Help With Mixing

[jumpwin]

I'm new to home recording. I find that laying the individual tracks down is no problem. I can get the exact sounds I'm aiming for with little drama. My problem is when it comes to making the tracks into a song. I find it difficult to mix all the parts so it has a smooth even sound across the whole song, and making it sound like a finished piece.

I always end up sounding, well, amateur! I know I am, but I sure as hell don't want it to sound like I am.

Is there any tricks or effects to lay down across the whole song that will bring together? Are there any tips you can throw my way to get the mix right?

Here's hoping.

[jonPhillips]

Buy this book.

 

Read it, read it again, understand it and then apply the concepts.

 

Job done.

[jumpwin]

I'm a musician! I don't have money to spend on books:rolleyes:

I was just wondering if there was a quick trick of the trade like tone before time or something.

[jonPhillips]

I was just wondering if there was a quick trick of the trade like tone before time or something.

 

There's no 'quick trick'.

 

If you're skint, go to your local library and order the book...

[Lee Knight]

Figure out how to bring up a stereo mix you like from a CD or iTunes into your DAW. It could be just importing a stereo file into a track. Now lower that fader cause it's going to be way louder than your stuff. That's just cause it's mastered. Don't concern yourself with that. Really... don't. Not yet. So try to create an even playing field by lower that mixed file's level.

 

Now go about A/B'ing.

 

Listen to the pro release. Listen to yours. Back, forth. Kick? Vocal? Reverb? Why's my snare so funky. Funky {censored}ty, not funky. What's the difference?

 

A/B.

 

Keep doing it. Everybody does. Even the guys cranking out hits everyday.

[UstadKhanAli]

 

I'm a musician! I don't have money to spend on books:rolleyes:

 

 

You'll spend money to buy a computer, a DAW, microphones, musical instruments, but not want to buy a $30 book?

 

Google and Electronic Musician articles are your friend then.

 

There is no "trick". You listen. Then listen some more. Then you tweak. Then you listen. Then you tweak. Then you listen. What happens when you tweak? You learn the basics. You learn about EQing, panning, placement, reverb, delays, compression, limiting, and everything.

 

And you'll do it on a trial and error basis, more so than most people.

 

And why is that?

 

Because you won't have a book.

 

You won't have the wisdom of generations of people doing this who came before you. So you'll put in the time instead, learning it all. And there's nothing wrong with that. Just be prepared to put in the time.

 

You see, most people think that purchasing a book for $20 or $30 is a bargain. You get valuable information that you can constantly refer back to, and to think that it costs less than dinner for two at a cheap restaurant is an absolute bargain. Someone put down all those years of accumulated knowledge and creative energy, and then sat for a couple of years writing it. Wow. That's a steal.

 

But you're a musician. You don't have money. And that's okay....as long as you have more time than most, and a lot of patience, and discerning ears.

[UstadKhanAli]

 

I'm a musician! I don't have money to spend on books:rolleyes: I was just wondering if there was a quick trick of the trade like tone before time or something.

 

 

You know what?

In my previous post, I was wrong. There is ONE quick trick.

 

And that would be to track all your instruments really well.

 

But what's a good way to learn to do that while on a starving musician's budget?

 

Hmmmmm.....

[jonPhillips]

You'll spend money to buy a computer, a DAW, microphones, musical instruments, but not want to buy a $30 book? Google and Electronic Musician articles are your friend then. There is no "trick". You listen. Then listen some more. Then you tweak. Then you listen. Then you tweak. Then you listen. What happens when you tweak? You learn the basics. You learn about EQing, panning, placement, reverb, delays, compression, limiting, and everything. And you'll do it on a trial and error basis, more so than most people.

 

Brilliant post

[jumpwin]

Okay, my arm has been twisted, and the book purchased.

But What should I be listening to my playback through? Earphones, monitors, Stereo system? Or even PC Speakers?

Does it pay to run the music through a crap system and make it sound good through that (because surely it would sound brilliant through a decent system?) Or is it best to have oober expensive studio monitors from the off? And would headphones be better?

