mixing tips

Ask questions and get answers about how to make music in any particular way. Hardware or songwriting or whatever.
Post Reply
starfinger
Panama
Posts: 943
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 7:07 pm
Instruments: electricity
Recording Method: traveler mk1
Submitting as: starfinger
Contact:

mixing tips

Post by starfinger »

I liked a lot of these tweets

https://theproaudiofiles.com/mixing-tips/
User avatar
ken
Hot for Teacher
Posts: 3869
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 6:10 pm
Instruments: Guitar, bass, drums, keys
Recording Method: MOTU 828x, Cubase 10
Submitting as: Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff
Pronouns: he/him
Location: oakland, ca
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by ken »

Those are some good tricks to try out! Thanks.
Ken's Super Duper Band 'n Stuff - Berkeley Social Scene - Tiny Robots - Seamus Collective - Semolina Pilchards - Cutie Pies - Explino! - Bravo Bros. - 2 from 14 - and more!

i would just like to remind everyone that Ken eats kittens - blue lang
User avatar
Lunkhead
You're No Good
Posts: 8104
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:14 pm
Instruments: many
Recording Method: cubase/mac/tascam4x4
Submitting as: Berkeley Social Scene, Merisan, Tiny Robots
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Berkeley, CA
Contact:

Re: Mixing

Post by Lunkhead »

Rather than make yet another mixing thread, I thought I would post this Sweetwater "top 10 mistakes" list here:

https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/rooki ... -mistakes/
User avatar
jb
Hot for Teacher
Posts: 4158
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 10:12 am
Instruments: Guitar, Cello, Keys, Uke, Vox, Perc
Recording Method: Logic X
Submitting as: The John Benjamin Band
Pronouns: he/him
Location: WASHINGTON, DC
Contact:

Re: Mixing

Post by jb »

#4 should say "what you're really hearing on the vocals in professional recordings is mostly delay, not reverb".

#5 should come with a caveat, because if you slice the vocal and crank a soft spot to match a loud spot, EVERY bit of audio in that soft spot gets cranked-- and it can easily make your vocal sound like a patchwork rather than a single take.

#6 should have a callback to #2-- backing vocals are a good use of correction software.

#7 https://youtu.be/OEy5LBHq6OQ?t=140
Lunkhead wrote:
Sat Jul 11, 2020 1:14 pm
Rather than make yet another mixing thread, I thought I would post this Sweetwater "top 10 mistakes" list here:

https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/rooki ... -mistakes/
blippity blop ya don’t stop heyyyyyyyyy
User avatar
Lunkhead
You're No Good
Posts: 8104
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:14 pm
Instruments: many
Recording Method: cubase/mac/tascam4x4
Submitting as: Berkeley Social Scene, Merisan, Tiny Robots
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Berkeley, CA
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by Lunkhead »

Politics aside, some folks at Sweetwater keep making great informative posts, like this one which is a very comprehensive list of tips for "pro sounding" vocals, from performing to mixing etc. Lots of good stuff in here IMO:

https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/tips- ... ng-vocals/
User avatar
crumpart
Ice Cream Man
Posts: 1123
Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2019 8:04 am
Instruments: Fuzz
Submitting as: Hot Pink Halo
Pronouns: She/her
Location: Laois, Ireland
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by crumpart »

These are two YouTube channels I’ve found Incredibly useful as I try to figure this shit out.

The House of Kush. Popped up in my recommendations feed a month or two back. Thought I might regret it on the first click. Do not regret it at all. https://www.youtube.com/c/TheHouseofKushTV

Produce Like A Pro. I pick and choose what I want to watch from this channel, and have learned some really useful things. https://www.youtube.com/c/Producelikeapro

These two are ten billion times better than that one video I clicked on to figure out how to use EQ one day, where the guy, in the middle of a very dry, straightforward video decided to draw boobs with his EQ as a “joke”. So funny. So hilarious. Made me feel so welcome as a woman trying to learn stuff.
Devil’s got me Lindt! Devil’s got me Lindt!
User avatar
Sober
Ice Cream Man
Posts: 1700
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 10:40 am
Instruments: Mandolin, hammond, dobro, banjo
Recording Method: Pro Tools
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Midcoast Maine

Re: mixing tips

Post by Sober »

crumpart wrote:
Mon Aug 03, 2020 9:53 am
Produce Like A Pro. I pick and choose what I want to watch from this channel, and have learned some really useful things. https://www.youtube.com/c/Producelikeapro
Produce Like a Pro is great. Also have found a lot of good stuff via Musician on a Mission - particularly their videos/articles on parallel compression, and I've been trying out their reverb setup for my last couple of tracks.
🤠
User avatar
Lunkhead
You're No Good
Posts: 8104
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:14 pm
Instruments: many
Recording Method: cubase/mac/tascam4x4
Submitting as: Berkeley Social Scene, Merisan, Tiny Robots
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Berkeley, CA
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by Lunkhead »

I'm a fan of both of those too! It seems like most times when I Google some mixing/production question or topic one or both of those channels have informative videos on it.

