How do you get a perfect mix and master on FL Studio
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Wallengard
Manipulator of energy
Do you really expect to get the answer to this topic..
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Yumid
New member
I hate questions like this.
People put 3 seconds effort into a question that requires a 2 page essay just to briefly touch on. either be specific with what you want or dont ask. "How do I mix" is not a question people.
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Well most likely you'll need external VSTs and 10 years of mixing and/or mastering experience to get yourself something close to a "perfect" mix.
Here are some tips if you are JUST using FL tools.
1) Turn the limiter off when you are mixing
2) I usually like my kick and snares being the loudest instruments and peak them around negative -8-10Db. Mix everything else around those volumes so you will have 3-6DB headroom when it's time to master. Gain staging is important, you don't want your mix pushing 0db before you master.
3) Take advantage of the Parametric EQ 2 if you are new to EQing because it gives you a visual of the instruments dominant frequencies. Only EQ if you NEED to, not for the sake of it. Don't hipass everything just for the sake of it either, use it if an instrument doesn't need those bass frequencies to sound good - your kickdrum and bass should generally pop out more because of this.
3) Learn how to use Maximus if you want to Master in FL - it is a very powerful multiband compressor but be careful because it can kill a decent mix if you don't know what you are doing.
4) I personally think the BooBass and FL Keys are the strongest sounding stock instrument Vsts. I also like Harmor for making synths. A touch of Distortion on your bass can be what it needs to pop out in the mid range... I personally like "The Heat" preset on Fast Dist and turn the wet/dry knob down accordingly.
5) Use a limiter at the end of the mastering but don't go crazy with the gain and squash your mix for loudness. Also don't use a compressor just for the sake of it either, only if you have a good reason.
6) An EQ can also sound good on the master channel: usually mastering EQs are subtle moves in certain spots. You can put a hipass to cut 20hz and below. Try boosting the highs of your mix 1-2 DB, which will give it a shine and increase the perceived volume. Some people like putting a lowpass to cut out high freqs above 17khz, personally I am not a fan of this.
7) EQUO gives you a nice visual representation of your mix freqs. Typically "proper" hip hop beat mixes have a U shape - a louder low end, less low mids, and loud highs. You can also use it to do subtle boosts or cuts if needed. This isn't always the case though, don't force things too much.
8) You can use parallel compression on your Drum Bus in the mixer channels to beef up the drum sounds. Check out some Youtube tutorials on channel routing if you don't know how. Blockfish is great freeware VST to use for parallel compression. Volume 11 is another nice freeware VST that sounds good on a drum bus IMO.
9) Don't underestimate Soundgoodizer. Don't put it on your master but it doesn't hurt to throw it on a synth/guitar/whatever and fiddle with the dial to see if it makes the instrument shine or pop out more. I think it boosts the lows a bit and the highs a lot. Option A sounds the best IMO. I don't normally use it, but once in a while I find it can help.
Everything is very dependent on your song though and there is no substitute for hard work and experience to improve you skills.
Here are some tips if you are JUST using FL tools.
1) Turn the limiter off when you are mixing
2) I usually like my kick and snares being the loudest instruments and peak them around negative -8-10Db. Mix everything else around those volumes so you will have 3-6DB headroom when it's time to master. Gain staging is important, you don't want your mix pushing 0db before you master.
3) Take advantage of the Parametric EQ 2 if you are new to EQing because it gives you a visual of the instruments dominant frequencies. Only EQ if you NEED to, not for the sake of it. Don't hipass everything just for the sake of it either, use it if an instrument doesn't need those bass frequencies to sound good - your kickdrum and bass should generally pop out more because of this.
3) Learn how to use Maximus if you want to Master in FL - it is a very powerful multiband compressor but be careful because it can kill a decent mix if you don't know what you are doing.
4) I personally think the BooBass and FL Keys are the strongest sounding stock instrument Vsts. I also like Harmor for making synths. A touch of Distortion on your bass can be what it needs to pop out in the mid range... I personally like "The Heat" preset on Fast Dist and turn the wet/dry knob down accordingly.
5) Use a limiter at the end of the mastering but don't go crazy with the gain and squash your mix for loudness. Also don't use a compressor just for the sake of it either, only if you have a good reason.
6) An EQ can also sound good on the master channel: usually mastering EQs are subtle moves in certain spots. You can put a hipass to cut 20hz and below. Try boosting the highs of your mix 1-2 DB, which will give it a shine and increase the perceived volume. Some people like putting a lowpass to cut out high freqs above 17khz, personally I am not a fan of this.
7) EQUO gives you a nice visual representation of your mix freqs. Typically "proper" hip hop beat mixes have a U shape - a louder low end, less low mids, and loud highs. You can also use it to do subtle boosts or cuts if needed. This isn't always the case though, don't force things too much.
8) You can use parallel compression on your Drum Bus in the mixer channels to beef up the drum sounds. Check out some Youtube tutorials on channel routing if you don't know how. Blockfish is great freeware VST to use for parallel compression. Volume 11 is another nice freeware VST that sounds good on a drum bus IMO.
