfully to dynamic treatments, like those discussed in our metal compression secrets beyond just making it loud guide.

Your Roadmap to Phase-Perfect Drums

So, what can you take away from Buster Odeholm’s approach to the Oceano drums?

• Trust Your Ears Over Your Eyes: Waveforms can be deceiving. The ultimate test is how it sounds.
• Listen Critically in Context: Don’t just solo. Hear how elements interact. If a frequency disappears when combined, investigate.
• Nudge and Flip: Tiny timing adjustments (nudges) and polarity flips are your best friends for phase.
• Target Specific Frequencies: If the low-end isn’t telling you the whole story, focus on mid-range clarity like Buster did.
• Process with Intent: If a sample needs widening or other character changes, consider doing it before final phase alignment to align the intended sound.
• Aim for Cohesion: The goal is for all your drum elements to sound like one cohesive, powerful instrument, not a jumble of disparate sounds. This is especially true when working with samples from different developers, recorded in different rooms, with different gear.

Mastering drum phase alignment, especially with complex layers like those in Oceano’s music, is a skill that takes practice and keen listening. But hearing how a top-tier producer like Buster Odeholm tackles it in a real-world mix can massively accelerate your learning curve.

Want to see exactly how Buster meticulously phase-aligned every drum hit, shaped those tones, and brought the entire monstrous Oceano mix to life? You can watch Buster’s complete mixing session, get your hands on the actual multi-tracks from Oceano’s track ‘WAKES OF THE ATLANTIC’, and mix it yourself by joining us for this exclusive session at Nail The Mix.

At Nail The Mix, we don’t just talk theory; we show you how it’s done. Every month, you get to learn directly from the producers behind iconic metal albums, working with their original session files. If you’re ready to elevate your productions from just ‘good’ to ‘release-ready,’ and unlock your sound mixing modern metal beyond presets, then seeing pros like Buster dissect their methods is invaluable. Don’t miss out on the Oceano session with Buster Odeholm – it’s packed with actionable techniques you can apply to your own mixes today.