That sucks about the boobs drawing idiot though. Ugh. :(
User avatar
grumpymike
Push Comes to Shove
Posts: 418
Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2016 3:12 pm
Instruments: Rage and curmudgeonry
Recording Method: Zero-turn lawnmower
Submitting as: Grumpy Mike

Re: mixing tips

Post by grumpymike »

Apparently this visual analogy helped someone. Maybe it will strike a chord with someone else.
Good mix
Good mix
8C86D37A-688F-4EE3-9209-41EA397D9F54.png (81.29 KiB) Viewed 4167 times
OK mix
OK mix
383CB403-AF57-4B06-8677-FE675F180153.png (46.53 KiB) Viewed 4167 times
User avatar
Pigfarmer Jr
Jump
Posts: 2293
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 6:13 am
Instruments: Guitar
Recording Method: Br-900CD and Reaper to mix
Submitting as: Pigfarmer Jr, Evil Grin, Pork Producer, Gilmore Lynette Tootle, T.C. Elliott
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Columbia, Missouri
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

Lunkhead wrote:
Mon Aug 03, 2020 1:01 pm
That sucks about the boobs drawing idiot though.
Actually, it was quite useful, imo. It's easier to ignore ppl who are blatant asshats. It wastes less of my time if they let us know up front.
Evil Grin bandcamp - Evil Grin spotify
T.C. Elliott bandcamp - T.C. Elliott spotify

"PigFramer: Guy and guitar OF MY NIGHTMARES." - Blue Lang
User avatar
Lunkhead
You're No Good
Posts: 8104
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:14 pm
Instruments: many
Recording Method: cubase/mac/tascam4x4
Submitting as: Berkeley Social Scene, Merisan, Tiny Robots
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Berkeley, CA
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by Lunkhead »

How much do folks here know/care about "internal clipping" within a signal chain, meaning, when a plugin is boosting its input signal such that its output is >0db and/or the input signal to a plugin is >0db? It's something I had not paid any attention to until reading some recent mixing tips info. After reading about it I noticed that it's happening a lot in my mixes. I started trying to "fix" it but I guess I also don't know why other than that I read it was "bad". I don't know what to listen for to see if I can hear the difference between when it's happening and when it's not.
User avatar
sleepysilverdoor
Ice Cream Man
Posts: 1086
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:02 pm
Instruments: Drums, Guitars, Keys
Recording Method: Focusrite + FL Studio
Submitting as: Phl*b*
Pronouns: bruh
Location: Not super far from Atlanta but definitely not Atlanta
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by sleepysilverdoor »

Lunkhead wrote:
Sat Aug 15, 2020 8:00 am
How much do folks here know/care about "internal clipping" within a signal chain, meaning, when a plugin is boosting its input signal such that its output is >0db and/or the input signal to a plugin is >0db? It's something I had not paid any attention to until reading some recent mixing tips info. After reading about it I noticed that it's happening a lot in my mixes. I started trying to "fix" it but I guess I also don't know why other than that I read it was "bad". I don't know what to listen for to see if I can hear the difference between when it's happening and when it's not.
I do it deliberately to push distortion plugins sometimes. Like I'll put an overdrive on my bass signal, not cut down the post gain at all so the signal is stupidly loud, and then let the next plugin (usually some kind of distortion) handle getting the output level down to something more reasonable. Is it "proper?". I don't know. But I don't really care lol.
"There's a lot to be said about a full-on frontal assault on the ear drums" - Pigfarmer Jr.
User avatar
jast
Ice Cream Man
Posts: 1325
Joined: Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:03 pm
Instruments: Vocals, guitar
Recording Method: Cubase, Steinberg UR44
Submitting as: Jan Krueger
Pronouns: .
Location: near Aachen, Germany
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by jast »

For floating point engines it only matters if the DAW clips the signal coming out of a plugin, or the plugin does it (floating point can go above 0 dB). In any other case it doesn't matter. That said, if you want to make extra sure not to do it, just trim everything by 10 dB before you set up any plugins.
Evermind
Somebody Get Me A Doctor
Posts: 109
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 9:22 pm
Instruments: Guitar, Vocals, Bass
Recording Method: UAD Volt 2, MXL770, Alesis VMini, Reaper, Hydrogen
Submitting as: Evermind, Moody Vermin, Ever Kenievel
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Austin TX
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by Evermind »

Lunkhead wrote:
Sat Aug 15, 2020 8:00 am
How much do folks here know/care about "internal clipping" within a signal chain, meaning, when a plugin is boosting its input signal such that its output is >0db and/or the input signal to a plugin is >0db? It's something I had not paid any attention to until reading some recent mixing tips info. After reading about it I noticed that it's happening a lot in my mixes. I started trying to "fix" it but I guess I also don't know why other than that I read it was "bad". I don't know what to listen for to see if I can hear the difference between when it's happening and when it's not.
When a waveform gets large enough that it exceeds the maximum supported size (too loud), it just stops at the top. This changes the sound, and the tip of the peak is "clipped" off. This creates harsh harmonic distortion. Certain effects pedals (such as the Boss Metal Zone) use this for distortion effects. Analog gear clips in a different, less harsh way that tends to create warmer, softer distortion effects, where the waveform's clipping has a knee to it, curving its way to the top and back instead of hitting the top like a car into a brick wall. Depending on whether the plugin is meant to simulate this effect or not, you may be missing out on great character from your plugins.

