Category Archives: Artists in Residence

Most every mixing engineer that I’ve ever spoken to about recording techniques always begin their answers like this: “There are no fast and hard rules…”

The point here is that it’s true. When it comes down to it, there are no rules when it comes to recording. There is certainly some great advice out there to get you in the right direction, but in the end all that matters is that the music SOUNDS good.

That being said: Today, I want to discuss panning drums. There are basically two perspectives that are most common when it comes to dialing in the drums mix: Continue reading →

When I record drum or percussion tracks for clients, 9 times out of 10 I’m sending the RAW wav files straight from Pro Tools. Of course, my goal is to always get the best sounds that I can possibly get in the studio and at the source. However, mixing and processing the drum kit is inevitable.

In general, mixing audio is a personal art form. Everything from the style of music to the instruments chosen will determine how the mixing session will go. Because the drums are typically recorded first, it makes sense to mix the drum tracks within the context of the remaining instruments later verses starting with a processed drum mix. Of course, there are no rules here. This is just what I have found to be the most effective way to work.

That being said, I get a lot of questions from clients asking for my advice on mixing the drum kit. My only goal when mixing drums is to attempt to highlight the sounds as I hear them in the studio. Meaning, my approach is simple:

Get rid of what’s not necessary and keep what is. I know, really deep stuff right? Continue reading →