Absaloot
Tape Op
Joined: 03 Apr 2006
Posts: 21
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| mixing |
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Is it better to turn down the main out when mixing to -3 db or leave the main out at 0 db and mix the rest of the instruments and the vocals to -3db and then master? second question is should I compress/limit the vocals in the mixing stage and then compress/limit the whole track again in the mastering stage? isnt that too much compress/limiting? |
Tue Aug 29, 2006 6:29 pm |
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AMR
Joined: 16 Sep 2003
Posts: 58
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| Re: mixing |
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quote:
Originally posted by Absaloot
Is it better to turn down the main out when mixing to -3 db or leave the main out at 0 db and mix the rest of the instruments and the vocals to -3db and then master? second question is should I compress/limit the vocals in the mixing stage and then compress/limit the whole track again in the mastering stage? isnt that too much compress/limiting?
Hi,
Mix so it sounds good, don't worry about levels unless there's too much noise or they clip.
Best bet is to mix leaving 20 db's of dinamic head-room if using 24 bit, so average is around 18-20, then lifting volume in the end of the mix while peaks don't hit 0 db's..
Vocals should be compressed for confort, so they sound even - or if you want that dinamic drama when they're louder - just add some gentle compression which allows to mix'em better and keeping the "loudness" feeling - again, don't worry with it hitting any "db" value, leave enough headroom and relax because 24 bits (or even 16) have enough resolution for you to afford to mix at -20 db's as if it was the average peak level.
No one FREELY compresses the track in the mastering stage UNLESS it is needed - radios and TV's do that afterwards while playing it - the same should be a rule in the mix, compression is used if need be - and mind that once used your dinamics are distorted for ever and harder to work with if you want to expand them later.
If it's not needed to compress, then it's not.
Mastering may use normalizing, getting the mix up to -0.2 db's, withouth tricks OR it can maximize it with the most transparent possible multiband compression and "ultra" maximizing depending on what you want.
Bottom line is that you should mix so it sounds good, and never worry about the ABSOLUTE levels, just the relative, and leave enough headroom to play with full dinamics. In the end, you can push'em to 0 db's and maximize the volume with "transparent" compression if need be.
Compression is used by the experienced/best engineers to level the mix or to enhance the "percussion" punch to feel as if does live, so your brain perceives the loudness and at the same time you go over the usual hi-fi limitations... (quick how-to: compress a snare by making the "thump" hit go low in volume imediatly, and almost imediatly afterwards bring up the snare "tail" sound, adjust carefully so you don't feel "breath or pump" effects, and enhance the mid EQ where the "hit" is felt - instant huge loudness keeping confortable dinamic space for airplay or car audio and lots of room in the mix for the rest...)
Kind Regards,
AMR
http://www.alvaromrocha.com
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Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:17 pm |
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Absaloot
Tape Op
Joined: 03 Apr 2006
Posts: 21
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Thanks a lot AMR. alot of good info that I will reference next time in my studio. I am just a rookie at this and some of the terms I dont know, could you tell me what "dynamics" are. Im not excatly sure what you mean by that. |
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Thu Aug 31, 2006 2:13 pm |
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AMR
Joined: 16 Sep 2003
Posts: 58
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quote:
Originally posted by Absaloot
Thanks a lot AMR. alot of good info that I will reference next time in my studio. I am just a rookie at this and some of the terms I dont know, could you tell me what "dynamics" are. Im not excatly sure what you mean by that.
To put it short, in audio terms, dinamic is the volume range, the diference between the lowest volume sound and the highest volume sound you have in your mix.
A pure "dinamics" mix does not alter the natural dinamics, but most do with tricks like bringing up the low volume parts or putting down the high volume ones so that volume seems "even" - thus is less dramatic, but best for car audio or broadcast - when the radio host speaker (or TV comment dude) talk, you notice the music behind going "down" as his voice goes "up", that's compression and distortion of "natural" dinamics, whereas "natural" would mean the music would not level down nor the voice up, but as I said, sometimes you want that to happen (unnatural dinamics to fit the medium where the audio is being broadcasted or the context).
Nonetheless, that's playing with the volume, so something recorded at -20 db's can be brought up to peak at 0 db's if you wish, distorting it means that you bring -20 up to +6 and then "compress" the +6 to zero, in a way your ears almost can't tell... (educated ones can, though)
Kind Regards,
AMR
http://www.alvaromrocha.com
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Thu Aug 31, 2006 2:26 pm |
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Absaloot
Tape Op
Joined: 03 Apr 2006
Posts: 21
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thanks for explaining that for me. A quick qustion in regards to mixing and levels what is a good EQ for clean deep basslines and good drum punch without fighting eachother. if possible can you use the cubase bulit in eq as an example. the bass im trying to get is more so for rap music. |
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Thu Aug 31, 2006 4:12 pm |
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AMR
Joined: 16 Sep 2003
Posts: 58
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quote:
Originally posted by Absaloot
thanks for explaining that for me. A quick qustion in regards to mixing and levels what is a good EQ for clean deep basslines and good drum punch without fighting eachother. if possible can you use the cubase bulit in eq as an example. the bass im trying to get is more so for rap music.
It's not very easy to say you can get bass drum punch and clean bass with EQ tricks only because - you can't.
It depends on the type of bass drum sound you have... and the type of bass you have, the wise man's choice starts there - finding two that don't fight over each other.
Still, to make a good mix job very fast and an easy, without fuddling much with EQ or compression, it's to make sure both either sound at the same time OR both sound at diferent times, and I mean either together OR not during the whole song, and make sure there's some pauses in activity in the bass region to get attention into the mids/highs, unless you are using some sort of a a synth sub-bass pad like some Vangelis or Jarre mood basses, which are kept under control, always on, and are not rythimic.
Another wise thing is that you need to keep the bass drum punch under control - and that dinamic punch also needs to be in the bass EQ region. You also need to try keeping the bass notes from souding louder than the bass drum, in the bass drum region, at most, you "blend" them...
...And since bass waves drag a lot of air, they tend to blur the rest of the mix if bass is way too strong, specially in good hifi setups or discos, which means you need to keep those mids and highs very clean too, keeping bass and bass drum in the bass domain only as much as possible, ÃND under control (probably compressed/limited in the bass area, with fast attack and confortable release).
Most of the punch however comes from the "space" the mix has, the silence between sounds, the more "minimal" the mix is, in instruments department (special sound FX always seem to have room), the best it will sound (or ar least, the easier it is to mix).
Less is more, and the lesser the better.
Kind Regards,
AMR
http://www.alvaromrocha.com
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Sun Sep 03, 2006 12:04 am |
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