FXpansion BFD Premium Acoustic Drum Module Mixing with BFD User Manual
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Mixing with BFD
Using compression in this type of situation lets you even out any wild fluctuations in
levels. If you want to totally level something out, use zero attack and long release.
However, flattening dynamics in this way can be detrimental to the mix - only do things
like this if it’s absolutely necessary. Removing dynamics totally from a song will make it
flat-sounding and fatiguing to listen to. Learn how to use your compressor properly, so
that you can tame large dynamic fluctuations without squishing the life out of the music!
5. More tips on resolving mixing problems
Always remember that you can change the apparent brightness or low-end weight of a
song just by adjusting the levels of the instruments relative to each other, without going
anywhere near an EQ or compressor.
If you are finding that the drums are not bright enough, try bringing up the hihat and
overheads in the mix. It’s a good idea to filter out the low frequencies on these channels
so they don’t muddy the low-end mix.
Adding some subtle distortion, perhaps as an aux send and return, may help to push the
drums forward in the mix.
6. Panning, space and reverb
After you’ve got a rough mix in mono, you can start to introduce some space into the mix.
Pan the sounds to taste, but be sensible... extreme panning can sound over-the-top.
When it comes to reverb, approach the ambience in BFD in the same way as a reverb
unit. You can of course use a combination of BFD ambience and artificial reverb.
Don’t be anxious to get ‘everything in the same space’. Using convolution reverb on the
tracks simply won’t sound like a bunch of musicians playing together in one room. It’s
really not important to work towards this aim.
In any case, you don’t usually want to ‘hear’ the reverb too much... it’s much better for it to
be subtle and not intrusive.
It can be good to use a few reverbs in a song. Bright plates work well for snares, while
longer room verbs can be good for snares and toms.
Try to avoid adding reverb to sounds with lots of high frequency energy like hihats,
tambourines and shakers, as it will often end up sounding messy.
Mono reverbs can work very well in pin-pointing a sound in the mix if they are panned
with the sound, or even if panned oppsosite in the stereo field.
For a more modern sound, it may help to mix in ‘early reflections’ louder than the main
reverb tail.