Tips for mixing claps

There's a lot of different clap-styles used in like ~2000. There already wasn't just a standard clap.

For example MIKE used a lot of these long-tailed claps. Sometimes with a clap with reverb and pre-delay (giving a kshh-shh kind of effect).

I've seen video's from Leon Bolier, who dupulicates his clap layer. Then pans them 100% left and 100% right. Then give one of them a little bit of track-delay. Like 0,5 miliseconds. This creates a bit of a stereo-effect. Makes the clap sound richer. Plus, your center stays clear from claps, so more space for other sounds.

Moving the clap a few miliseconds "before" the kick is a good idea regardless of the panning. Specially with handclap-kind-of-claps.

Can you give me an example of a specific clap kick combo you’re looking for?

there’s quite the bit of difference between say: Paul van dyk’s avenue, push’s Strange World and the early Above and Beyond remixes

Oh nvm. What @Magnevi said

Spatialsound said:

I hope I don't sound rude but I did know that much, I was wondering if there's anything specific I was missing because I've used many dozens of claps with even more kick drums and yet can rarely make any combo that sound 'good', regardless of what layering, reverb, timeshifting, etc I put on top - and these samples are from contemporary packs (like Vengeance Clubsounds) so it's not like they're not 'professional' samples.

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Be wary of Vengeance samples. Some of the one shots are OK, but I'd steer clear of using too many of them in one track.
Vengeance are notorious for some of their samples being taken from elsewhere, sometimes at lower bitrates (Even taken from MP3's) so stacking too many can make your drums sound a little rough.

As for your question, it really does depend on the sound you want to achieve. If you are talking about blending the clap with the kick better, then there are a few options.

Once again it comes to picking the right samples, sometimes layering, maybe having a clap that gives you the body of the sound and one that has the 'snap' eq'ing each one so they don't sound too harsh.
Compression can help you get that 'bite' or snap to the sound. Long attack and fast release then adjust the threshold to taste. A transient shaping plug in can provide a similar result.

Reverb, once again depends on what you are trying to achieve. I'd start with a short room style reverb in small amounts. You're going to have a different result depending on whether you use a reverb direct on the chain (This will make the clap sit back in the mix more) or use a send/return channel (Which will keep the clap upfront)
I'll often use the same send/return channel for any reverb I need on my other drums as well - helps keep everything consistent.
You can also stack reverbs on claps as well, it may take a bit of tweaking though. One very short reverb that gives the 'room sound' to the initial snap of the clap. Then a second with a lot of pre-delay (to allow the transient of the clap through) and a longer release time to give it that 'tail'

I also tend to group process all my percussion into one bus channel (except the kick) and apply compression, EQ'ing and sometimes saturation in small amounts just to glue everything together and make it sound more cohesive.

One thing that hasn't come up yet is timing and level movement, which is often why a clap feels stuck on top of the kick rather than part of the groove:

1. Nudge it. Move the clap a few milliseconds late (5 to 15 ms) so it sits behind the beat. Dead-on-grid claps often feel stiff against the kick.
2. Don't let it hit the kick transient. If your clap lands with a kick, high-pass the clap at 200 to 300 Hz so it isn't stacking low end, and let the kick provide the body.
3. Reverb as a separate layer. Put the reverb on a send, not on the clap channel, with a short room or plate (0.6 to 1.2 seconds) and 10 to 20 ms of pre-delay. High-pass the return around 400 Hz and low-pass it around 8 kHz. Then automate the send so it opens up in breakdowns and tightens in the drop.
4. Gate or duck the tail. A gate on the reverb return, or a sidechain from the kick, stops the tail smearing into the next beat.
5. Same space as the rest. Send the hats and percussion to the same reverb at a lower level. When everything shares one room, the clap stops feeling pasted in.
6. Level by ear in context. Claps usually sit lower than you'd think. Pull it down until it almost disappears, then push it up slightly.

Also try layering a very short, slightly detuned second clap panned a little away from the first. It widens the hit without a stereo widener.