9) Don't underestimate Soundgoodizer. Don't put it on your master but it doesn't hurt to throw it on a synth/guitar/whatever and fiddle with the dial to see if it makes the instrument shine or pop out more. I think it boosts the lows a bit and the highs a lot. Option A sounds the best IMO. I don't normally use it, but once in a while I find it can help.
Everything is very dependent on your song though and there is no substitute for hard work and experience to improve you skills.
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bandcoach
Zukatoku - Mod Scientist
answer is quite simple: you don't, at least not without spending 10000 hours of learning how to mix and master (total of 20000 hours) and even then after the first few hundred hours you would most likely forego fl for something with a bit more oomph in it like cubase, nuendo, protools, audition, etc
mixing and mastering are different tasks and should be attacked as different tasks, not done simultaneously
mixing and mastering are different tasks and should be attacked as different tasks, not done simultaneously
Shicari
New member
You're going to want to research mixing a bit more. Check out SeamlessRs videos on the basics of mixing on youtube. He does a really good job on explaining the theory behind it and not just tips and tricks. Educate yourself (´◠ω◠`). Mixing is probably a bit bigger and more dynamic than you might realize right now. It about half the production process when it comes to electronic music.
...and that is still no guarantee you won't suck...
But you'll be at a level to be able to determine whether you have any talent for it.
Up to a certain point, you can say "he's not good because he has not been at the craft for a long enough time."
But after a certain point, it becomes "yeah, that guy just has no talent."
Ametrine
Audible Chocolate
Vague question... But if you don't know how to mix, please don't try to learn how to master now.
Do a search for topics related to mixing on this site and start from there.
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Why not? "bad" mastering is no worse than "bad" mixing... plus, "mastering" (regarding the audio processing part of it) is "easier" than mixing... and how else does one learn if they don't try during the time they don't know how to do something?
Ametrine
Audible Chocolate
I know what you mean when you say it's easier to master than mix, but why would you spend time learning how to polish something that sounds bad? The trap one can fall into when working with a weak mix is trying to fix the problem in the mastering stage.
Rather, it's better to get the fundamentals of mixing down first (reverbs, EQ, compression, panning, etc). Of course you can learn anything at any time, but it's so much simpler and more time-efficient in the beginning to learn how to manipulate single sounds (mixing) than it is learning how to make broader changes to the master channel (mastering).
Also, what a producer learns early on carries over very well when he/she's ready to start doing those broader changes.
Fact: If you are "mastering" your own music, then "mastering" doesn't exist. If you are "mastering" your own music, then it is still part of "mixing".
(and the fundamentals of mixing and mastering are exactly the same... just more involved when it comes to mixing)
Ametrine
Audible Chocolate
I just can't agree that the fundamentals are the same. There's a clear separation between the two processes. Mastering involves more than just messing around with EQs and making things louder. Its focus is to prepare a track so that it is playable on a majority of systems. (As well as matching levels of different tracks in an EP or an album). There are just so many small things to listen for and making the proper changes can be pretty tricky if you don't know what you're doing.
I don't think it's right to suggest that mixing and mastering can ever be the same thing. I'll be quick to admit that even with two years doing music, I haven't really gotten mastering down. (That's def less than 10,000 hours haha). For a new producer, it just makes more sense to focus on the techniques involved with making a track.
fataltone
Holy Lamb Media & Ent.
you don't get a perfect mix you get a mix that's achieves your goals and can depend on the genre of the project you're mixing
so practice,practice,practice
check these out Bobby O is a mix engineer legend
The Mixing Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski
this is his site
Bobby Owsinski - Bobby Owsinski - Producer, Author, Coach
this will help you under how the mixer in FL Studio works
so practice,practice,practice
check these out Bobby O is a mix engineer legend
The Mixing Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski
this is his site
Bobby Owsinski - Bobby Owsinski - Producer, Author, Coach
this will help you under how the mixer in FL Studio works
Everything you mentioned is equally part of mixing.
Your final mix should have the same balance on all systems.
And if you can't match the levels of different tracks, you have no hope in being able to mix a full session.
And do you think it is less tricky and that there are less little things to listen for when you are trying to blend 100 individual tracks in a session together into a cohesive song than it is to deal with a single stereo file?
if you are just treating your own stereo bus on your mix (or your own stereo file of your final mix), then it is essentially part of mixing. You have control of everything from A to Z.
2 years? Is just a beginner. Really.
no offense, but that is an incredibly short amount of time.
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bandcoach
Zukatoku - Mod Scientist
agreed
Ametrine
Audible Chocolate
Nope. But if you don't know how to blend those 100 individual tracks, there's no point in trying to make track-wide changes to the entire file.
That is certainly not a part of mixing. Just because you have control over everything does not mean it's all just the same process. Why do you think engineers always ask that you remove compressors / limiters from the master channel? They don't "mix". It's no different when you're the one doing it yourself.
All I'm really saying is that in the beginning, the time spent learning how to master would be better spent learning how to mix. With that said, I don't mean to dissuade the OP from being curious. I'm just offering a suggested path to take.
It sure is
