The snare if done correctly can be part of your signature sound, if you take a listen to a lot of 80s hair rock you’ll hear a very definite style of snare.
Using presets for your compression and eq can be a good starting point, but if you’re interested in learning to sculpt the sound, experimenting with your eq and compressor can be very rewarding.
:::Compression Settings:::
Set your Threshold/Input to start the compressor working.
The following settings will all depend on taste and your music, they are general settings to give you a starting point to find your sound
Ratio: 4:1 to 6:1ms
Attack: 5 to 10ms
Release: 125 to 175ms
Gain: As with all compression, you want the volume to match the input volume
:::Equalization Settings:::
As with the above settings for compression use the following as a general starting point and work with them until you get what you need for your mix.
To add warmth try a 1 or 2 db boost in the 100 – 150hz region.
A similar boost in the 250hz region will add depth or body.
To reduce boxiness a cut of between 2–3db in the 800 to 1000hz region should be a good start.
A boost in the 3-5khz region of about 1 to 3 db will add attack.
And a boost in the 8 to 10khz area of 1 or 2 db will add crispness.
As stated before these eq and compression settings are starting points and should be treated as such.
Use your ears as always.
Be cool.