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How to Mix Acoustic Drums: Parallel Compression & Phase Alignment

1. Phase Alignment: The Foundation of Heavy Drums

Invert phase on Snare Bottom and Kick Inside microphones! If phase is out of alignment, low-end drum punch cancels out and sounds thin.

2. Parallel Drum Bus Compression (New York Punch)

Send all drum tracks to a parallel stereo aux bus loaded with aggressive 10:1 ratio compression, then blend this smashed drum track softly under the clean drum mix for huge punch!

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