Advice on Drum Loops and Samples

[ColdToTheTouch]

right now im using FL Studio to do my drum tracks, seeing as how Im working on a solo project and i dont have a kit, nor can I play the skins the way I need the tracks to be.. Im working on a metal album..Im pretty good at fl studio.. I was just wondering if anyone had any tips about using the effects.. Ive been reading alot about mixing drums, but it gets so confusing for me.. when I compress te snare or cymbals.. it honestly doesnt seem any different. I dont really know what I want to ask...HELP.. lol

 

[The Cancers]

http://product.half.ebay.com/Mixing-Audio_W0QQtgZinfoQQprZ62283157

That one helped me out immensely, but do a google search, or a search at the website of your favorite bookseller, there are hundreds of books out there (ranging in depth of coverage and expected interest and skill level of the reader) and, when you don't even know what question you want answered, the chances are you need a stronger grasp on the core concepts.
And if you can't be bothered to read a book, then you won't get an answer here or anywhere that will lead to you making better music.

 

[mcmetal]

What drum loops are you using? I use Beta Monkey drum loops and from my experience so far,i havn't done much to them.The Beta loops are already pre-mixed and the fills are already panned out so it's just a matter of getting a proper level for the song.

You can also try using some automated mixing if you need to raise or lower the level at some points or you can use another track to accent certain spots that need more attention.

I've only mixed one complete song with them so far & i'm learning as i go.So far i tried adding slight compression but it didn't really do anything but raise the volume.I can do that without adding compression so i decided against it.

I tried a slight bit of reverb but you gotta be careful with it.What may sound fine on one beat may be too much on another.Like going from a loop with a snare and kick to a loop with a ride or a fill with a crash.

Depending on the loops you're using maybe some parametric eq.I know i tried applying parametric eq but i can't remember if i kept that one or not.Like i said most loops are pre-mixed so anything you do is gonna affect the sound of everything that's contained in the loop.

 

[floorpuncher]

Beta Monkey Double Bass Mania is a decent library for metal but as mcmetal said, it's already mixed. This means you can't adjust your kick or toms or any of that jazz. This may not be important ecspecially if you like the stock sound that BM has but...

If you want to program good sounding drums, that can be tweaked there are a number of programs out there for that... Toontracks Drumkit From Hell or Superior Drummer, and Addictive Drums are a few really solid programs that fit the bill for metal and they can be tweaked to get the sound you want out of them.

I've used the Beta Monkey library and it is limiting at best... I play Death Metal (Suffocation, Deicide, Bloodbath, etc) and currently use Drumkit From Hell with great results.