A great example is the "Rare" Pultec-style EQ from Analog Obsession (free!), which you might actually want to push the signal on to get some of that analog distortion sound. Other plugins will probably just brickwall.

If you think you might be getting internal clipping, you can find free VU meter plugins out there and place them inbetween each plugin to check that you're not clipping anywhere, and if you need to gain stage after one plugin to get that analog goodness out of the next one, you'll know how much juice you need to give the signal.
I am definitely too square for how experimental this is, but I can imagine that if I was in the right state of mind, the section starting at 2:20 might transport me to another dimension - jeffhenderson
User avatar
jb
Hot for Teacher
Posts: 4158
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 10:12 am
Instruments: Guitar, Cello, Keys, Uke, Vox, Perc
Recording Method: Logic X
Submitting as: The John Benjamin Band
Pronouns: he/him
Location: WASHINGTON, DC
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by jb »

Wouldn’t the “out” meter (and gain control) on most plugins show the clipping if it is occurring?
blippity blop ya don’t stop heyyyyyyyyy
User avatar
Lunkhead
You're No Good
Posts: 8104
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:14 pm
Instruments: many
Recording Method: cubase/mac/tascam4x4
Submitting as: Berkeley Social Scene, Merisan, Tiny Robots
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Berkeley, CA
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by Lunkhead »

Yeah, most of my plugins have output meters, and many have input meters too (which alert me that the previous plugin's output is too hot if I'm not looking at the previous plugin).
Evermind
Somebody Get Me A Doctor
Posts: 109
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 9:22 pm
Instruments: Guitar, Vocals, Bass
Recording Method: UAD Volt 2, MXL770, Alesis VMini, Reaper, Hydrogen
Submitting as: Evermind, Moody Vermin, Ever Kenievel
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Austin TX
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by Evermind »

Oh yeah totally, you would only need a VU meter plugin in the case that your plugin chain has a plugin with no output meter followed by one with no input meter.
I am definitely too square for how experimental this is, but I can imagine that if I was in the right state of mind, the section starting at 2:20 might transport me to another dimension - jeffhenderson
User avatar
jb
Hot for Teacher
Posts: 4158
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 10:12 am
Instruments: Guitar, Cello, Keys, Uke, Vox, Perc
Recording Method: Logic X
Submitting as: The John Benjamin Band
Pronouns: he/him
Location: WASHINGTON, DC
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by jb »

This is almost like the Bible:

blippity blop ya don’t stop heyyyyyyyyy
User avatar
Lunkhead
You're No Good
Posts: 8104
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:14 pm
Instruments: many
Recording Method: cubase/mac/tascam4x4
Submitting as: Berkeley Social Scene, Merisan, Tiny Robots
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Berkeley, CA
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by Lunkhead »

That's a great video! Thanks for sharing. I am definitely guilty of thinking about the kick and bass in terms of carving out separate EQ bands for them. But I'm glad to hear that it's "OK" that I use the same process (kick -> snare -> bass -> oh -> guitars -> vocals etc.) for mixing every song, haha. Also nice to hear the opinions about monitors and room treatment. Room treatment has long been on my to-do list but I've been intimidated about how much treatment I thought I was going to need. Maybe it's less than I thought after all and I can just get away with 4 2x4 panels on my back wall.
User avatar
Lunkhead
You're No Good
Posts: 8104
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:14 pm
Instruments: many
Recording Method: cubase/mac/tascam4x4
Submitting as: Berkeley Social Scene, Merisan, Tiny Robots
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Berkeley, CA
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by Lunkhead »

If anybody wants access to that guy's mixing cheat sheet but doesn't want to give him their email address for him to spam, let me know and I can share it with you.
User avatar
Pigfarmer Jr
Jump
Posts: 2293
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 6:13 am
Instruments: Guitar
Recording Method: Br-900CD and Reaper to mix
Submitting as: Pigfarmer Jr, Evil Grin, Pork Producer, Gilmore Lynette Tootle, T.C. Elliott
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Columbia, Missouri
Contact:

Re: mixing tips

Post by Pigfarmer Jr »

I'd be interested in the cheat sheet for reference if nothing else.

My recording room sucks. Maybe a bit more treatment is in my future this year. (My dream of building another room seems very distant with the youngest kid living in my basement.)
Evil Grin bandcamp - Evil Grin spotify
T.C. Elliott bandcamp - T.C. Elliott spotify

"PigFramer: Guy and guitar OF MY NIGHTMARES." - Blue Lang
Post Reply