[WRGKMC]

You cant mix properly through Headphones because your depth percepting isnt right. You can use them for certain things like panning and general placement, and can A/B the mix between Studio Monitors and Headphones. In general Headphones are mainly used for tracking only, especially Vocals where you dont want the bleedover from the speakers. I used them for a long time mixing in an appartment, and got close to a decent mix but never pro.

 

Get yourself a set of studio monitors. They produce a very flat responce and the instruments practically jump out of the speakers at you which make them the best method for mixing. They dont need to be super loud. At 85db, you're able to hear everything in detail and instrument placement mixing becomes much easier. The flat responce also makes the mixes translatable to other playback systems.

 

In the beginning you will always want to play the mix back through other systems to hear how it sounds. An Auto, HiFi, Boom Box, Computer Speakers, IPod etc can all be used to check how well you mixed.

 

 

Heres a few charts I made up you may find usefill mixing. It graphs out how instruments can be EQed in a mix so theres minimal masking occuring. These frequencies arent set in stone obviously, but they can help you focus the peaks so one instrument isnt bleeding into anothers frequency range.

 

You can also get a plugin like Voxengo Span and set it up in your mastering bus and use it to view track frequency responces when you solo each track.

It along with the chart can help you train your ears to use an EQ on tracks to get a decent mix.

 

Eventually though, the goal is to rely on your ears more to get what you need, and track so EQ isnt needed so much, but this comes with time and experience. Good Luck.

[UstadKhanAli]

Okay, my arm has been twisted, and the book purchased. But What should I be listening to my playback through? Earphones, monitors, Stereo system? Or even PC Speakers? Does it pay to run the music through a crap system and make it sound good through that (because surely it would sound brilliant through a decent system?) Or is it best to have oober expensive studio monitors from the off? And would headphones be better?

 

A good book will pay dividends in saved time and knowledge, setting you on your way. Obviously, you will still learn by doing, but it can arm you with knowledge, and that's never a bad thing.

 

Listen to your playback through a set of decent, relatively neutral speakers. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that you can actually get by on monitors that are not super expensive, but you might have to take a little longer on your mixes. Really nice monitors, such as ADAM monitors, will allow you to hear things like reverb tails and things like that and really dissect the music. However, you can still, in my opinion, do amazing mixes on modest gear.

 

While it's never a bad thing to check mixes on headphones, I wouldn't make final decisions or mix exclusively on headphones. A lot of people experience music on ear buds and headphones, so it is helpful. It also has an added advantage: you don't need to have acoustic treatment in your room when you are using headphones!

[UstadKhanAli]

In the beginning you will always want to play the mix back through other systems to hear how it sounds. An Auto, HiFi, Boom Box, Computer Speakers, IPod etc can all be used to check how well you mixed.

 

In the beginning? I still do that and I kinda know what I'm doing!!!!!!!!

 

Definitely advised!

[wwwjd]

 

Figure out how to bring up a stereo mix you like from a CD or iTunes into your DAW. It could be just importing a stereo file into a track. Now lower that fader cause it's going to be way louder than your stuff. That's just cause it's mastered. Don't concern yourself with that. Really... don't. Not yet. So try to create an even playing field by lower that mixed file's level. Now go about A/B'ing. Listen to the pro release. Listen to yours. Back, forth. Kick? Vocal? Reverb? Why's my snare so funky. Funky {censored}ty, not funky. What's the difference? A/B. Keep doing it. Everybody does. Even the guys cranking out hits everyday.

 

 

For the win. I'd take experience over book knowledge anyday PERSONALLY

[UstadKhanAli]

 

For the win. I'd take experience over book knowledge anyday PERSONALLY

 

 

So would I. I doubt anyone feels differently.

 

But knowledge is a beautiful thing and can save a lot of time.

[Lee Knight]

Yeah, I too will always take advantage of the written word as well. I read nonstop. I work nonstop. It's one or the other. They seem to benefit each other nicely.

 

If I'm choosing one or the other, of course, as Ken says, we'd all go with the experience. Hands on. But to walk on the shoulders of those before us? Well hey. I'll take it where I can get it. Any which way.

