Drum and percussion tracks are among the most unforgiving ingredients in any mix. While a poorly recorded vocal or lead sound might survive on musical merits, poorly recorded drums are just bad drums, The track relies on them cutting through.

While they are important though, they're not as difficult to master as you might think – the only golden rule is not to pan the kick drum! If you're working with loops, a great way to take control of them is to split the individual elements and place each on its own channel, thus enabling you to change the level and sound of each one individually.

Lead sounds do what they say on the tin. Together with vocals they form the landmarks ot our track's skyline and are meant to stand out and be recognisable – so you should EQ, process and mix them accordingly. Be careful of effects that push them into the background, like chorus or

If vocals and leads are the skyscrapers of our sonic skyline, pads and stings are the supporting landscape. Where they are in the mix is up to you, but remember that with their long release limes and sustained notes, they will fill it up very quickly. Any bass in a pad will detract hugely from a dynamic and groovy bassline, so they're usually best served with bass cut. They also have a tendency to sound a little thin and reedy on their own, so apply layers and chorus – both of which will help them blend into the background.

We humans are talkative creatures and so are attuned to speech. Therefore, if your track features vocals, be prepared for the fact that people will want to hear them, and you need to make sure that they can, so the most important effect for vocals is compression. Compression smooths out dynamic differences inherent in most live vocal performances, allowing vocals to cut through a mix and really make their presence felt.