Super Secret MIXING/MASTERING Info!

You know I think DVYCE hit the nail rite on the head with most of his post.. I am not nearly a "pro" at this but he is rite . You need a fresh set of ears to tell you what need to be done with your music. I think the hardest thing to do is mix. If you get your music piece master its totally different from it being mixed. Some artist think its the same thing. It really isnt.. I know in running my studio I tell people quick I can mix all day. But for you finish product, I refer them to a coworker of mine that is great with mastering...


Also I wanted to say. I have a intern, who hates use rack gear.. but loves plug-ins. DRIVES ME BONKERS...I have to him like every session limit the amount of plugins you use.. learn the rack gear.... To me the more plugins you use it takes away from the warm analong sound.. your recordings start to sound digital. esp. in protools...
 
Yeah, feedback is the best.

List of important mixing/mastering tricks:
1. bla bla 2. bla bla bla 3. Dont use lists... ;)

In my version of getting things right, you start making a list (mental is good enough) of all the things you 'always' need to do, and then do it for a while... then throw it out, if you want to make something spectacular.
 
To me the more plugins you use it takes away from the warm analong sound.. your recordings start to sound digital. esp. in protools...[/QUOTE said:
Its really not the plug-in's fault if some one uses it badly. The thing with plug ins is: "the RANGE of stuff you can do with plugins is normally
far wider than the stuff you can do with outboard so you have to set limits on yourself depending on the sound you're going after." I wont
go crazy with plugs if im mixing a jazz trio, but if its a trance tune im
gonna pull the stops out. sometimes sounding "digital" could be a good thing.
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Astar said:
could you elaborate more on mixing/mastering techniques.. what do you mean, "do what the music is telling you to do" .. what are some of the identifying factors?
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I know that feedback is bad, and i know over modding is bad and i know lob sided panning is bad. common sense speaks for its self more than what the music tells you.

You got ur own unique ear. so make ur own sound.:monkey:
 
Here's an fact/easy tip; save your plugins settine, name them for what you use them for, and you will have a quick refernce point, so depending on the music that your creating, you'll just have minor tweeks to make.

In other words, start building you a "work-blueprint".

Peace
 
NRG_GX said:
I know that feedback is bad, and i know over modding is bad and i know lob sided panning is bad. common sense speaks for its self more than what the music tells you. ...
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Even worse than lop-sided panning.
 
I have 10 grand australian for equipment. Is joe meek compressor recommended for rap vocals, everything else is VST eq's, 7 band eq, multiband, & the room is pretty tight but slight reverb.

Sort of dry question but what utilities are required. Ear's, compressors, plug ins, room treatment & monitors?
 
I guess along with knowing how to use your tools and knowing how to perform tasks that need to be done to the mix...the only other thing that needs to be said is "Trust Your Ears"...right?
 
What's goin on everyone? I'd like to learn this mixing/mastering craft and know exactly what to do. I posted up some roughdrafts on my myspace page so please, take the time to critique it.

I'm using Pro Tools M-Powered, with an Audio Technica AT 4050 connected to a pre-amp mixer.

Please don't critique on the page...just post all your comments/fixes on this thread.

My Critique: I hate the way it sounds like the vocals and instrumental are two separate entities. I'd like the merge the two so that they become one sound rather than vocals over an instrumental. Another thing I don't like is that it sounds to messy and sloppy. Sounds like it's all over the place.

Thanks fellas!
 
Mr Scrip, I salute you sir. You are a beacon for all the footsoldiers fighting (seemingly in vain) against the current trend in the loudness wars. Together, we stand a chance of teaching these boneheads a thing or two about what a good product actually sounds like.


I would also like to elaborate on your point about monitoring: Don't look for monitors that sound good. Look for monitors that are completely transparent. This is also one of the main points of mastering. Most home studios tend toward nearfields that sound good, rather than nearfields that give a truly accurate and transparent representation of what's actually happening in the mix. It's supremely important to have accurate monitors.

Great thread, BTW.
 
