ASK US ANYTHING! Mixing,Mastering,Production !!!

hey how's it going guys...awesome thread. I have a few questions.

First...could you give me your honest opinion on these two recent beats I made.


Be brutally honest because I really want to improve my beat game. Do I have potential?

Second...could I get in on the inbox secret also?

What are things I can do to improve in producing and mixing?

How do you come up with melodies and chords? Are there any go to melodies/keys/chords?

How do you layer melodies and chords?

When it come to drums...is it better to finger drum or use patterns?

Thanks in advance. I'm still pretty new to the game, but this is my passion and I really do want to get better.
 
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DroSoCalifornia619 said:
hey how's it going guys...awesome thread. I have a few questions.

First...could you give me your honest opinion on these two recent beats I made.


Be brutally honest because I really want to improve my beat game. Do I have potential?

Second...could I get in on the inbox secret also?

What are things I can do to improve in producing and mixing?

How do you come up with melodies and chords? Are there any go to melodies/keys/chords?

How do you layer melodies and chords?

When it come to drums...is it better to finger drum or use patterns?

Thanks in advance. I'm still pretty new to the game, but this is my passion and I really do want to get better.
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you can always tell where people are from by the style of music you hear. and i saw your chucks so naturally i assumed you were from the bay lol. what's up man?
everything you asked these guys is really simple to figure out. you just have to keep practicing, learning, and adapting to your style and genre. no big secret. you just continue being a student no matter how old you get. layering sounds just comes with knowing what needs to be your lead and what should carry the lead. like vocals versus guitar riffs for example. vocals would be the lead and the riffs would carry the vocals. you just have to ask what needs to be here, here, and here. and the best way to do this is to reference stuff made from people more seasoned than yourself.
 
acetheface954 said:
you can always tell where people are from by the style of music you hear. and i saw your chucks so naturally i assumed you were from the bay lol. what's up man?
everything you asked these guys is really simple to figure out. you just have to keep practicing, learning, and adapting to your style and genre. no big secret. you just continue being a student no matter how old you get. layering sounds just comes with knowing what needs to be your lead and what should carry the lead. like vocals versus guitar riffs for example. vocals would be the lead and the riffs would carry the vocals. you just have to ask what needs to be here, here, and here. and the best way to do this is to reference stuff made from people more seasoned than yourself.
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nah actually im from san diego. its at the bottom of california hahah, but thanks for the reply. I will continue to practice and learn.
 
DroSoCalifornia619 said:
nah actually im from san diego. its at the bottom of california hahah, but thanks for the reply. I will continue to practice and learn.
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Yeah good luck. Oh and about the drums. Its all about taste. If you want to beat out an mpc then go ahead. Sequence on your DAW? Do it. At the end of the day all that matters is if its hot or not.
 
Hi guys, great thread here. I have a question- Im familiar with the process of mixing/mastering instrumental tracks, but now i am getting into recording vocals as well. Do you need to limit the vocals to keep them from 'clipping' or going over the -.1 db threshold as well or can you just leave them as are if they sound clean? I realize at the end of the day its really all about the sound anyways but i dont want not limiting the vocals to make them distort/clip at really high volumes, on certain systems, etc. Thanks in advance!
 
1iOpenBeats said:
Hi guys, great thread here. I have a question- Im familiar with the process of mixing/mastering instrumental tracks, but now i am getting into recording vocals as well. Do you need to limit the vocals to keep them from 'clipping' or going over the -.1 db threshold as well or can you just leave them as are if they sound clean? I realize at the end of the day its really all about the sound anyways but i dont want not limiting the vocals to make them distort/clip at really high volumes, on certain systems, etc. Thanks in advance!
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Limiting is not a must. I for one only limit if the vocalist's signal drops too low at a certain point. Otherwise I leave it alone.
 
Sound selection

can you elaborate on how to choose the right sounds and instruments when making beats... I just discorved this is the most important part of a successful mix and song. Thanks in advance
 
mickey keys said:
can you elaborate on how to choose the right sounds and instruments when making beats... I just discorved this is the most important part of a successful mix and song. Thanks in advance
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I keep responding as if I started this thread. Smh anyways lol, part of this process is nonsense. If you ask me, the percussion instruments are what ultimately define a musical styling. After that is your layout and "feel". So if you can get away with using a trance pluck on a country western song then you should be ok. And often times you have to be sure that you can differentiate criticism vs taste. So many times I have heard other producers including myself say "I would've chosen a different drop position" or "your kick needs more decay" you know? But left and right you have people including pro DJs acknowledging your sound and rocking it to the masses. If you know for sure the track is clean, meets the standard, and is truly what genre you say it is then you've done your job. But that is my opinion.

http://soundcloud.com/arthurd/sets/arthur-d-house-music
 
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How do approach mixing instruments with mid and highs(esp synth). People just talk about low-end a lot, forgetting about the high-mid and high. Thanks in advance
 
mickey keys said:
How do approach mixing instruments with mid and highs(esp synth). People just talk about low-end a lot, forgetting about the high-mid and high. Thanks in advance
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As far as Mids you will want to control your dynamics and make sure the focal points of the mix are sitting above the "supporting" elements. Concerning the highs, a few things to keep in mind. 1.) Boosting the upper highs can make things sound smaller instead of bigger. 2.) When you "master/limit" your mix the highs will be magnified greatly so do use saturation,tubes etc to spice up the upper end but keep in mind it can become too hyped. 3). Concerning vocals, Taking some highs out of your instruments in the correct places can free up some good space for vocals.

---------- Post added 04-15-2013 at 03:30 PM ---------- Previous post was 04-12-2013 at 01:09 AM ----------

Tip Of The Day : Make sure all your faders are at -3db when you start you project to allow for headroom to add EQ boosts, Saturation etc.

---------- Post added 08-10-2013 at 12:42 PM ---------- Previous post was 04-15-2013 at 03:30 PM ----------

We are rejuvenating this thread ! Let's go ppl hit us up with any production questions you may have.

FREE SoundCloud Promotion! - .:: Cloudkillers ::.

1iOpenBeats said:
Hi guys, great thread here. I have a question- Im familiar with the process of mixing/mastering instrumental tracks, but now i am getting into recording vocals as well. Do you need to limit the vocals to keep them from 'clipping' or going over the -.1 db threshold as well or can you just leave them as are if they sound clean? I realize at the end of the day its really all about the sound anyways but i dont want not limiting the vocals to make them distort/clip at really high volumes, on certain systems, etc. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...


If you are looking to Limit vocals try the Izotope Alloy it has a more subtle effect than others. and always have everything hitting about -3db .
If the vocals stillaren't jumping out enough try to parallel bus them and really wak that with the limiter us maybe a stereo imager and splice back with original signal.
 
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I feel as though something is missing from a Mastering perspective (maybe mixing or both) on this track. I am new to mastering and would appreciate an area in which to focus on for this track so as to improve my work for future productions. I'm not looking to plug myself just searching for some honest feedback. Thank you.

my soundcloud to this track is /soundzbyace/lay-you-down

-A.C.E.
 
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I use Pro Tools for recording and mixing hip hop vocals. What are your methods of eqing and panning background vocals such as adlibs and overdubs. I heard alot songs were some artist dub there verse maybe twice and pan them left to right. Its sound really clear but not overpowering the lead verse. Kinda sound like its drowning but its not.
 
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