Usually, out front is a combination of two things, firstly yes, you want to bring the drums up a bit in the mix, no other element should ever obscure them, and then secondly, dry them up a bit. Not too much reverb...

Psychologically, our ears equate reverb with distance, so to bring the drums forward, you want to lessen the overall drum reverb level...

The two of those will achieve the task. Now, as to whether your drums sound good when that is done to them... That's going to depend on how good they sound, and how well they are programmed But personally, just from listening to a LOT of user demos here, I'm ALL for bringing the drums forward a bit!

One aspect of the 'live drum' sound is is that, no matter HOW loud you get, your drummer ALWAYS keeps up with you... something that no arranger has leaned to do well. Yes, some will bring the drums up as you play louder, but it's not quite as consistent as a real drummer. But I hear so many demos where you often struggle to hear the drums well, it's probably a good rule of thumb to dry up and raise the drum level almost ALL the time!

Don't just make 'em louder... bring them forward!

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 01-31-2010).]