Get Vivid Drums Using Harmonic Saturation

Without proper processing, drums can sound dull and lifeless. Moreover, if the drums have emphasized high frequencies, they may sound entirely artificial. It's no secret that processing your drum sounds with proper "warm" saturation can enormously help, although some saturation effect units sound way better than others. Having this in mind, in the following tutorial, we will show you how to get vivid drums by using harmonic saturation.

As usual, we have previously made a short sequence in the SoundBridge: DAW, where the drum section will be the point of our interest. Let's start by listening to our sequence with the unprocessed drum section.

~Full Mix - Unprocessed Drum Section  

Group the Drums

As we can hear from the audio example, the drum section sounds okay, but it could sound a bit more fat and have some accent on the mid frequencies. We will start by grouping the Percussions and Hi-Hats channels for easier control.

 

SPL Twin Tube

There are many options on the market regarding quality saturation effects, but for the sake of this tutorial, we have chosen the TwinTube designed by SPL. We will add a fresh instance to the newly created Drum Section group.  

The TwinTube module is the first combination of two essential tube effects in a single processor, that is, saturation effects along with harmonics processing. Both stages work separately and are based on individual processing stages. The results can, therefore, be applied not only individually or separately but also in common. In the original analog design, the saturation effects are generated through the tube being pushed to and beyond its normal operating limits.

In contrast to semiconductors, a tube thus pushed to such levels does not clip from a certain level, gradually approaching its level limits and producing its typical tonal result, which in audio signal processing can have such often profitable aural effects.  

The Interface

The TwinTube interface looks simple. But there is powerful processing hidden between those few knobs.  

Harmonics

Starting from the top part of the interface, we can see a "HARMONICS" control—the HARMONICS control results in an enrichment of the overtone range for a chosen fundamental tone. The tonal result is an intensification of the presence that produces a fresher, silky, and more brilliant aural image. Similarly, the signal's spatial qualities gain intensity. Below, there are two HARMONICS switches.

With the HARMONICS switches, you choose the frequency range of the fundamental tone area that should be processed with the HARMONICS control. What's more, there are four available frequency ranges. For space reasons, the frequency values are rounded for the front lettering.  

Saturation

Next, we can see a big knob representing the SATURATION control. The SATURATION control offers a wide range of effects intensity from subtle to brutal harmonic distortion. Aside from harmonic tube distortion, the accompanying tube limiting effect should also be considered.  

Storing the Adjustments

Lastly, you will notice the SETTINGS A, B, C, and D on the right side of the interface. The settings feature allows storing four different sets of adjustments (A, B, C, D). Much faster than the usual save and recall preset dialogues, the respective current setting is stored automatically when you switch to another setting – to remember previous settings with just one click.  

Practical Examples

After briefly introducing TwinTube and its central control parameters, let us discuss some practical examples. We will first listen to our unprocessed Drum Section group, then process it with TwinTube, and finally, we will discuss how the Drum Section is treated with TwinTube sounds in context with other mix elements.

~Drum Section Group - Unprocessed

~Drum Section Group - Processed with TwinTube

~Full Mix - Drum Section - Processed with TwinTube