How to make a industry standard mix and master?!?!?!?!?!?

1jay1111

1jay1111

JayNino Da Savage
Watz up....ive been checkin out the future producers forum for a while...cant lie ive learned a few things as far as my music goes from this site....one thing i notice is no one ever gives advice on how to make a industry standard mix...all i see is 'watever sounds good to you' or 'there is no certain sound yu should have'....thatz a damn lie trust me...so if any of yu pro producers want to be so kind az to spread some knowledge to the less fortuanate then post...all in all my question for this post is.....how do yu make a industry standard mix and master?


 
There isn't a secret formula, it's different every single mix. Use different effects and make sure you set a home frequency for each instrument and no other instruments are interfering with it.
 
ain't no such thing as an industry standard mix and master - each new tune requires the application of different skills, different techniques and different approaches to achieve a satisfactory sonic result
 
It’s probably a combination of three factors… at least for me it is.

1) You need to know the technical crap like the back of your hand. Aside from a) preventing you from making silly mistakes, and b) allowing you to squeeze out that extra two or three percent of quality (because let’s be real, this game is won and lost between 98 and 100%... 97% doesn’t get you to the party), when you know it instinctively it frees up your mind for the more important stuff.
2) Knowing what is popular out there. Knowing what common, ordinary people want to hear. Knowing what makes someone have a deep and emotional connection to a record. This is part intuition and part study.
3) Creativity. Knowing when to push the limits and think outside the box, and knowing when you should stick to predictable rules. Most records have a combination of both. Knowing what will make your record stand out from the rest of the records out there – because if it sounds exactly the same, then what incentive does someone have to listen to your record vs. someone elses? That right there is a concept that is lost on many people trying to chase that “industry sound”

The video someone posted above took me forever to do, but it covers a lot of the above insights – although some of the concepts might fly over some folks’ heads, I tried to do a good job of explaining things thoroughly. I don’t really know of another free video tutorial that goes into that kind of depth. Maybe Ken Lewis one on mixing “down on me” which is a good one to watch. Except in that one he doesn’t go over the exact mix. Instead, he basically recreates the mix approximately the same way he did, and substitutes some gear and plugins, and there’s a little less depth. But one thing is does very very well that mine doesn’t is that he kind of shows you in (greatly exaggerated) real time how he approaches things. Whereas mine is insane detail, but after the fact so you don’t really see the order in which I do things. If you watch both of those two videos you will have an EXCELLENT grasp of what mixing a hit record is like. And Ken Lewis is incredibly successful at it.
 
Thanks For The Help...And Shouts To vonpimpenstein that "Say" Track is niiiiicccceee...only thing is cubase is not a daw that i use im pretty much a fl studio fan...so a majority of what you was sayin as far as the mix i didnt understand.

i was hoping maybe you have or knew of a video that i could check out that is FL based....
 
Well, I think I found your problem then. Although I used Cubase for that song, really nothing I discussed was specific to Cubase because I spoke in generic audio terms. I didn't go over anything that was a Cubase function. Everything I show is generic to every DAW. So if the fact that I used Cubase is holding you back, it means that:

1) You can probably solve many of your issues by reading the manual for your DAW.

2) You need to learn the fundamentals of audio. Because a buss is a buss is a buss no matter what DAW you are using. pre-fader is pre-fader and post-fader is post-fader no matter what DAW you are using. Polarity is polarity no matter what DAW you are using. Etc. etc.

Bear in mind, I've been making records as my full time job for 12 years now. And I was recording as an amateur before that. I mixed or produced 100 records last year alone (and I'm not counting "demos" or "beats" either; that's just projects for clients). There is something to be said for experience. My first recordings for years sucked. I got better with time and hard work. You will too, but you have to understand, THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS. You wanna run the 100m in the Olympics, you have to train and work hard every day. You wanna make major label records, you have to train and work hard every day.
 
