Mixing Dilemma!

[geraci89]

Hey all, I'm fairly new to recording and mixing, learning on my own. I like to think I've made decent progress when recording and mixing tracks, but a problem I just cant seem to get away from is having a present kick drum in a final mix!! Can anyone shed some light onto this subtle art of getting a good presence in the kick drum with all the instruments playing?
Thanks a bunch!

[Mart[1001]]

Sounds like you need to consider 'sidechain compression'. I've been messing with it all night incidently and am about to post a track that uses it in another thread.
Anyway...the idea or method behind it is...as the kick sounds, you route a signal from it to the sidechain of a compressor which then dips the sound of most or all of the tracks that are sounding at the same time of the kick, for the length of each kick. This way, the kick is heard each time above all of the other tracks.
Here's a thread from this forum on the subject:-
http://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=168161

...and here's a video tutorial on creating the effect in 'Reaper'
http://vimeo.com/3084166

Hope this helps...

Mart.

[Erockrazor]

The presence is in the beater the power from the bass. You can try automating the beaters eq when louder parts come in to keep it present in the mix.

[Raw-Tracks]

Post a bit of your mix that's having trouble. That way we can hear what the problem is and offer suggestions that will actually help. Without hearing what you are dealing with, all suggestions are just guesses.

[DrewPeterson7]

Originally Posted by Raw-Tracks

Post a bit of your mix that's having trouble. That way we can hear what the problem is and offer suggestions that will actually help. Without hearing what you are dealing with, all suggestions are just guesses.

+1, if nothing else because so much of the way to get a "good" kick sound is genre specific. I.e. - what works for a fast metal arrangement with low-tuned guitars and bass probably isn't going to sound right for a sparse blues/rock ballad.

[guitar486]

What rawtracks said is right on, but a common problem with the kick drum is competition with the bass guitar. Try eq'ing those instruments "equal but opposite" as in slghtly dip some freq's on the bass and boost the same freq's on the kick. This will give you good clear seperation between the two and make it easier for them to fit in the mix. Compression or simply turning up tracks usually not the end all solution to making something more present. You have to think about your mix as a massive sonic balancing act where you need to massage competing frequencies. Use eq and pan as a starting point for your mixes and only after that can you decide whether you need to use compression or not. Mixing is an art, not a predetermined series of button pushes.

[guitar486]

Hey, that's sig worthy! *goes to change signature*

[Ronan]

One of the key things is to make sure there is space for the kick in the mix. Look to see if you can clear away frequencies in other instruments to make room for the kick to cut through.