My workflow is centered around one principle: it’s really hard to make a turd pleasant by polishing it. It’s really hard to fix bad sound in any console, and you need to really know what you’re doing to get good results. It’s much easier (and more fun) to enhance good sound with a console.
1. My workflow ALWAYS starts with microphone (or d.i box) selection.
2. When a mic has been selected positioning the mic properly is crucial. (For singers mic technique is also important) for electronic drums, make sure they sound good coming into the mixer. If it’s only a stereo input, you’ll be somewhat limited in what you can do with them in the console.
3. Set gain so you get a good, strong signal without clipping and feeding back.
These three should get you to at least 95% of the sound you want (given that the PA is in good shape)
4. After this set high pass filter if it feels too muddy in the low
5. Eq
6. Compression (on vocals I usually do between 1:2 -1:3 ratios, fairly standard attack and release times, there is a great video on compression Here , it’s recorded in Logic Pro but you’ll find the same parameters in the sq compressors)
7. Add Reverb and delay
No compression, eq or fx plugins are going to consistently shape your sound like you want it unless the three first points are done properly.
