How to Mix Professional Drums on the Behringer X32 | Midas M32

Getting the drum mix right in a live worship setting can make or break the energy of a service. The Behringer X32 (and Midas M32) gives you powerful tools to shape the sound, but knowing how to use them effectively is key. In this guide, I’ll walk through how I mix worship drums on the X32, covering EQ, compression, gating, and effects.

This method applies to both live sound and livestream mixes, and I’ll also address a common delay compensation issue with the X32 effects rack—and how to fix it.

Let’s dive in.

Setting Up the Drum Mix on the X32

Drum Bus Routing

The first step is routing. Instead of sending each drum mic directly to the main mix, I route them to a stereo drum bus (Bus 5 & 6).

• Why use a drum bus?
  • It allows you to process all drum mics together for a more cohesive sound.
  • You can apply compression and EQ to the entire drum kit.
  • It keeps your main mix cleaner and more organized.

To do this:

1. Assign each drum channel to Bus 5 & 6 (stereo linked).
2. Remove the individual drum channels from the Main LR mix so they only route through the bus.
3. Send the drum bus to the Main LR mix.

Kick Drum Processing

Kick In Mic (Sennheiser e901 or Similar)

A solid kick drum sound starts with EQ, compression, and gating. Here’s what I do:

EQ:

• Low-cut filter: Remove unwanted rumble below 50Hz.
• Boost: Around 52Hz for added weight.
• High-shelf: Add clarity above 8kHz.
• Cut: Remove muddy frequencies in the 200–400Hz range.

Compression:

• Ratio: 4:1
• Attack: 13ms
• Release: 20ms
• Makeup Gain: 3dB

This keeps the kick punchy without sounding overcompressed.

Snare Drum Processing

Snare Top Mic

• High-pass filter: Around 100Hz to remove low-end rumble.
• EQ: Cut ringing frequencies and add top-end clarity around 8kHz.
• Compression: Moderate settings (4:1 ratio, 25ms attack).

Snare Bottom Mic

• Phase inverted to align with the top mic.
• High-pass filter: Set much higher (~200Hz) since we only want the sizzle.
• Boost high frequencies: Add brightness for a crisp snare snap.
• Gate settings: Fast attack and short release to control excess bleed.

Toms & Overheads

Toms

• Cut mud around 250Hz.
• Boost attack around 5kHz for presence.
• Use gates to control excessive bleed but avoid over-gating, which makes toms sound unnatural.

Overheads

• Low-cut filter: Roll off everything below 250Hz (you don’t need low-end from overheads in a live mix).
• Slight boost in highs to bring out cymbal clarity.
• Compression: Light compression to tame peaks.

Drum Reverb & Effects

In a live mix, I use two reverbs to enhance the drums:

1. Plate Reverb: For depth and sustain.

   • High-pass filter around 100Hz to keep the reverb from muddying up the low end.
   • Adds size without overwhelming the mix.

2. Gated Reverb:

   • Helps shape the attack of the snare and toms.
   • Controlled release time prevents the reverb from getting messy.

Using both reverbs together adds size while keeping the drum mix clean and controlled.

Final Mix & Bus Compression

To glue everything together, I apply light bus compression on the drum subgroup:

• Ratio: 2:1
• Slow attack & fast release to maintain dynamics.
• Compression amount: Only 2–3dB reduction to keep things natural.

This helps smooth out the overall drum sound without crushing it.

Final Thoughts

Dialing in a great drum mix on the Behringer X32 (or Midas M32) isn’t complicated—it’s all about getting the fundamentals right:

✔️ Start with good source tones.
✔️ Use subtractive EQ to remove problem frequencies.
✔️ Apply compression smartly to maintain consistency.
✔️ Use reverbs and bus compression to shape the mix.
✔️ Fix delay compensation issues by inserting an FX rack on both channels.

These techniques work for both live sound and livestream mixes. Try them out, and let me know how they improve your mix!