Part of Make Sense is Explode/Implode. Basic sense has been made of the composition’s physical structure, so it’s time to re-work the data for the purpose of a mix. Looped or composite audio must be sliced and split off to discrete tracks.
Once individual drums are stackable by type, it becomes much easier to spot rhythmic relationships and redundancies. Sonic layering is preserved while maximizing creative flexibility. Two kick drums can be fused in the stereo field’s center, alternately dropped out, panned rapidly off to each side, individually compressed or rhythmically altered without affecting their companion snares from the original two track recording. Submixing by like type allows all to be treated at once.
Except in cases of very minimal compositions, I tend to work with the drums as a break out session. Only rhythm and bass tracks are present in the file, and perhaps a guide bounce of everything else. This is easier on processor and quicker on saves. Ultimately I drop the drums back to stereo files, either as a whole or by category (all kicks, all snares, all hats, all things going whirr) and re-insert them in the main working file.
