Adam 'Nolly' Getgood shares his approach to parallel drum compression using the Slate FG-Stress plugin directly on the drum bus. He opts for a 20:1 ratio with a high-pass filter in the sidechain, allowing the compressor to focus on the midrange frequencies without the kick drum overly triggering the compression. This setup, inspired by Eric Valentine, uses a slow attack setting of 8 and a fast release of 2.5, achieving a punchy and exciting drum sound with a mix level around 32%.
Nolly complements the compression with EQ using the Slate FG-N and Custom Series Equalizer plugins. He applies boosts at 12kHz and 5.5kHz to add presence and aggression, while occasionally enhancing the low end at 60Hz if needed. This EQ strategy, which he previously applied to the entire instrument mix bus, is focused solely on the drums, contributing to a bigger and more defined drum sound.
By integrating these techniques, Nolly achieves a drum mix that is both weighty and aggressive, with a presence that stands out in the mix.