Problems mixing drums

[penrithrdstudio]

Hi people, hoping someone can help me with this.
I'm mixing a track in Tracktion Waveform 11, and trying to use parallel compression on the drums. I have the various elements of the kit panned across the stereo image, but when I send them to the compressor buss everything sounds like it's in mono. Am I doing something wrong, or are the aux busses in Waveform mono only?

Thanks in advance

Rob

[runamuck]

Is the compressor set up in stereo?

[RodB]

I regularly use an aux bus in Waveform 11 without this occurring. Your Aux Bus should reproduce the stereo, and this should be able to be noticeable viewing the level meters in the aux bus, as well as from monitoring the audio.

Apart from the compression effect / add-on taking you to mono as 'runamuck' mentions, are there any other effects in the chain that might be?

[DupleMeter]

I'm not familiar with Waveform 11, but a couple things to check:

• make sure the aux is stereo (both input & output)
• make sure you are sending a stereo signal to the aux
• make sure you are not collapsing a stereo signal with a mono plugin

There is also the possibility that your parallel compression bus is overtaking your main sound...and the compressor is going to react mostly to the low end...and most of that is mono. Are you sending everything to the parallel compression or are you doing a pseudo NY Drums thing with just kick, snare & toms?

In general, compression on drums can get you into trouble fast if you're not careful & get your setting right.

HTH

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by penrithrdstudio

Hi people, hoping someone can help me with this.
I'm mixing a track in Tracktion Waveform 11, and trying to use parallel compression on the drums. I have the various elements of the kit panned across the stereo image, but when I send them to the compressor buss everything sounds like it's in mono. Am I doing something wrong, or are the aux busses in Waveform mono only?

Thanks in advance

Rob

I don't use Waveform but I would guess the Aux tracks can be either mono or stereo

In Protools when you create an Aux track you can choose for it to be either mono or stereo format and then when you add an FX it will be mono or stereo according to the track format (is that not the case in Waveform ?)

Question are your drums all on one single stereo track, or on multiple mono tracks per drum instrument , i.e. Kick on one track, Snare on one track, etc. ?