EQ sweep

mixsit said:
...
And (try :) 'sweep' just to determine the center and width of what you hear sticking out. Not the other way around.
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Well, that's part of the problem. I don't hear it as I mix. I hear it in the car system when played loudly or quietly. Yes, quietly. When very low, the songs freqs that are most apparent, as far as the guitars go, are the upper mids and higher. To me.

Then there's the fact that a few ppl with good ears point out the guitars and their upper mid quality. So, I check in the car, and I can hear it when played at extremes in either direction. But when I sit and mix, I don't.

So I use my ears and eyes. I sweep through those mids and sure enough a ton of spots pop out at me. Since theres so many in that region, I first try the amp heads treble and presence. When that doesn't work, I resort to a few cuts in only the worst areas.
 
andrushkiwt said:
Well, that's part of the problem. I don't hear it as I mix. I hear it in the car system when played loudly or quietly. Yes, quietly. When very low, the songs freqs that are most apparent, as far as the guitars go, are the upper mids and higher. To me.

Then there's the fact that a few ppl with good ears point out the guitars and their upper mid quality. So, I check in the car, and I can hear it when played at extremes in either direction. But when I sit and mix, I don't.

So I use my ears and eyes. I sweep through those mids and sure enough a ton of spots pop out at me. Since theres so many in that region, I first try the amp heads treble and presence. When that doesn't work, I resort to a few cuts in only the worst areas.
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Dood, if I had the money to spare I would buy you better monitors. You have described the exact reason for investing in a good pair.

I used to struggle so much with translation. I still check in my van, likely because of habit but it is much easier now...
 
jimmys69 said:
Dood, if I had the money to spare I would buy you better monitors. You have described the exact reason for investing in a good pair.
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++++++1

andrush - are you still using headphones to monitor? What you are describing is a result of bad monitoring - if you can't hear the problem when mixing, then you have to do what you are doing - take a copy to other systems and listen on them, then figure out how to compensate when you are mixing. You shouldn't need to do a bunch of narrow-band EQ subtractions, though, just a broad EQ reduction will usually work.
 
garww said:
For this recent commentary about new monitors, I'd seriously consider the mix cube thing -
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I cannot disagree with this in any way. There have been sets of monitors used throughout the growth of "guitar driven music" that have been instrumental in getting the distortion to sit and behave in a mix.

Auratones. Yamaha NS-10's. Celestion Model 3's. JBL L100's. These are the ones I have heard most in pro level studios I have visited. I have personally owned NS-10's and a single "Horrortone" I would switch into mono to check the guitars with.

The thing is....Once you 'learn' how these frequencies sit with your monitors, you'll know how to deal with them. This can lead to a new set of monitors, or a second set as described. Auratone style boxes are cheapest of all of them and upon firt listen you will think, "These sound like crap!!" Which is true....but the mids and the guitars will stick out like a sore thumb and make it much easier to work out the problems.
 
I've had a lot of full range speakers over the years and they can vary. But mostly, they let you hear the mids. I have many sets, I don't mind listening to. The old radios and the suitcase recorders
8389665963_224f1249a3.jpg


Oh, if you have a radio, you can trans your music over a $50 radio station
 
andrushkiwt said:
Well, that's part of the problem. I don't hear it as I mix. I hear it in the car system when played loudly or quietly. Yes, quietly. When very low, the songs freqs that are most apparent, as far as the guitars go, are the upper mids and higher. To me.

Then there's the fact that a few ppl with good ears point out the guitars and their upper mid quality. So, I check in the car, and I can hear it when played at extremes in either direction. But when I sit and mix, I don't.

So I use my ears and eyes. I sweep through those mids and sure enough a ton of spots pop out at me. Since theres so many in that region, I first try the amp heads treble and presence. When that doesn't work, I resort to a few cuts in only the worst areas.
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And to this I'd offer- My 'van's system has it's sound as well that does something similar. It tends to have a rather 'sharp presentation up in the high mids. Vs my monitors this one shoves some verbs forward. I know and can understad the tone aspect but that part is sort of weird. But I have learned to watch out for it.
But the up shot here is, we need to be aware -in this case of how ('where) both systems run tonally.
Yesterday on the way to a gig I decided to make a dedicated 'Van ref thumb drive to have handy checking mixes there.
 
garww said:
I've had a lot of full range speakers over the years and they can vary. But mostly, they let you hear the mids. I have many sets, I don't mind listening to. The old radios and the suitcase recorders
8389665963_224f1249a3.jpg


Oh, if you have a radio, you can trans your music over a $50 radio station
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I want an 'Optimod (is that the name?) with three or four 'station's style process presets. Now we're talkin. :D
 
mixsit said:
I want an 'Optimod (is that the name?) with three or four 'station's style process presets. Now we're talkin. :D
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Ya, I secretly want to pirate radio to the donkeys and asses out here. I secretly listen to Spanky and Our Gang, so anyone within 50-foot is in DANGER !
 
jimmys69 said:
Dood, if I had the money to spare I would buy you better monitors. You have described the exact reason for investing in a good pair.

I used to struggle so much with translation. I still check in my van, likely because of habit but it is much easier now...
Click to expand...


Thanks Jimmy. I'm getting some soon.
 
They have made "improvements" over the years that scare me a little. I think I would prefer something that didn't need to sound better. Behringer had cheaper models. I showed a radio, 'cause that is what showed up in the control room. Lightweight and quick speakers
 
Maybe covered already but if/when I sweep as you're describing, I'm not looking for something that sounds nasty.
More or less everything will sound nasty when pushed far enough.

I'm looking for something that rings.

If there's a precise frequency and multiples thereof that audibly ring or resonate, that's what I'll be cutting down.

I have a bass guitar that is terrible for this - I saved a custom eq that gets put on by default because the thing just resonates wildly at certain frequencies.
With acoustic recordings you'll find, in time, that the same frequencies are coming up over and over again with different microphones and sources.
That's coming from the room.

Don't be tempted to just slice things right out, btw. A few db here and there can take the edge off.
 
cavedog101 said:
Yes. Those. Although these newer version aren't nearly as brutal as the original ones.
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To me, I was suspicious of what A-tone was trying to do in the first place. I don't think they should be painful, just missing fidelity. Foremost, was getting something good sounding on that two-ton portable radio called a car - that is five tube watts on a 6x9. My first stereo after the portable swing-out, detachable stereo speakers record player was the 5-inch in a sealed box .
 
I have an avantone mixcube, love it but I can't judge anything under 200Hz on it. It's small and useful at low volumes though so that plus headphones could be a good combo for apartment mixing.
 
easlern said:
I have an avantone mixcube, love it but I can't judge anything under 200Hz on it. It's small and useful at low volumes though so that plus headphones could be a good combo for apartment mixing.
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Thanks, after I read this thread yesterday, I kept checking them out and noticed the comments elsewhere about it's lack of low end. I have no subs, and don't want any. I might pass on these and grab something more reliable across the spectrum. Yeah, I could use my phones, but I'd only want those to double check things, not judge a mix's entire low end with it.

However.... if you no longer want em', and would sell em', let me know. :) Shipping would be low between us.
 
I couldn't let it go. :) I use it with a pair of full range monitors (switching between them.) If a couple sources are fighting for room in the mids the mixcube makes it more obvious. Mid levels are pretty easy to balance on it too. I do need the full range monitors for lows though.
 
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