Mixing In Pro Tools - A Beginner's Guide

Now click the solo button and bring the snare into the mix. Sounds very loud, doesn't it? You'll definitely need a compressor on the snare. Go ahead and click on the insert box again, choose the compressor; this time, choose the "Basic Snare" preset. From there, experiment with moving the attack and release settings. If you're not liking the amount of bleed, go ahead and try adding a Gate to it.

The next track is a stereo drum overheads track. You can put a compressor on if you want, but I rarely do. Bring the overheads into the mix until you can hear the whole kit along with the kick & snare tracks. I usually keep the overheads fairly low in the mix; as a general rule, I bring them up only enough that you can clearly hear the cymbal crashes along with the high-hat and ride cymbals. Experiment and see what sounds best to your ears.

By now, you should have a good, solid drum sound. Now let's add in the bass guitar and see how the rhythm section sounds completed.