Get the rhythm section down first - metal drums and bass

Hey everyone, welcome back! Today, we’re diving into a track breakdown for Crowned’s new song, Idolized Self. We recently dropped the track, featuring guest vocals from McCall Key of Maeywn, and I wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the rhythm section—specifically, how we approached the drums and bass to give the track that gritty, live feel Crowned is known for.

Follow along with this video!

The Gritty Sound of Crowned

If you’ve ever seen Crowned live, you know that our performances are high-energy, chaotic, and loud. For this recording, we didn’t want a polished, overly perfect metalcore sound. Instead, we leaned into the grit and dirt to capture the raw energy of a live show. This was about keeping things real, aggressive, and unfiltered while still maintaining the technical precision needed for the metal genre.

Drums: Creating a Dirty, Live Feel

The drums in this track are a massive part of what gives Idolized Self its driving force. We wanted a sound that’s big and gritty, with a lot of character. I recorded everything in Ableton Live, and because my computer is on its last legs, I had to freeze a lot of the tracks to avoid overloading the system.

I used GetGood Drums’ Modern and Massive kit for this track, which provided a great raw starting point. From there, I did a lot of processing to really make the drums slam.

Kick Drum

The kick drum needed to have that signature metal thump while staying gritty. Here’s a quick breakdown of the processing:

• Compression: I used an SLA 76 stereo compressor with a 2:1 ratio to give the kick some snap and body.

• EQ: I dialed out some of the boominess around the 125-250Hz range, added a shelf boost around 7kHz, and cleaned up the low end. This gave the kick a tight, punchy feel without getting muddy.

• Reverb: For that gritty, live feel, I added a unique twist—individual reverb on the kick. I also bused the kick to a Valhalla Supermassive reverb on a dirty snare preset to add more atmosphere.

The result? A kick drum that cuts through the mix with authority but still feels raw and live.

Snare and Toms

The snare was processed with the same care as the kick. I added a lot of reverb to the snare to give it a huge, booming sound, but kept it balanced enough not to wash out the track. The Valhalla Supermassive reverb added even more tone and character.

For the toms, I kept things simple. After some EQ to cut out the muddiness, the toms were grouped together and processed as a bus. This saves time and makes it easier to keep them sounding consistent across the track.

Overheads and Room Mics

I didn’t spend too much time on the overheads and room mics, opting for some basic EQ moves to cut the low end and clean things up. The key was keeping the cymbals clear without overwhelming the rest of the drums.

The Drum Bus

After getting the individual drums dialed in, I grouped everything together into a drum bus and hit it with some compression. The compression helped glue the drums together, giving the track its cohesive, driving feel. It really brought the drums to life, adding that final layer of energy needed for a track like Idolized Self.

Bass: The Secret Weapon of Metal

In metal, drums and bass are the backbone of the entire mix. They set the foundation for everything else, and if the bass isn’t locked in, the whole mix can fall apart.

For this track, I split the bass signal into two channels: low-end DI and overdriven distortion. The low-end DI provided the punch and clarity, while the overdriven track added grit and texture.

Processing the Bass

• Low-End DI: This channel was kept pretty clean, with some compression and EQ to control the low end and ensure the bass sat right in the mix.

• Distorted Bass: Here’s where the magic happened. I ran the distorted bass through the Archetype Gojira plugin for some extra bite, then added compression to control the dynamics. The result was a thick, aggressive bass tone that carried the track’s energy.

Bringing It All Together

Once the bass and drums were processed, I brought them together in their respective buses. I added some final EQ and compression to tighten everything up and shave off any unnecessary low-end mud. The goal was to create a rhythm section that was powerful, gritty, and alive—exactly what Crowned is all about.

Wrapping Up

That’s it for this breakdown of Idolized Self. I hope you enjoyed seeing how we approached the drums and bass for this track. In the next video, we’ll dive into the guitars, vocals, and the mastering chain to complete the picture. Crowned is back, and we’re excited to share our new music with you.

If you liked this breakdown and want to see more, make sure to subscribe to the channel and hit the notification bell. We’ve got more content on the way, including full track breakdowns, production tips, and of course, new music.

Thanks for watching, and see you in the next video!