Depending on the feel .. I usually have a layered mono kick, as well as a stereo 808 hovering in the background. Snares and claps are usually mono with me, but I did experiment with Finger clicks in stereo and it sounds amazing. My Hats are usually stereo .. It all depends in my opinion .. like .. When I'm producing for a Dj I use a lot of stereo imaging, and L/R panning of things like precessions and hats .. But when I'm producing for Underground artists they like the drum sections mainly in Mono to create more of an authentic vinyl feel … It also depends on the kick itself. The golden rule is: One microphone was shoved into the kick drum, so, kicks should be in Mono … But that concept was bred when analog recording was the ONLY option .. You can do a lot to your drum sections with a lil' stereo imaging, some fattening plugins and such. With me though - I produce with a lot of synth, so, sometimes there's just TOO MUCH coming out of the Center with the synth, and bass, and a kick .. So I tend to stereo image kicks ..

Don't negate the possibility they may not know what they are doing.

It depends on the synth dynamic and the intended application.

You can control the volume of the sound over time as the timbre changes. For example, a sound that starts out as a high frequency and then goes down to a low frequency may have a different amplitude throughout this change. Compression will bring these high volume parts down to the low volume parts, ultimately allowing you to have the sound at a steady volume throughout the mix. This maintains the focus of the track as your attention isn't suddenly drawn to a quiet section (or vice versa) in a bassline or synth part.

When you understand what a compressor does, you can apply this to any situation. Whether it be a drum, bass guitar, a supersaw or your uncle's foley collection. You'll be able to assess the situation and apply your own discretion.

Me - "I compress my Boss everyday" lmao … Na, but really - 90% of these cats sharing tips don't know what they're talking about - Their mix goes to OTHER engineers who shape up the sound the label wants lol … The industry is funny. But yeah - I mainly use compression on drums, and every once in a while if I have a synth that changes dramatically but aside from that I stay away from compression. I am however about to compress these dishes into my dishwasher lmao ..

I typically do one of two things:
1. Before composing the beat, I think about what instruments I want to use, and through process of elimination and frequency knowledge try to take out instruments that will consistently battle for space, aka, frequency sharing … Or,
2. If I already composed the track without the elimination process, I just open up EQ's and carve out unwanted frequencies.

Hope this helps.

Thank you in advance for the listen .. All My links are featured on my official site at relative3rdz.com so make sure to check out the entire site for the entire catalog if you like this one!!
http://www.beatstars.com/beat/star-trippin-trap-wavy-397789

I listen mainly to my music. Different forms (cars, stereos, studios) and during different times, moods, and seasons