Members Player99 Posted August 22, 2012 Members Share Posted August 22, 2012 OK so when recording I assume the lead instrument would be centered, but what about the other elements? Drums? Bass Synth PAd or chords? Left Right or Centered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oinkbanana Posted August 22, 2012 Members Share Posted August 22, 2012 center everything, mono everything. aim for depth, not width. also, what style of music? drums in the backsnare in the facekick in the gut vocals in the frontguitars and bass in the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sparkfriction Posted August 22, 2012 Members Share Posted August 22, 2012 center everything, mono everything. aim for depth, not width.also, what style of music?drums in the backsnare in the facekick in the gutvocals in the frontguitars and bass in the middle. +1 depends on the style of music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RadioSilence Posted August 22, 2012 Members Share Posted August 22, 2012 It's completely up to you, there are no rules except ones you impose on yourself. If you listen to Radiohead's early albums they conform to the 'thom yorke's head' formula; thom's guitar & vocals, and the drums and bass are centered, with whatever johnny's doing panned left and whatever ed's doing panned right. It's a nice and simple way of quickly getting a mix that approximates the live sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members d4rk0 Posted August 22, 2012 Members Share Posted August 22, 2012 I like to mix it up a little: drums underneathguitar on topbass over herevocals insideflute over therebanjo outsideelectric everywhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cryptosonic Posted August 22, 2012 Members Share Posted August 22, 2012 I am in the same boat, a giant confusing boat. There is a pretty big difference between scooping speaker blowing peaks on off-the-cuff [read as noise in my case] {censored} one records and actually trying to make a good mix with good practices and such. Listen to your favorite records and analyze what is really happening then try to emulate it. A-B listening is very revealing on stereo recordings. I suck royally but have gotten a better understanding of the way this stuff works with critical listening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members echodeluxe Posted August 22, 2012 Members Share Posted August 22, 2012 when i do mixes (which is rarely) i like to try to approximate a live sound. i like panning guitars left and right, vocals more or lesss center, bass center right or left, drums in a wide ish stereo field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members big69 Posted August 22, 2012 Members Share Posted August 22, 2012 They sit wherever you damn well want them to sit. YOU HAVE CONTROL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members V Posted August 23, 2012 Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 Usually, I do it this way: Bass CenterLead Vocals CenterBacking Vocals panned slightly l/r if presentGuitars Panned Slightly L and R if more than one track is presentDrums everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Player99 Posted August 23, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 I am working on rock with a blues base... OD rythmn guitars, bit o synth, bass, drums from Superior Drummer, and a singing lead. Then I would next ask how to get them to sit where you want other than left and right...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ToonHollow Posted August 23, 2012 Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 Usually, I do it this way:Bass CenterLead Vocals CenterBacking Vocals panned slightly l/r if presentGuitars Panned Slightly L and R if more than one track is presentDrums everywhere. I use this, sometimes vocals a little off center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Depth (front to back) and width (L/R) are two different mix parameters. You can have a very deep recording with no width (or lots of it), or a very wide (or narrow) recording with no depth. Depth does tend to be more difficult for novice mixers to achieve, but that doesn't mean that stereo imaging and panning are any less important... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Player99 Posted August 23, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 How does one get depth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TomCTC Posted August 23, 2012 Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 Meh, whatever works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members V Posted August 23, 2012 Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 How does one get depth? Manipulating levels and eq, usually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Player99 Posted August 23, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 So trebley=high, bassy = low? Louder=closer, quieter=further away? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Max Factor Posted August 23, 2012 Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 Depth (front to back) and width (L/R) are two different mix parameters. You can have a very deep recording with no width (or lots of it), or a very wide (or narrow) recording with no depth. Depth does tend to be more difficult for novice mixers to achieve, but that doesn't mean that stereo imaging and panning are any less important... yep! I like to think 3-D: Top to Bottom (an eq thing)Front to Back (a reverb thing) andLeft To Right (a panning thing) and then there's the volume thing which can change everything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hiwatt Bob Posted August 23, 2012 Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 depends totally--i did an album where i went all beatles and mixed {censored} all crazy: drums: right onlybass: centerguitar: left onlyvocals: right onlyother {censored}: wherever doing stuff like that, imho, really allows stuff to breathe on their own--because each thing occupies their own space. it might be a little more challenging to listen to--especially on headphones--but i think it can sound great that way. if i'm not doing that, i generally revert to the standard: drums, bass, vocals: centerguitars: panned out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 So trebley=high, bassy = low? Louder=closer, quieter=further away? Louder = closerQuieter = further away Brighter = closerDarker / more attenuated highs = further away Drier, with less verb = closerWetter, with more verb = further away There are also other things that are crucial to our perception of depth and distance from a sound source. Indoors, the most crucial are probably early reflections. Their level, as well as other aspects of the early reflections (length, spacing, time before the onset of reverberation, etc.) give our ears / brain clues as to the character and size of the acoustical space that the instrument (or other sound source) is located within, as well as its placement within the room relative to the listener's position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members manymanyhaha Posted August 23, 2012 Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 One of my favorite artists, Robert Irwin, said that for him, his art was 1% inspiration and 99% ass-scratching. Mixing yourself is similar. A lot of pressing Play and pushing faders and inserting effects and twisting knobs to see what works, for you. I also think mixing yourself is like trying to blow yourself: Try all you might, you're not going to get There. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 One crucial aspect of microphone technique is knowing how far away to place the mikes. I have a saying I use a lot when working with students and interns: Distance equals depth. Get those microphones back a bit from the sound source and don't have the mikes within near-contact distance for each and every part of the song you record - that alone will go a long way towards increasing the depth of your recordings and mixes. Of course, you can't just do that randomly, or you've likely to wind up fighting yourself. If you want the lead vocal "in your face", then track it close to the mic, and maybe use some judicious compression. For the BGVs, try moving them back from the mic a bit when they're singing. Two or three feet can make all the difference in the world. Another thing that can help is mic selection. If you use a really upfront sounding mic for the lead vocalist (IOW, one with a prominent upper midrange presence peak in the 6-8kHz range) try using a flatter mic for the BGV's, or one with a much higher (~12kHz) peak to give them some "air" but to get them out of the way of the lead vocalist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spoonie g Posted August 23, 2012 Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 I also think mixing yourself is like trying to blow yourself: Try all you might, you're not going to get There. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Player99 Posted August 23, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 One of my favorite artists, Robert Irwin, said that for him, his art was 1% inspiration and 99% ass-scratching. Mixing yourself is similar. A lot of pressing Play and pushing faders and inserting effects and twisting knobs to see what works, for you.I also think mixing yourself is like trying to blow yourself: Try all you might, you're not going to get There. If you are really really flexible you might be able to mix yourself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members echodeluxe Posted August 23, 2012 Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 One crucial aspect of microphone technique is knowing how far away to place the mikes. I have a saying I use a lot when working with students and interns: Distance equals depth. Get those microphones back a bit from the sound source and don't have the mikes within near-contact distance for each and every part of the song you record - that alone will go a long way towards increasing the depth of your recordings and mixes. Of course, you can't just do that randomly, or you've likely to wind up fighting yourself. If you want the lead vocal "in your face", then track it close to the mic, and maybe use some judicious compression. For the BGVs, try moving them back from the mic a bit when they're singing. Two or three feet can make all the difference in the world. Another thing that can help is mic selection. If you use a really upfront sounding mic for the lead vocalist (IOW, one with a prominent upper midrange presence peak in the 6-8kHz range) try using a flatter mic for the BGV's, or one with a much higher (~12kHz) peak to give them some "air" but to get them out of the way of the lead vocalist. phil, i always love when you post studio advice from the tranches. i always try out the {censored} you suggest like the same week. awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members manymanyhaha Posted August 23, 2012 Members Share Posted August 23, 2012 If you are really really flexible you might be able to mix yourself... I had a friend in high school who had come across a statistic he liked to quote: 1 out of 100 of us, apparently, can blow themselves. And then he'd look down the hall both ways and speculate: Which one of us is it? Haha. The larger point is if you can find someone you trust to give you honest and knowledgeable opinions of your mixes, grab hold and never let go. A good outside perspective can shorten the process from Endless Rabbit Holes to Something Ready For Moving On. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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