Basic Effect Questions for the Newbie
- Thread starter Nola
- Start date
Snowman999
Active member
I'm not a newbie newbie. But, I still do things with trial and error (which is honestly the worst way of working). If you have a clue, you hear a problem and know how to fix it. So, I have just a few questions that will go a long way to bettering a person who is just starting out mixing.
The majority of musicians use Drums/Bass/Guitar/Keyboards/Vocals on their songs. So, lets stick with them. Let's assume that the recording quality is fine, and we're not looking for drastic changes in the sounds (like adding wah wah to a guitar that's been recorded. Or making a vocal sound like it's coming through a loudspeaker) EQ and reverb I'd say are the major effects used for most of these.
1) Are there any other effects that are used? Are there any effects used specifically for any of the instruments?
2) There are many responses that DB and HZ are off. If you have a great ear, you can hear it. Is there a way to visually see the DB or HZ? If so, how?
Thanks. Looking forward to better mixing with confidence and knowledge.
The majority of musicians use Drums/Bass/Guitar/Keyboards/Vocals on their songs. So, lets stick with them. Let's assume that the recording quality is fine, and we're not looking for drastic changes in the sounds (like adding wah wah to a guitar that's been recorded. Or making a vocal sound like it's coming through a loudspeaker) EQ and reverb I'd say are the major effects used for most of these.
1) Are there any other effects that are used? Are there any effects used specifically for any of the instruments?
2) There are many responses that DB and HZ are off. If you have a great ear, you can hear it. Is there a way to visually see the DB or HZ? If so, how?
Thanks. Looking forward to better mixing with confidence and knowledge.
Nola
Well-known member
I edited my post to reflect that. Can you just delete my 1st comment so the OP is the first comment?
Snowman999
Active member
I always cause trouble. It's not my fault.
garww
New member
Well, if you had been using a good compressor when you typed your message, we wouldn't have to go through this : )
The Frequency Analyzer is good to know. I've been using the Blue Cat. My folder also has SPAN, but 'B" listings are at the top. You could look at effects boxes to see what they include
The Frequency Analyzer is good to know. I've been using the Blue Cat. My folder also has SPAN, but 'B" listings are at the top. You could look at effects boxes to see what they include
We got your backThat's what I tried to do which caused the mess.
Thanks for the edit. It makes the thread work. We can leave it as is.
david baker
New member
As mentioned before span is a good (free) plug in to use for getting a "visual' of what you are hearing. Also as stated before lots of practice and time put into the craft of mixing. Compression is of great use when trying to get Vocals under control(pretty much always very dynamic) I stack 2 compressors one after another with gentle settings, rather than one doing all the heavy lifting. I find that a combination of delays (stereo and mono) work very nicely on vocals as well, I use reverb sparingly and mostly as a glue for the whole mix There are a whole host of other things you can use on different tracks (instruments) to add texture / interest to a mix :saturation ect.. and many techniques to apply them. A lot of this is subjective ,and depends on the song. Balance is the key. Hope this helps. I have only been at this for a relatively short time myself am the more I learn the more I realize I need to learn more.
Cheers ,David.
Snowman999
Active member
Thank you. You've given me some things to try.
ashcat_lt
Well-known member
There's some good advice here, but I'm going to go a slightly different route.
A "person who is just starting out mixing" has nothing to prove and nobody to impress. They need to learn what does what and preferably at least a little bit about how and why. For some folks anyway, the best way to get that is to actually just try everything.
Put on any plugin. Turn the knobs and listen to what happens. Now put on a different plugin. Now try several plugins at once. Now try them in a different order. Now try them in parallel instead of in series. Go nuts. Take things too far. Ruin everything! Get familiar with what different types of effects can do for and to your sounds. I feel like it then becomes pretty obvious what you should put where and when.
It's not instant gratification. It's not going to win you a Grammy this season. It probably won't get you paid for a while, but you'll be better equipped to handle more situations and you'll have more tools at your disposal than the dude who just paints by the numbers he gets off of HR or YouTube or whatever.
A "person who is just starting out mixing" has nothing to prove and nobody to impress. They need to learn what does what and preferably at least a little bit about how and why. For some folks anyway, the best way to get that is to actually just try everything.
Put on any plugin. Turn the knobs and listen to what happens. Now put on a different plugin. Now try several plugins at once. Now try them in a different order. Now try them in parallel instead of in series. Go nuts. Take things too far. Ruin everything! Get familiar with what different types of effects can do for and to your sounds. I feel like it then becomes pretty obvious what you should put where and when.
It's not instant gratification. It's not going to win you a Grammy this season. It probably won't get you paid for a while, but you'll be better equipped to handle more situations and you'll have more tools at your disposal than the dude who just paints by the numbers he gets off of HR or YouTube or whatever.
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
Absolutely 100% in agreement. This is the equivalent of taking a new driver to an empty parking lot on a snowy day and letting them spin and slide until they learn what not to do. Getting good means learning all the different ways to fail and the few ways to succeed.
Nola
Well-known member
I agree with that, too, and kinda what i meant by "The sad truth is you will have to log a lot of hours to hear things. It's really annoying, but as things start to click it goes from annoying to interesting b/c you can start to achieve sounds you actually want rather than settle on default sounds."
During all those hours hopefully you're not just doing the same things but experimenting and developing ear/taste. Ashcat said it more clearly and direct, and he is right.
During all those hours hopefully you're not just doing the same things but experimenting and developing ear/taste. Ashcat said it more clearly and direct, and he is right.
ashcat_lt
Well-known member
TBH, most of my real noise work comes out of exactly this kind of thing and always have. I basically want to see what might happen if I do "this". In a way I like to abstract the process from the what others might think of as the goal of ending up with something that sounds like music and just explore the limits - and the subtleties - of the process itself. If it sounds cool, and especially if it sounds horrible, I release it.
david baker
New member
Couldn't agree more Experimentation is invaluable EVERYTING IS SUBJECTIVE Twist the rules and see what works .Who knows you may end up being the guy who comes up with something everybody else wants to do or re -create
andrushkiwt
Well-known member
This is good advice for most things in life, and certainly applies to mixing. I can tell you firsthand that Dr.'s and RN's do the same thing on a daily basis. Learning from mistakes is more applicable to real-world situations than reading from a book/watching a video.
Use videos/articles for general guidance, but use experience for your decisions. The only way to do that is to make mistakes, unfortunately.