What are the most important things I should learn?

G

GFunkEra408

HipHop
I'm really trying to get better at mixing and take my own productions to the next level. However I feel overwhelmed at times trying to figure out what I really need to be focusing on (I.e Eq, Compression, Stereo imaging etc..).

What's more important to learn first?
 
Spend 95% of your time learning how to balance the relative volume of sounds with just the faders. Honestly, the things that make amateur mixes sound bad is mostly in simple balancing. It's amazing how much horrible EQ, reverb, delay, compression, etc. you can get away with if you put the faders in the right spots. Conversely, if you don't put the faders in the right spots, no amazing EQ, compression, reverb or delay settings will EVER make your mix sound decent. Balancing with the faders is the least exciting thing, but it is THE most important. Not by a little, but by a LOT.

nearly 20 years full-time in this business. Three #1 records. A few dozen with commercial radio play. Trust me on this. And it is STILL the thing that I put the VAST majority of my effort into to this day.
 
^Yup, there it is. Too many newbies wade straight into multiband compression and other really complex stuff that they probably don't really understand that well, but hey - it sounds like you're doing some really "pro" stuff if someone asks. Spend time with the faders.
 
Yeah i think as well the same thing about the faders!!! But if you want to learn the music production well, i think you have to know as well what you are able to do with tools like compressor, limiters, EQ ect. Honestly i think you should do a course of music production because it will give you good foundation to start doing serious things with the right foot. Read books about music production and you'll see the result are immediate.
With little equipment you can do big things these days!!! every day you'll learn new things!!
 
chris carter said:
Spend 95% of your time learning how to balance the relative volume of sounds with just the faders. Honestly, the things that make amateur mixes sound bad is mostly in simple balancing. It's amazing how much horrible EQ, reverb, delay, compression, etc. you can get away with if you put the faders in the right spots. Conversely, if you don't put the faders in the right spots, no amazing EQ, compression, reverb or delay settings will EVER make your mix sound decent. Balancing with the faders is the least exciting thing, but it is THE most important. Not by a little, but by a LOT.

nearly 20 years full-time in this business. Three #1 records. A few dozen with commercial radio play. Trust me on this. And it is STILL the thing that I put the VAST majority of my effort into to this day.
Click to expand...

I appreciate your words of advise. I''ve actually been trying to level my meters just right to make everything sound "smooth" or "sound together" (not sure the right buzz word for that lol).

When doing this process should I be paying attention to the levels of each instrument and the overal song for mastering purposes?

After I get it to where it sounds good, then should I move on to compression and the EQ of the mixing process?

Thanks for your help! I really do appreciate it as I feel like I've been chasing my tail!
 
everything should have it's own space: Low, Mids and Highs, isolate each sound so they are not competing for space, this will make your mix less "muddy", panning also helps
 
Bobby Bugatti said:
everything should have it's own space: Low, Mids and Highs, isolate each sound so they are not competing for space, this will make your mix less "muddy", panning also helps
Click to expand...

I've been learning a bit here and there about the frequency spectrum. Defiantly trying to sharpen my sword in that area- I just wasn't sure if that's what I should mainly focus on at this point.
 
cicciosound said:
Yeah i think as well the same thing about the faders!!! But if you want to learn the music production well, i think you have to know as well what you are able to do with tools like compressor, limiters, EQ ect. Honestly i think you should do a course of music production because it will give you good foundation to start doing serious things with the right foot. Read books about music production and you'll see the result are immediate.
With little equipment you can do big things these days!!! every day you'll learn new things!!
Click to expand...

School or a course would be nice but I have to take it upon myself to self teach unfortunately.

I have a great book called "Mixing Audio" that I'm finding really helpful, but I wasn't sure what aspect of mixing I should truely focus on.
 
GFunkEra408 said:
I've been learning a bit here and there about the frequency spectrum. Defiantly trying to sharpen my sword in that area- I just wasn't sure if that's what I should mainly focus on at this point.
Click to expand...

It definitely should be apart of the main focus because it gives you a much cleaner mix
 
listen to good produced music...no matter if you like that song or not...just listen to its mix, and try to catch what are you missing in your...
huh maybe i hurried, maybe its not for beggining :D

i have to tell you, if you work with vocals...on your level..use a little eq (like high pass, ~400hz cut ect) dont overthink about compression and use VOLUME AUTOMATION...thats the name in FL Studio...explanation: lower/gain every word of a vocal by your 'hand'...it maybe takes a lot of time, but it will do more than you think of compressor...thats a little bit from me :)
 
^^^^Nice I'm still tinkering with the eq but it's very subtle when I do. I kind of get whats going on, but I'm still unsure- I don't want to add or take out too much. I'll definitely try these tips.

So ... I'm going to ask if Gain Staging is the same as leveling? Is Gain Staging something I need to learn??
 
Last edited:
Don't focus on precise mixing until you actually have an interface and monitors that allow that.
Otherwise you won't hear what you're doing well and you'll learn the wrong things. Getting anything to sound real good on anything less than that is pretty much impossible.
 
localspace said:
Don't focus on precise mixing until you actually have an interface and monitors that allow that.
Otherwise you won't hear what you're doing well and you'll learn the wrong things. Getting anything to sound real good on anything less than that is pretty much impossible.
Click to expand...

Yeah I forgot to mention that my biggest problem right now is that I don't have any monitors at this time (I know, silly of me). Im eventually going to get Yamaha HS8's, but for now I have ATH-M50X headphones and an Apollo twin solo interface. Can I get by for now just using the headphones until I get my monitors?
 
what speakers do you have now? in my world, im using headphones just to test some things...like how reverb will sound or similar 'queiter' sounds..
 
cicciosound said:
I think EQ's Compression and Limiting are very important to get you on the right path !!!! I think they are the main parameter to follow up when doing a mixing !!!
Knowing Audio Limiters - When and How to use it!!! | All you need is WILL!!
Audio Compressor Types | From A to Z Compressor Setup and Tips
EQ - A very important part of music production !!!! - Tips on How to understand an Equaliser ( Graphic and Parametric) - All Music and Producing
Click to expand...

I've been learning a lot about compression as it's been one of the main things i've focused on for the last month. Eq'ing not so much, but I know a little bit about what's going on-just not comfortable with adding or "cutting" frequencies ...

I hear a lot about limiting, and have an idea what it is, but from the looks of it that it's a lot more then just maintaining a signal?

Anyways, I appreciate the links. I'm saving all of these to my computer for later reading.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top