On rock sessions I’m tempted to hit an API 2500 clone 2-3 dB on the drum bus while tracking into an Apollo to glue things early, but I worry about painting myself into a corner when I get to mix/master. Are you committing a bit of hardware vibe at record time or staying clean and doing it ITB later for recall, especially when the same rig pulls weekend live gigs too?
I’ll print a touch (1-2 dB) on the drum bus for vibe but always capture a clean safety in parallel so I’m not cornered at mix. On an API 2500-style I use 2:1, Thrust Medium, 10 ms attack, about 0.3 s release, HPF sidechain around 90 Hz, feeding a second Apollo pair via the patchbay for the comped print.
I’ll commit 1–2 dB on the drum bus and print a clean safety in parallel via Apollo virtuals — 2:1, Thrust Medium, about 10 ms attack, 0.3 s release, and level-match so it’s salt not sauce. @abigail_moo28 do you stick with Auto release for live crossover sessions?