Three very big questions about mixing .....that have taken my life ...

And yes, one definitely has to be experienced to do a good job. Competence comes from experience. I surely wouldn't hire anyone who didn't have experience in what I hired them to do. That would be lack of competence right?

Anyway... You are an odd one garww. Still trying to figure you out.

Sorry to derail the thread. I shall neg rep myself now. Argh...

Almost got the impression you were talking about Washington D.C.. Lots of experience and little competence : )
 
Hey DevD,

It sounds like you've already received some good feedback. I agree with most, mixing isn't step-by-step, like using a cookbook. It's learning, trying, messing up, getting frustrated, trying agin, and then continuing to learn. It's tough, and not everyone can do it well. Wondering why your mixes don't sound like "professional" mixes would be like a little league player saying, "well why don't I perform as well as a Major league player?" It's about experience, time, passion and commitment.

The fact that you're posting on this forum means that your committed, so now you need to get some experience. Though, to be honest, it's a long road, and it can be super frustrating if you let it. Unfortunately it's hard to ask someone to write you out a solution to such a complicated, and subjective process. What you can do, however, is spend time finding techniques, and implementing them one by one. Try stuff out... a lot. Try stuff over and over again until you can not only perform it, but you understand what is happening conceptually. For example, you'll find a lot of YouTube videos that say something like, "get your kick and bass to break through the mix". Go and watch a few of those. You'll learn that when two things share very similar frequencies, sometimes you have to make room for both through EQ, multi-band compression, panning, leveling, depth, etc.

The reason we all hear the dreaded "muddy" descriptor over and over again, is because almost everything that makes a sound shares these muddy mid-frequencies. Now, not all of them are sharing the exact same frequencies, or we'd just tell you to cut "X" frequency, and it won't be muddy anymore. As you can see, explaining what's going on is difficult.

As for a reference track, I am much more surgical. I listen to how the kick sound, and compare it to mine. How do the guitars sound? What's their top-end like? Oh shit, did I just spend 8 hours mixing, and cut out too much high-end info? Where does the vocal sit? I also pull out an EQ on the master buss and play with high- and low-cuts; both on my track and the reference. I listen to the two and compare how they both sound when everything above 150hz is cut out. Does their track sound tight and clear? Does mine sound unfocused and blurry? Reference tracks are hugely valuable, are shouldn't be limited to comparing loudness and stereo spread. They bring you back to a controlled sound source, after soloing, EQing, tweaking, etc., your track for hours at a time.

My best advice to you is to find a working mentor. Someone who can let you watch them mix and share what they're doing while they do it.. and WHY their doing it. And then, practice over and over again... and again... and again. Keep in mind, the pros mix 8-10 hours a day between 4-6 days a week. Put in the time, enjoy the process, and keep your passion, and hopefully one day you'll help someone else learn to mix.

All the best!
 
Good advice here. First off, I feel your pain. There alot to learn. Alot if trial and error. Videos from the recording revolution have really helped, with so many techniques and so many different ways to achieve the same thing, it's good to step back and revisit the basics.
Here are some things I've learned :
Take breaks. Often. Don't spend too long on one thing, if you do, your ears will adjust to whatever frequencies your working on and after a while you'll find yourself chasing your tail.

Less is more. Especially with effects. U probably don't need 10 or more effects on every track, try to stick with the basic compression, eq, reverb etc and be intentional. Don't just throw on an effect because u have it. Sometimes a track doesn't need anything, it depends on how it relates to the rest of the tracks, which brings me to :
Don't spend too long on the solo button. Don't try to make the drums sound awesome, then make the bass sound awesome, then guitars etc, keep in mind mixing is getting everyone to behave together for the common good. For instance, a guitar might sound thin on its own but sits perfectly with everything else.
As far as mud, learn Thease two thibgs:
How to group tracks in busses and how to use sidechain compression.
Remember to carve out frequencies for each instrument.
For instance the kick drum and the bass guitar share a lot of the same frequencies so there's not usually a need to keep a bunch of mid-range and high frequencies on those instruments get rid of what you don't need do the same for the other side of the spectrum there's no need for a bunch of basing frequencies for a bright piano part for instance let everything have their space. There's a whole lot more to say but just remember the step back take breaks let everything have their own frequency range don't overdo the effects and by all means use a reference track. Compare your mix with a really good commercial song of the same genre. Broad and general will do. Don't try to copy. Oh and frequency analysis is good to have. Try voxengo span
 
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All you need to know is right there. Listen to tony Visconti video on david bowies heroes deconstruction-the individual tracks sound terrible because when it was recorded tony made space for each instrument by scooping out frequencies to create a tonal balance. If each of your tracks sounds "great" in solo its usually because your hearing all the frequencies the inst/vocal produced. when you add these great full frequency tracks together you pile up frequencies, and using samples with effects already on them piles even more buildup. to build a house takes cutting boards to different lengths and connecting them in a planned sequence. to build a mix each track has to be shaped using eq , compression ,volume, panning and phase relationships to fit together so that each part can be something that complements the others to support the resulting songs arrangement and hopefully get across the intended feeling/idea

Plus one the plus one. That's the basic idea right there
 
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All you need to know is right there. Listen to tony Visconti video on david bowies heroes deconstruction-the individual tracks sound terrible because when it was recorded tony made space for each instrument by scooping out frequencies to create a tonal balance. If each of your tracks sounds "great" in solo its usually because your hearing all the frequencies the inst/vocal produced. when you add these great full frequency tracks together you pile up frequencies, and using samples with effects already on them piles even more buildup. to build a house takes cutting boards to different lengths and connecting them in a planned sequence. to build a mix each track has to be shaped using eq , compression ,volume, panning and phase relationships to fit together so that each part can be something that complements the others to support the resulting songs arrangement and hopefully get across the intended feeling/idea

Don't depend so much on plug-ins. Try recording and mixing without them, and then only use what you really think you need (and always save a copy of your original, as insurance).

I agree with that too. After simple adjustments to levels and panning, your mix should sound at least pretty good on is own. Effects are meant to enhance an already good signal, not make a crappy recording sound good, although that can be done in some cases.
 
I agree with that too. After simple adjustments to levels and panning, your mix should sound at least pretty good on is own. Effects are meant to enhance an already good signal, not make a crappy recording sound good, although that can be done in some cases.

I have done way too much 'fixing' of poor recordings in recent years recorded at other home studios. Shit in is shit out, but there are things that can be done to fix. Not in anyway the best approach. A great learning experience for sure doing such, but it not ideal in any way. Get the shit right at the recording stage and it becomes almost easy.

I personally haven't had to do much of that lately as the bands have been recording in my studio have great tone already. It is a huge factor that I have acoustically treated rooms and time recording in them makes a huge difference.

It took me 5 years working/building my studio to think I have even half a clue. Room treatment and time have been the greatest benefits for me. At least how I have found for myself that I became better at this recording thing.
 
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