PRO TOOLS user? mixdown?

tallbobsmoke

New member
Howdy y'all:

I'm in the process of mixing my bands CD on Pro Tools (Digi 001 package) on my mac.

So far, I've just been using the compressors and EQ's that came with the software. I'm pretty satisfied with the results so far.

What I'm wondering is:

1) are there any good pro tools message boards available?
2) does anyone have a finished product that they produced in the same manner? I'd like to hear it.
3) does anyone have any quick and dirty advice or links they can provide to help me through the mixdown process?

Thanks in advance,

Matt, TALLBOBSMOKE
http://www.tallbobsmoke.com
 
earth to people

Hey Folks...

I guess this "community" is pretty dead. That's a shame. I guess the cross-section of people who use studios and also the internet is pretty small?

I'm just posting again to raise this up to the top of the list and ask:

Does anybody know of any good Pro Tools user sites with Pro Tools specific message boards?

Even though Pro Tools is widely used, I am finding it very difficult to find any sort of community. Thanks in advance.

Matt
www.tallbobsmoke.com
 
I don't think protools is as widely used as Cubase, Cakewalk, or even Logic. The price point puts it well above those, and I've heard the interface leaves a lot to be desired. Most of the people on this forum are actually beginners like yourself so don't expect the world from them. Try asking in the recording section, and have some patience... A week isn't really that long. Have you tried searching google or checking th protools official site?
 
maybe so, but...

I don't think I said anywhere in my post that Pro Tools was any more or less used than any of the products you mentioned... just widely used :D

As far as the user interface goes, I have no doubt that someone has probably designed a better one. There's hardly any control-click (or right-click) menus that users are used to seeing (just one concern).

What I will say for Pro Tools is that it integrated quickly and easily into my macintosh and i was recording within a couple of hours of getting the package home.

That other section looks more promising. Thank you.

matt
www.tallbobsmoke.com
 
Re: earth to people

tallbobsmoke said:
I guess this "community" is pretty dead. That's a shame

wow wow calm down :) there are hundreds of messages posted everyday, and that's a small % to represent the thousands who visit the site. Just to reassure you :)

Pro Tools is one product, and it may take a few more days for people who use it to come accross yoru post and maybe reply to you.

Let me try to help you. Although I don't have the DIGI001, I believe it uses the LITE version of pro Tools, which is pretty similar to protools "free", the one I tired:


1) are there any good pro tools message boards available?

I believe there is a big one on the creamware site. I was looking into a fully-blown pro tools system at some point and saw some good forum there.


2) does anyone have a finished product that they produced in the same manner? I'd like to hear it.

I am not sure what you are asking (music, competitive solutions...)


3) does anyone have any quick and dirty advice or links they can provide to help me through the mixdown process?

Sounds like something that should be explained in the manual. Did you look into it? Try posting a detailed question on the pro tools forum. maybe somebody here will see this and help as well

good luck!
 
for mixdown, i was speaking more towards the "philosophy" of a mixdown. i.e. it's easy to keep adding effects. it's easy to keep overdubbing new instruments or doubling other instruments. it's hard to know when to STOP and say "ok. my mix is done"

what are some philosophies people have that help them to say, "ok. this is finished!"

it was easy when all i had was a 4-track. i quickly ran out of flexibility. with pro tools (and other software) the flexibility and ability is above and beyond what is necessary for an excellent product.

i've been backwards and forwards through all the documentation that came with the software. but it doesn't really speak to this more intangible aspect that i am getting at.

matt
www.tallbobsmoke.com
 
Originally posted by by talbosmoke
I guess this "community" is pretty dead
This is the best music forum on the web, bar none.

Anyways.

Check the articles here for loads of good stuff on mixing and mastering.

As for a pro-tools message-board, yes there is a good one, but I can't remember where it is at the moment. I'll find out when I get home and post it up later.

KasioRoks
 
Answers to your Protools questions

The Digi 001 is the way to go. I work with Protools 5.1, but I think the LE edition is very similar.

1) are there any good pro tools message boards available?
---check out www.digidesign.com they have a message board dedicated to protools
--- also www.synthzone.com is the best site on the net for anyone into recording and production. they have a ****load of great links and message boards that can hook you up.

2) does anyone have a finished product that they produced in the same manner? I'd like to hear it.
---I recorded some tracks via protools on my mp3.com site at www.mp3.com/diamondlion . I used an MPC2000xl, Trinity rack, and Apex 107 and recorded everything into protools.

3) does anyone have any quick and dirty advice or links they can provide to help me through the mixdown process?
---Biggest thing is to remember to separated all your tracks as much as possible. if you have enough tracks avaliable on the LE edition you should put each instrument on its own track, especially the drums. break them down: hi hats, snare, kick, toms, etc.
---the mix is just as important as the music. the best way to learn to mix is to do a couple different mixes of the same track. listen to them and decide what you like and dislike about each mix. with protools its easy to go back and adjust

hope this helped

-Chronos
 
on mixing tips

On mixing:

One of the biggest problems folks have is getting their tonal balances right. A good rule of thumb that will help 'calibrate' your monitors/ears is to keep a few mixes you know are good-to-go (maybe a big hit or a track you and others agree sounds good) handy as a reference. So when you're listening to your cut and wondering is this too much bass for the kick drum or... whatever... you can pop on one or more of your 'guide mixes' and see how that sounds on your monitor setup. (This can be especially important if you find yourself mixing in an unfamiliar listening environment.)

Everyone wants to have a loud mix (relative to other CD or Mp3 tracks) but watch out for over-compressing. I think this is one of the most common mistakes today... particularly in rock/non-dance where you typically have live drums that are maybe not recorded with microscopic perfection. What happens is that everything gets "squashed" (this is the technical term, honest) and you start losing detail and "air" -- cymbals often fare very poorly and can even appear to disappear...

Rest your ears often as you mix. When people were mostly recording in studios shorter sessions were more common -- but now it's possible to mix for 24 hours straight at home. But run an experiment... compare the mix you made after 2 hours with the one you made after 12 hours and see which one is better... you may be surprised.

Whatever, remember to have fun. It will make a better mix if you can feel it...
 
There's also a Digi001 e-mail group on Yahoo! Groups. Ive found it to be very helpful, but the DUC on the Digidesign site is by far the best.

As far as mastering, the plugins that come stock with LE are ok, but download the demo Waves plugins from http://www.waves.com and they will blow the Digidesing plugins away. If you have th cash, the Waves Native Gold package can be had for under $900 and it's quite an impressive set of fx and mastering tools.
 
Wuzzup world

I'm about to get a new mbox 2 pro in a few days (they have been back ordered for a couple weeks now) and if anyone has any info that will help get me up and runnin smoothly i would greatly appreciate it. I look forward to learning from you guys. Thanx before hand for any info.
Oh yeah im currently running reason 4 and cubase 4 le, and a really cheap lexicon alpha interface. :o
 
digi is pretty shiesty for not makin' anything past ProTools 6.4 compatible w/ the 001...

i got a 001 collectin MAD DUST just because i REFUSE to run PTLE 6.x
 
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