Thats exactly how it is it's like people think they can make a beat record and just make it sound like it came from the pro studio. It takes dedication and work to make that sound not just mastering. Mastering just puts a final sheen on the record not mix it. Great Post!!!
 
hackenslash said:
I would also like to elaborate on your point about monitoring: Don't look for monitors that sound good. Look for monitors that are completely transparent. This is also one of the main points of mastering. Most home studios tend toward nearfields that sound good, rather than nearfields that give a truly accurate and transparent representation of what's actually happening in the mix. It's supremely important to have accurate monitors.
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good point! monitoring is 98.3% of the whole thing (composition, tracking, mixing, mastering.. ..and enjoying music).

quality audio is simply impossible without good acoustic treatment (or architecture when you can afford it), excellent speakers and amazing amps.
 
I would also like to elaborate on your point about monitoring: Don't look for monitors that sound good. Look for monitors that are completely transparent. This is also one of the main points of mastering. Most home studios tend toward nearfields that sound good, rather than nearfields that give a truly accurate and transparent representation of what's actually happening in the mix. It's supremely important to have accurate monitors.
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Going a step further - Not that I'd ever argue the importance of good monitoring -

Nearfields *by design* tend to NOT give an accurate and transparent representation of what's going on. They're designed for a limited range, short throw, narrow dispersion pattern that makes the room just slightly less of an issue. But they're a compromise.

Not that the home studio boom hasn't made them all take a good look at how crappy they sound so the newer designs outperform the older designs by leaps and bounds - But they're still not exactly what most people would want to use as their main speakers.
 
hackenslash said:
Mr Scrip, I salute you sir. You are a beacon for all the footsoldiers fighting (seemingly in vain) against the current trend in the loudness wars. Together, we stand a chance of teaching these boneheads a thing or two about what a good product actually sounds like.


I would also like to elaborate on your point about monitoring: Don't look for monitors that sound good. Look for monitors that are completely transparent. This is also one of the main points of mastering. Most home studios tend toward nearfields that sound good, rather than nearfields that give a truly accurate and transparent representation of what's actually happening in the mix. It's supremely important to have accurate monitors.

Great thread, BTW.
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Hahaha, thanks. In regards to monitoring...I'm using M-Audio BX-5's. I should upgrade huh? What's the best in studio bang for the buck type of monitors? I'm kinda cheap when it comes to equipment. Nothing over $500.00 per pair, please!

Thanks.

MASSIVE Mastering said:
Going a step further - Not that I'd ever argue the importance of good monitoring -

Nearfields *by design* tend to NOT give an accurate and transparent representation of what's going on. They're designed for a limited range, short throw, narrow dispersion pattern that makes the room just slightly less of an issue. But they're a compromise.

Not that the home studio boom hasn't made them all take a good look at how crappy they sound so the newer designs outperform the older designs by leaps and bounds - But they're still not exactly what most people would want to use as their main speakers.
Click to expand...

What are nearfields and what does sounding transparent mean? Yes yes, I'm a newbizzle at this but I'm tryna understand and have a high respect for music and my sound is unacceptable.
 
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Hi,

Every loudspeaker system is, to some extend, not perfect.
Nearfields have their problems as well as midfields and so on.
If you don't own the cheapest crap around and you know your monitors than it should work.

What i do is listening a lot of music (not only my own) over them to learn how they sound with professional recordings.

The more transparent, the longer you can work with them, since
it is not so hard to hear problems.

But the best way to improve your monitoring is to train your ears.
Its a long and hard way (i'm still about to learn) to hear phase
problems, delays, frequencies, compressor time values, distortion
harmonics and strength, depth...

Regarding "Do what u want if it sounds good its good":
I don't think that this is true all the time. Pros seem to have a sort of "secret" todo-list. Recently i watched a dvd where a pro did a drum recording and mixing session. Every tom, the kick, the snare got a boost between 4kHz and 5kHz (as well as above 10kHz). It sounded strange and not natural for me when he played the tracks solo. In the mix there was just pure punch and power. That seems to be the secret, why great recorded and mixed rock drums sound good even on small tv-speakers. Their attack in the higher mids are boosted so you can hear them clearly. There are a lot of rules of thump and workflows.
If you know them then you can experiment and try to record a kick drum in a swimming pool or whatever strange things might go through your head. *g

JayT.
PS.:I'm no pro, only a crazy homerecordist
 
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Much appreciated regardless of what your perceive yourself as. I could already feel that this mixing/mastering road is going to be a long one. One that can will drive me insane...
 
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