It can't be done with a $150 interface, a pair of Dre Beats, and a cracked Waves Mercury. Know that.

Peace.
 

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All Thatz Understandable...But Im Not Just Sum Kid Who Picked Up Music And Said Wow I Can Manke Money With This...This Is My Life bOttom To Top...Itz Really Not About Quality Itz About Being Heard(Exp. ALL THE TRASH HIP HOP THATZ OUT NOW) And Givin A Chance...Most Rappers And Musicians Alike Are Slept On Because They Dont Have The Budget For Major Label Equipment...I Say I Sound Damn Good Yu Should Check Me Out vonpimpenstein...MAybe Yu Cn Give My Music The Quality It Deserves Just Askin For A CHance And A Thourough Listen...Looking For A Mentor Your Sound Is Great...Got Dreamz Of BEin Tha Best Sound Engineer/Rapper/Producer...Just Need A Pro Mentor...Put Me Under Yo Wing...I Know This Sound Like Some Promo Slick COn Type Drama But Im Not With That...Im In Love With Music (Quality Music) Asking For A Hand...We All Needed One At One Point Or Another

www(dot)reverbnation(dot)com/suppajay
 
1jay1111 said:
I Know This Sound Like Some Promo Slick COn Type Drama...
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No, it doesn't sound like that at all. It sounds like the pathetic groveling of someone who doesn't want to do the research, the work, or the practice to achieve the very goal they claim to wish to accomplish.

You don't need Carter to take you under his wing. His very presence and input-and that of many others-on this forum are his form of taking literally EVERYONE who comes in here under his wing.

"This is my life, bottom to top...it's really not about quality..."

That's you, in a nutshell. You contradicted yourself and your motives in the same statement. You don't wanna be good. You just wanna be heard. And get money.

"I'm in love with music (quality music)".

Hilarious.

Peace.
 
I did give a listen. And although your attitude isn't exactly the best, I must admit, you are ****ing talented as hell.

Put in the hard work or hire people. You think all these major label records are made by one person in their bedroom? No.

Nobody is going to give you a chance or take you under their wing. It doesn't work that way. This is a business. You want success, you have to go out and get it. If you don't believe in yourself enough to invest your own money to hire the right people take make your stuff reach it's full potential, then NOBODY will believe in you enough to do it for you.
 
Im not really sure what all this imaginary 'pro' gear is. This stuff didn't exist 100 years ago and music did fine.

I think nowadays you can get to within the 95% quality range with very low cost (in synthetic genres that is, like EDM, dance, urban etc). The other 5% costs 100x the first 95%. I mean, say you want to record a live orchestra, thats gonna cost you. But, this forum is centered on a genre(s) of music that is born in poverty and hardship, when did it all become about who has the most expensive gear? Shame really.
 
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MarcDHall said:
Im not really sure what all this imaginary 'pro' gear is. This stuff didn't exist 100 years ago and music did fine.

I think nowadays you can get to within the 95% quality range with very low cost (in synthetic genres that is, like EDM, dance, urban etc). The other 5% costs 100x the first 95%. I mean, say you want to record a live orchestra, thats gonna cost you. But, this forum is centered on a genre(s) of music that is born in poverty and hardship, when did it all become about who has the most expensive gear? Shame really.
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Nah, man. It's not about the most expensive gear. One doesn't need the most expensive gear to produce great audio product, but one isn't going to achieve high quality from the bottom of the barrel.

If quality doesn't concern an individual is a whole separate issue. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder, in this case. But if one is concerned with quality, then the investment must be made.

Peace.
 
I like the tone of this thread.

Just to chime in...the key to a great mix/master is going to always be knowledge. It never comes down to tools, money spent, equipment, ect. before KNOWLEDGE.

That can be everything from knowledge to know how to mix/master yourself to the knowledge to identify someone who can mix your stuff well and the knowledge to know you need to outsource to get the best quality. As for the "industry standard" talk, plenty of "industry" songs are mixed horribly by people with very poor techniques. Plenty of others are mixed amazingly well using unorthodox techniques that shouldn't work on paper.

