Grouping Methodology/Theory Tips...???

[Chew_Bear]

So...I know that depending on the genre or style of music your working in...

Will kind of determine "HOW" you group your tracks....And therefore determine how your going to insert effects and plugins and Sends/Returns.

So....

1. How does a newbie start to learn which instruments, elements and tracks....go well together for grouping....and....which ones should be alone (individual/loner track)...???

2. What should be your methodology when trying to figure out how different elements and instruments affect one another (good or bad) when in a group...???

3. How do you determine what kind of effects your going to choose based on the groups you created...???

Is grouping pretty much "standard" and you basically "go by the books" kind of thing because everyone will be doing the same thing...??? Or...can grouping be more of an 'artform'...especially when mixing.

Help...?!?!?

 

[Adrian-MarQ]

I typically have everything in its own mixer track. From there I might group certain tracks together in its own bus to process everything together. I usually do this for elements that serve similar functions in a track or are part of a layer for a sound. I usually break things into 5 basic categories (bass, rhythm, percussion, pad, & lead). From that, the main drums might go together, strings and synth pads might go together, vocal takes, etc.

 

[Cerberux]

1. How does a newbie start to learn which instruments, elements and tracks....go well together for grouping....and....which ones should be alone (individual/loner track)...???

Experimentation. Listening to other examples of music in the genre you are trying to create. Practice. If you have 2 sounds that compliment each other nicely, you have found yourself that group.

2. What should be your methodology when trying to figure out how different elements and instruments affect one another (good or bad) when in a group...???

Do they clash? Do they compliment each other? Do they ADD to the overall feeling of the track? Do they sound out of place together? Can you modify the frequencies so they mesh very well together (EQ)? That's how I approach it.

3. How do you determine what kind of effects your going to choose based on the groups you created...???

Does the sound NEED an effect in the first place? Think of that first. You don't need to bog sounds down with every effect in your arsenal, you will find some sounds may just sound GREAT as is. Otherwise, this is where you get creative. Does that Snare need some reverb to really POP? Do you need a slight delay on synth? There is no right or wrong way to approach this, its purely based on your own vision for your track.

Is grouping pretty much "standard" and you basically "go by the books" kind of thing because everyone will be doing the same thing...??? Or...can grouping be more of an 'artform'...especially when mixing.

While grouping can definitely help you easily move between buses, and apply effects on the fly, this decision is entirely up to YOU. Me personally, I don't group ANYTHING. I do it all one by one. This may not be the most efficient way, but it works for me and I find it easier to pinpoint exactly each individual little sound I want to modify in some way.

For me I find it easier just to put common effects that are universal to the song (a reverb for instance) on an Insert channel, and just send each track I want to have that reverb to that ONE Insert. That way I can pretty much avoid groups all together (other than Layered sounds)

 

[Kalm]

For the time being (cause I do change) Drums, Percussion, Bass, Keys, Poly (Polyphonic Synths), Leads, Guitars, Ambience, FX - - - and an infinite number of subgroups. Main things I use subgroups for is energy. There's a simple special thing I do with subgroups for that. It's also good notification where the level of energy is coming from, what's dynamic, what's static, EQ & Compression, and final mixing. There is no by the book, it's more geared towards what needs to be treated as a group. Drums & Bass separate or Drums & Bass together??