Parallel tricks
Parallel processing is a superb way of adding extra tone and grit to your mixes without overly colouring the sound directly. For example, if you’re looking to infuse an 808 bass drum with some midrange crunch, add a distortion to a return track with a band-pass filter after it, then send your bass drum to it before mixing the effect in to taste. Using processing of this kind on a return track is more controllable than treating the sound directly, especially if you print the return to audio for further edits once you’re happy with how it sounds.