Mix tips for a positive difference.

Michael-SW · Post by **Michael-SW** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:21 am

I think he just means "together", but the more musical interpretation works too in this context.

knotkranky · Post by **knotkranky** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 5:07 am

Yeah, both of your explanations are meaningful in this context. Dimensional is a good word and glued. Concert is when it all sings together. Music given good decisions in the arrangement, production, parts, sounds and recording sound so amazing when you just simply move the faders up for a mix. Put some great performances and melody with that and It's pure butter. If you know how to handle eq and compressors, this will pop right out $$$$$$$!

Axxe · Post by **Axxe** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 3:48 pm

Hi all, my take on the in concert thing, is that all the parts are doing their own thing in a complimenatary manner without competing for bandwidth in the mix, a trick I use to make space is to shelve everything, I'm making trance so it all gets pretty busy at times and somtimes I need certain things to get out of each others way. Lately I've been using VST Dynamics Frequency gate in Cubase rather than parametrics (I still use them, every technique is valid, it's all about time and place) and gating out all the frequencies that aren't important to the sound or instrument I'm working on, I don't do it to everything but anything in the low end that's competing for space like arped second basslines and that sort of stuff, sidechaining is another really good way to make room in the mix.

knotkranky · Post by **knotkranky** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 10:18 pm

Low end bass build up is a prime example. Take a kick drum and the bass line for instance. The kick is typically consistent, like one quick low note stab over and over again, and it is a note. But the bass line eq is always moving around because the notes change. E1 is deeper and fatter than G1 or F1 for that matter. Yeah this is obvious, but a quasi basic rule of thought would be to keep your kik drum not as fat as the bass line at least at your root fundamental note. And yes, this depends what you have to accomplish. Ever wonder why the kik and bass drop out a bit in a few spots in your song? They are phase canceling, which also makes it a timing issue. If you add second bass lines, 808 subs and all kinds of low end carnage, you have to manipulate the arrangement and automation more since eq won't really do the whole job of gaining definition. Keep the low end simple. You will end up with phatter results.

snowtires · Post by **snowtires** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 2:01 pm

my advice:

mix drums last. if you mix them first, you'll be disappointed when they don't cut through the mix like you wanted them to, so you'll end up wasting more time eq'ing and compressing them, and they'll probably end up sounding like ass.

i usually mix in this order:
pads > leads > guitar > vox > bass > drums.

also remember - just because you HAVE the plugin doesn't mean you have to use it every time. unless it's the waves L3 mastering plugin

knotkranky · Post by **knotkranky** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 7:33 pm

You are so right about eq and compression for canned drums. Most programed drums sound great without it completely. If they sounded great when you picked them, then leave them alone.

My order of priorities all feel like kitchen duties at first and creative mixing after that. The vocal is the first thing I like to deal with on most stuff. The vocal will be a reference point that I can mix the rest of the sounds against. Live drum recordings require a lot of care compared to samples n synths. I run straight to the live drums for this reason because acoustic drums need to pop as tight as programed drums and thats difficult so I gotta get that out of my hair before I can say that it's even ready to mix. Drums cut in small spaces on inferior mic pre's with phase problems and poor gain structure are a bitch. The edges get taken off. The same goes with programed drums if they are recorded or tweeked too much. Vocals too for that matter. That's why internal plugin drums and synths sound so clear, and why we may even take off the edges intentionally sometimes with boxes or distortion plugs.

Anyway, order of priorities disappear after a while and nudging all/any aspects takes over. Though, I always seem to be dealing with the low end and vocal levels at the very end of my mixes.

If I mix what I program, it's easy to lose sight of what makes the mix. You get numb if you've spent many days putting the song together. Someone like a mixer or friend who is having a first listen, is going to be fresh and inspired. Trade mixes with someone you trust. Hell, even Picasso and Chagall would finish each others paintings when they got stuck.

Mixing as you go could be a good concept but one will get brain locked and married to it even when you don't mean to. Some pull it off just fine though. Be aware that there are Pavlovian issues with ones ears as well. If you keep letting a problem go by in your mixes you will stop hearing it after a while. Long breaks are important and will keep your brain more honest.

Try this; Take care of the mix "work" first and pull out the problems, put it away a day or two then pull it up and finish it up creatively and quickly. Make it easy to A/B against favorite comparable hits and quickly do final tweeks. Forget about mastering until it "needs" to be mastered and published. Cheers

blakbeltjonez · Post by **blakbeltjonez** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 8:41 pm

jasefos wrote:
knotkranky wrote:
jasefos wrote:
Also don't forget a good mix often requires a better arrangement.
YEAH!, the mother of all tips, because the biggest mix improvements come while writing and before the parts are recorded.

Ahhh someone understands !

there's an old saying: "a good song mixes itself...."