Decisions, decisions…
Though there are infinite ways to shape a mix later down the line, making the right decisions early on in the process will help define the sound of both your drums and your production as a whole.
For example, if you want your beats to hit hard and dominate the mix, the other track elements must be selected and shaped with that agenda in mind – after all, not every single part of a track can be massive. In this situation, make room for the drums by notching the fundamental frequency of your main drum hits from the other track parts; EQ, sidechain compression and manual level automation are all valuable ‘pocketing’ tricks that can be used to momentarily tilt the listener’s ear towards those hard-hitting beats.
Similarly, if you’re more into synths, chords, melodies and vocals rather than slamming drums, then take a different approach and allow melodic parts to take centre stage. In this scenario, minimising the space your drums take up in the mix while still giving them personality and flavour is crucial. If your track has a big, bold lead vocal, you might find that softening the drums between 2-6kHz will give your overall mix more clarity, and the vocal itself more room to breathe.
Stereo width is another important consideration, as super-wide drums will detract from any panned instruments or stereo synths. In this case, we recommend reining in the stereo content of your beats if you want other instruments to fill out the sides effectively. Pan positioning or mid/side EQ can be used to control your stereo image more precisely – to, say, remove excess low frequencies from the side signal, or add treble stereo sheen.