Here's the standard mix I do:

Starting with drums (mixed audience perspective, for drummer's perspective, pan opposite direction).

Kick - Center
Snare - 10% Right
Hat - 20% Right
Tom 1 - 50% Right
Tom 2 - Middle
Tom 3 (Floor) 50% Left
OHL - Hard Left
OHR - Hard Right
Bass - Center
Rhythm Gtr 1 - 50 to 100% Left
Rhy Gtr 2 - Same as above, opposit direction.
Lead - A few notches left or right.
Vox - Center

That sounds like a great starting point...thanks!!!

In other words make it sound as though you are in front of the band that's on stage. Good concept, especially for my music.

What about EQ on each side, should they be different? It seems that's what I have heard, even though it done as you say one side seems mid scooped and the other high and low end attenuated.

bent wrote: Here's the standard mix I do:

Starting with drums (mixed audience perspective, for drummer's perspective, pan opposite direction).

Kick - Center
Snare - 10% Right
Hat - 20% Right
Tom 1 - 50% Right
Tom 2 - Middle
Tom 3 (Floor) 50% Left
OHL - Hard Left
OHR - Hard Right
Bass - Center
Rhythm Gtr 1 - 50 to 100% Left
Rhy Gtr 2 - Same as above, opposit direction.
Lead - A few notches left or right.
Vox - Center

Just out of curiousity... if you were using an electro set.. can you still edit certain toms and snare separately? Isn't it just one output from the brain??

P.S. I didn't think it was too off topic, but the EQ post above made me wonder.. :)

hi bigdaddybluesman! I have for about the past 24 years, after I began working in television, I began mixing more as how they appeared onscreen. You have to for television stereo since if you were to mix drums from the drummer's perspective, it would all be backwards from the audience perspective. So, nearly identical to what bent is describing. I know a lot of us used to mix from the drummer's perspective years ago to literally put you into the band whilst listening.

But one of the things I frequently do is start pushing my drum mix up in mono. I'll get a nice sound and balance first in mono and then begin the stereo spreading process. From that point, I'll then add my dynamics processing, EQ then followed by whatever kinds of reverb/ambience to place the drum sound into an "artificial room", digitally created/faked, if the actual room offers no acoustic benefit.

I'll then start pushing up the bass guitar and then start adding my fun 4 button mash on the 1176. Once I have the bass guitar rocking with the drums, it's time to tackle the lead vocal. More compression and EQ if EQ is desired. I'll then push up the rest of the rhythm section of guitars both lead and rhythm, keyboards and any other ancillary percussion. From this point, you will have a better feel for what's going on with the mix. Then to start making things sit properly, you may have to start tweaking some EQ and/or more dynamics processing.

If you are having problems with certain raucous instruments blaring out, it's time to start reaching for those limiters/limiter plug-ins. This can also pertain to the lead vocal.

When all is said and done, you should have a product with plenty of big round punch and smack with a crystal-clear vocal that rides front and center, in your face.

The rest is just the nuance changes and enhancements you feel might further engage the listener with additional delays and ambient effects to create an acoustic space and performance on many of the other instruments. Keep tweaking things until you begin to jump up and down and screaming at the top of your lungs " THIS SOUNDS GREAT! DAMN THIS SOUNDS GREAT!"

This means tonight is kind of special. The beer you pour must say something more. Let it be Lowenbrau.
Ms. Remy Ann David

By the way, did you get those pictures I sent you?

if you were using an electro set..

If you are taking the stereo outs into two tracks, the answer is... kinda...(very, very tedious work).

If the drum brain has separate outputs (most that I've seen do) then you want to take as many separate tracks as possible - some may have to be submixed (i.e., all cymbals mixed and panned to outputs 7 and 8, all toms to 5 & 6)...

What about EQ on each side, should they be different?

I imagine that would feel pretty lopsided.

No, I mean, as Remy said, starting with the overheads (the drums are the glue that binds) I try to make them sound as even as possible via gain and eq, and try to create the backbone for the song with them before I ever unmute the other 'dedicated instrument' tracks. If the overheads sound great, then those other tracks become the little extras - an extra punch in the mix, ya know?

Yes I did, I sent you an email Remy, never heard back. That's OK, I figured you are a busy person. I just sit around all day taking pain killers..:roll: believe me, this is a day I need them.

I do not have real drums, I have a Roland hand pad(the expensive one) and Yamaha DD-55. I have experimented with them through speakers and have been able to get close to real drum sounds. It's amazing what EQ and compression can do......I also have an Apex 204 I'm going to try and get those fake drums as real as possible. So I will be doing it one track at a time and a lot of experimenting.

My neighbors thought I had real drums..he he he....they all know me and don't complain when I turn it up, they actually like it, even the old ladies.

That means figuring out all the drum beats part by part and just doing one or two tracks at a time. I don't really want virtuoso drums, my music doesn't warrant it. Just solid roots basic blues/rock drumming. No Bonham, just plain old solid time keeping with some basic fills and interesting beats. It's were you put it not what you play.

In fact everything but the vocals will be direct.

The first stuff will probably be lead guitar, bass, rhythm and maybe a slide guitar or Steve Cropper type rhythm which is a little different than your basic Chuck Berry, Keith Richards stuff.

I have to find a place that host recordings so that you can all tell me how much I suck.... :lol:

Soundclick, quick and easy registration.
Easy to upload your tracks!