Quick Newbie Question Regarding Sound Quality

[tartunian]

Hey guys,

I'm relatively new at this so bear with me. I just had a few questions regarding eq'ing and such. I notice on some synths the output levels are fairly stagnant meaning that they don't jump all over the meter. Is this essentially what compression is aimed at achieving? On the other hand I notice that samples tend to be all over the place. My mixes get very muddy sometimes and I can't hear every instrument to it's fullest. Also, I am still using FL so I was wondering if other DAW's just have better sound engines/quality? That seems to be a rumor that I can't figure out.

Thanks.

[Bucky TNP]

yes, compression will make your levels a bit more controlled, which is why it was made, makes the low volumes higher and the high volumes lower
samples will usually need some compression, as they tend to be a bit less mellow with their volumes
You can fix muddy sounds by learning to mix well, it will take practice, but the basics are equalization (very important if you dont want muddy sounds), mastering effects (like compression, reverb, delay), and volume mixing (the most basic but most powerful part of mixing) basically the goal is to get most sounds out of the way of each other. Like 3 basslines will sound muddy, but a low EQ'd bassline, a mid EQ'd one and a high EQ'd one will most likely not sound muddy.
In short, learn as much as you can about mixing

Also, other DAW's will sound EXACTLY THE SAME. Anyone who say otherwise is full of it. Different VSTs (Synthesizer programs) will sound different, different sound cards will sound different, different samples will sound different, but DAW's should all sound the same. If they dont, you probablt have another problem

[RaeTheBastard]

reverb and delay aren't really mastering effects, but Bucky has the right idea. Also, that rumor is total bullshit.