Quote Originally Posted by mjbphotos View Post
Yup, me too. the stock panning and levels are seldom what is needed for YOUR mix. A lot depends, of course, on whether the MIDI track has been modified from the stock loops - on some, the hits can be way too loud (or soft). Note that a loud snare hit is going to be louder in the overhead, too, with no way to tame it separately from the cymbals if you are just working with the WAVS. In other words, make sure the person creating the drum pattern does it right!
^^This...

I'm forever tweaking drum velocities in the VSTi when something pokes out rather than trying to contain it any other way... I'll raise volumes for entire sections in the DAW but not individual hits.... so if there's something that's too loud or too soft, go back to your friend and tell him to fix it and send you new files rather than spend hours trying to compress or volume automate it into line... especially if it's something that features in overheads...