Rimshot percussion
04:35
One of the defining percussion elements is a tasty offbeat rimshot, positioned in the mix through the use of three EQ plugins. “As the intro progresses, we introduce some other percussive elements,” says Ian. “This is a rimshot. It’s got three different EQs on it: the first getting rid of the low end and pulling out harsher frequencies around 1 and 2kHz, and a bit of 5kHz. The same on the next one – it wasn’t quite enough just sitting in the mix there.”
Tom adds: “Sometimes we’ll find a sample that we like the sound of, but it has some harsh frequencies – or they sound harsh to our ears, anyway. So we’ll start pulling things out until we’re happy with how it sounds, and how it sits in the mix. Sometimes that can take more than one EQ plugin.”
Then they use a transient designer, says Ian, to soften attack. “And again, a Direction Mixer, just to pan it slightly and give more width.”