You’ve got a balanced drum mix that you’ve spent hours EQing and compressing to perfection. Every ghost note peeks through, every kick punches you in the gut, and there’s a nice, glossy sheen on your overheads making the cymbals shine. But then you toggle back to your full mix and realize that despite your efforts, something is still missing. Maybe it’s time for saturation to step in.
Sometimes we get so dug into the mixes we work on that it’s hard to tell what’s good and bad. So how do you go about gauging your drum mix on the spot without waiting for your ears to reset or running off to listen in the car?