[UstadKhanAli]

 

Yeah, I too will always take advantage of the written word as well. I read nonstop. I work nonstop. It's one or the other. They seem to benefit each other nicely. If I'm choosing one or the other, of course, as Ken says, we'd all go with the experience. Hands on. But to walk on the shoulders of those before us? Well hey. I'll take it where I can get it. Any which way.

 

 

Exactly. I will listen to those with wisdom any day.

[wwwjd]

I just take a pill for my knowledge. Wait... what year is this again??

[Lee Knight]

I just take a pill for my knowledge. Wait... what year is this again??

 

 

Yeah... I did that for a decade or so as well. Wait... what?

[Synonym Music]

 

I'm new to home recording. I find that laying the individual tracks down is no problem. I can get the exact sounds I'm aiming for with little drama. My problem is when it comes to making the tracks into a song. I find it difficult to mix all the parts so it has a smooth even sound across the whole song, and making it sound like a finished piece. I always end up sounding, well, amateur! I know I am, but I sure as hell don't want it to sound like I am. Is there any tricks or effects to lay down across the whole song that will bring together? Are there any tips you can throw my way to get the mix right? Here's hoping.

 

Absolutely not. How long did it take you to get good at playing, by the way? One song?

 

If you're already getting the sounds you want at tracking, that's way ahead of the game. You shouldn't need to do much to get at least a good mix. If this isn't happening, maybe your tracking isn't as solid as you would suggest. You mention having trouble "making the tracks into a song." They should already be a song from the rough mix - a little unpolished, a little jagged, but at least 70% of the way there. That's what good tracking sounds like. Adding another 10 percent at mixing is not extremely difficult. Pros add more like 20% - or a lot more if the tracking was bad.

[Johnny-Boy]

Your ears are your best tool. I usually mix as I'm laying down tracks, so there

[Temple of Light]

I digress, what others here have said bears repeating, there are no tricks, just listening, practice, hard work, equipment, and patience.As a general rule, the better your gear obviously, the better your sound, but there are clowns that have goldmines invested in fancy gear that are still clueless as to how to maximize it's potential. Or too selfish and greedy to let anyone else maximize it for them. Use two different pieces of gear to check your mixes, headphones and monitors. Do the homework and understand that song structure and good arrangement practices and instrument placement are a huge step in the right direction of a pro result. Next is summation of sound, what I mean by that is there are alot of places in a track where all the frequencies are used up. The idea is to add a little here, remove a little there {Of EQ, reverb, flanger, phaser,delay,whatever} until the mix sounds dynamic. Try to make it so that few places in the mix are using all the frequencies at once, that way everything should ring out and sound like it's moving along with the song. Effects proccessing and compression are difficult things to do right without overdoing, a little bit goes along way, especially if you use multiple tools on multiple tracks... Modern Recording Techniques 4th Edition is another valuable resource, there are articles in magazines and online which should complete your education. To really get it, I suggest recording some {censored} you know your'e going to toss and practice all of the techniques I and others here have mentioned until you get the bigger picture. This way you don't stand as much chance of ruining something really valuable in terms of material.

There's nothing worse than a cool idea that's gets wasted because of impatience, poor technique, crappy equipment and ignorance of it's use, and or any combination of the above. Mix on.

[UstadKhanAli]

Is there any tricks or effects to lay down across the whole song that will bring together? Are there any tips you can throw my way to get the mix right? Here's hoping.

 

Okay, I previously mentioned one trick. And that would be to track all the instruments extremely well. So helpful with mixing.

 

Here's another trick. Have a bloody brilliant arrangement.

 

Do these two things, and it might actually take some effort to create a bad-sounding mix!

[Lee Knight]

 

Have a bloody brilliant arrangement.

 

 

 

And a great song. And great playing. I remember reading an engineer's comeback to a musician who was criticizing the engineer recording...

 

"Hey, I just recorded you. You're the guy who played it!"

 

Engineering only facilitates the music.

[Johnny-Boy]

Yep, I agree Lee. The recording engineer's job is to capture the performance and enhance it using his/her expertise. It's difficult to make a rotten apple look delicious. Well, unless you're making applesauce.

 

John

[UstadKhanAli]

And a great song. And great playing.

 

Shhhh. You're giving away ALL the tricks!!