Focus on the factors in your music you're talented enough to control, practice and research the areas where you're weak. It will all come together in time, but don't expect to be a 1 man band from day 1. Even 10 years in most aren't doing it all themselves and getting a good final product.
 
Honestly, Red, Yo Input Wasnt Needed Fam. I Asked That Question To Who I Asked That Question To. Obviously Yu Havent Checked My Music Out To Even Make A Statement Sayin That I Was Grovaling, And That My Music HAd No Quality.

Normally I Woudnt Pay Folkz Like Yu No Mind Because I Just See It Az Hate. Hate Gases My Motor Homie So Thank Yu For Dem Couple Gallons. All IGot To Say To That Is Cut Ya HAter Ears Off And Take A Serious Listen.....

vonpimpenstein I Feel Yu Man. But Wat About The People That Are More Handz On....Itz LikeItz Always Something Missing...Ive Watched 1000z Of Mixing Videos 100z Of Mastering Videos(LOL) And Still Theres Always Something Missing. If Yu Checked The Music Out Is There Any AdviceYu Can Give On One Of The Songz. Just Your Thoughts Man

www(dot)reverbnation(dot)com
 
deRaNged 4 Phuk'dup said:
I like the tone of this thread.

Just to chime in...the key to a great mix/master is going to always be knowledge. It never comes down to tools, money spent, equipment, ect. before KNOWLEDGE.

That can be everything from knowledge to know how to mix/master yourself to the knowledge to identify someone who can mix your stuff well and the knowledge to know you need to outsource to get the best quality. As for the "industry standard" talk, plenty of "industry" songs are mixed horribly by people with very poor techniques. Plenty of others are mixed amazingly well using unorthodox techniques that shouldn't work on paper.

Focus on the factors in your music you're talented enough to control, practice and research the areas where you're weak. It will all come together in time, but don't expect to be a 1 man band from day 1. Even 10 years in most aren't doing it all themselves and getting a good final product.
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All of this. Yep.

Peace.

---------- Post added at 03:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:43 PM ----------
1jay1111 said:
Honestly, Red, Yo Input Wasnt Needed Fam. I Asked That Question To Who I Asked That Question To. Obviously Yu Havent Checked My Music Out To Even Make A Statement Sayin That I Was Grovaling, And That My Music HAd No Quality.

Normally I Woudnt Pay Folkz Like Yu No Mind Because I Just See It Az Hate. Hate Gases My Motor Homie So Thank Yu For Dem Couple Gallons. All IGot To Say To That Is Cut Ya HAter Ears Off And Take A Serious Listen.....

vonpimpenstein I Feel Yu Man. But Wat About The People That Are More Handz On....Itz LikeItz Always Something Missing...Ive Watched 1000z Of Mixing Videos 100z Of Mastering Videos(LOL) And Still Theres Always Something Missing. If Yu Checked The Music Out Is There Any AdviceYu Can Give On One Of The Songz. Just Your Thoughts Man

www(dot)reverbnation(dot)com
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You're right; I didn't listen to your music. That's why I didn't comment on it.

I was commenting on the contradiction between "it's not about quality" and your search for a shortcut for quality.

Hate? Me? Never.

PEace.
 
1jay1111 said:
Ive Watched 1000z Of Mixing Videos
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You've watched thousands of mixing videos. I've mixed thousands of songs. That's what is missing: experience. Practice practice practice. It's not an issue of "oh, cut 400Hz and you are good." It's an issue of "improve everything a little and you are good." That's why I say, there are no shortcuts. No shortcuts, no easy answers, no quick solutions.
 
I have a partially related question for you vets. What % of recent hot up and coming tracks would u say have been pro-mastered? I'm not talking bout people on labels, but the Baauer or Trinidad James types for example.
 
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