Where to Mix Snare?
Low Cut up to Just Below the Thump of the Snare to Clean the Mud. You'll See a Bump at the Lower End of the Snare on the Frequency Spectrum, This Is the Body...
Low cut up to just below the thump of the snare to clean the mud. You'll see a bump at the lower end of the snare on the frequency spectrum, this is the body of the snare. In my example below it's at 200Hz. Listen to the snare in the context of the whole mix and cut or boost it to sit perfectly in your mix.
How loud should the snare be in the mix?
Drums. Start by setting the snare fader at 0 dB and bringing the rest of the drum mix in around it. The snare is the foundation of the backbeat, and typically one of the loudest elements in the mix.
How do you compress a kick and snare?
If you want the kick and snare to feel like they're in your face, aim for 3-6dB of gain reduction. With this much compression, you really start hearing your compressor working and its attack, release, and ratio settings become very important.
Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.
