Since I just dropped a drum kit, I thought I'd give you an update on whats been on my drum bus recently
I've mentioned which plugins are my favorites for each task, but you can use whichever plugins you have at your disposal. The important thing is why each plugin is applied at each stage!
Don't forget to gainstage inbetween each plugin so you know if your drums sound better!
1. (optional reverb) I usually start by adding a little bit of room reverb to all my drums. I do this with a send so I can give each sound its own dimension, but it also works well just adding a small amount of reverb to the bus. Applying one reverb to all your drums does a great job of helping them sound cohesive
I use IKMultimedia's Sunset Sound Studio Reverb, which sounds amazing on drums, but your favorite short reverb will do great. Be sure to cut some of the lows from your reverb signal so it doesn't get muddy
2. (squash compression) this first compressor is intended to bring cohesion by squashing everything together when your highest peaks hit. For this I use Fabfilter Pro-C
You'll want a fast attack/fast release, and to set your threshold so its catching the highest peaks (usually the kick, and the very top of the snare). Then dial in your ratio until you're getting some subtle gain reduction (I aim for -1db of reduction, but you could take it further if you wanted to)
3. (groove compression) this next compressor brings more unity/cohesion to your drums by getting them to groove together. For this one, you need an internal sidechain in your compressor that lets you cut the lows. I use Fabfilter Pro-C for this as well
Start by turning on the internal sidechain, and highpassing around 300hz - we're aiming to "turn our kick down" in the sidechain so it's more in line with the rest of the elements
Next start with a high ratio and drop your threshold until you're getting lots of reduction (like -10db). Dial in your slow attack/medium release times. You want to hear your transients punching through nicely with the attack, with the release grooving with your drums (try using auto-release if you can)
Finally, drop your ratio to 0, and then slowly push it up until you're getting the sound you're looking for (i tend to aim for -1--2db gain reduction)
4. (thickener waveshaper) I like to use MWaveshaper to add some "inflation" to my drums. This brings out some of the details, whilst also increasing the perceived loudness in the really easy way
I use curve mode 1 and just boost curve up a bit, then reduce the output gain to match the input. You'll be able to hear how saucy this step is when you A-B the plugin!
5. (clip and limit) This is technically 2 stages but I do it in 1 plugin so we're calling it 1 step
I use Arturia BUS Peak for this, and honestly I was blown away by how good this plugin is for this job, but you don't need it
In this stage we're clipping the very top peaks, just before limiting them. I aim for -1--2db across both stages, which give you a nice amount of extra headroom from your drums
This is the only part of the chain I don't gainstage because usually the drums will be peaking lower, but sound better in the mix - which means more headroom, for louder master!