what came first-the chicken or the egg?

[oulablank]

Hello,
I know they're are no solid "rules" when it comes to inserts but since I'm still new to the mixing process I'm tying to get a general consensus on which I should use first when mixing drums-eq or compression. I'm getting different answers and I would like to know what some fellow pro tools users do. Keep in mind that I'm still learning fundamentals so I'm looking for tips on how some of you experts out there started your chain before you became more advanced and started screwing around. I understand that a different order will yield different results so which one is better to start with to get a better understanding of the relationship or sound?

[msg6794]

i think about this in terms of signal flow. (and really, if you think about things this way, a lot of stuff will make more sense in PT.) consider the audio signal flowing through these "processes" in order. do you want to EQ a compressed drum sound or compress an EQ'd drum sound? i usually choose to shape the sound that is going into the compressor (i.e. EQ first). for example, by rolling off some of the extreme lows on a kick, the compressor doesn't have to work harder on frequencies that aren't really useful, and those "mushy" frequencies aren't brought out by the compressor from "within" the original signal. this lets the more useful frequencies be clearer. so, use EQ to generally shape the sound you want, and then run that through the compressor to control the dynamic range. ymmv. in the end, if it sounds good, do it.

[M.Brane]

To expand on this a bit..........

I think of it this way: is the problem with the track caused by uneven frequency response or uneven dynamics? You attack the big problems first, and then any side effects of the first treatment. If you work on the skill of fader-riding you may find that don't need any inserts at all.

PTLE is a great place to learn fader-riding since if you screw it up you simply re-write it or tweak it to taste.

The again you may want to EQ or squash something strictly for the sonic effect that it provides. That is fine, but don't do it out of pure laziness.

[oulablank]

thanks for some feedback.

[gwiz31]

The CHICKEN!!!