FXpansion BFD Premium Acoustic Drum Module Mixing with BFD - Manual (Page 5)

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Mixing with BFD www.fxpansion.com
1:2. Originality and creativity
It’s important to realise that drum production is something of a ‘dark art’, and people
who are good at it, such as the guys who mixed your favourite records, have spent many
years acquiring the knowledge and the skills to do it well. It is a creative process, and as
dependent on experience and practice as any other creative process. Acquiring good
engineering and mixing skills can take years and benefits from fresh ideas and creativity,
just like playing an instrument or writing songs.
It’s impossible for us to give a definitive guide to mixing drums for every possible situation,
but the following guidelines on programming and processing techniques should get
you started. Even so, always remember that there are no rules, and that your ears and
your creativity are your most valuable tools. You will notice that we repeat this sentiment
frequently during the course of this guide, and there is a very good reason for this:
originality is of the utmost importance! It’s trivial to copy a formulaic process for getting
‘a sound’. There is much more value in bringing something new to the table. Therefore,
study these techniques to add to your skills and capabilities, but don’t dogmatically stick
to them or use them as a formula!