Denver Recording Studio

If you’re looking for a little more style in your hi-hat mix, here are a few things I like to try.

It should go without saying that the sound of your hi hats should be appropriate to the character of the song, but with that said, here are a few tricks I keep in mind…

Phasers and flangers are fun because they add color and dynamic to an otherwise consistent sound. Try using either or both on your hi-hat track with your “rate” settings slow and gradual for a building and releasing feel, or try a faster rate for a more pulsating and unstable sound.

Delays are also fun and add a sense of depth and thickness to your hats. Often times I will set two different delays at different rhythms and set them panned opposite. Turn either their wetness or send levels down low in the mix and you should have a bigger, more supported sound. This kind of thing is great to “lift” a chorus or give more style to a bridge. If the delay is too noticeable, try adding a low-wetness reverb before or after your delay to wash it out a bit.

Filters! As a good practice, you should filter out the low-end frequencies of your hihats. But for a more stylistic approach, try using a band-pass filter instead and look for the “sweet spot” of where the “right” frequencies poke out in the mix in a desired manner. I like Soundtoys’ Filter Freak for this kind of stuff.

Lastly, if you’re not looking for anything over the top but still want more spunky hi-hats, color your sound with equalization. I find amazing results when I just use a 6-10 band parametric eq and shape the sound within the mix.

Much like what a good haircut can do for a person, a good mix shapes the hi-hats in a new light and allows them to have their own identity among the other instruments… Yes, I’m aware that was quite a stretch… Just don’t be afraid to use your imagination.

- Mike with the Mic

CCM Recording Studios - Denver, CO

Broken Tongues Music.com