assistance with levels problems

[DaveX]

I just released my second album (self-release) and I had some trouble with levels. I work with a Roland VS-880EX, and I record a wide variety of instruments, environmental sounds, etc. When I record, I always try to set my gain as high as possible, without digital distortion being present. But I sometimes have a hard time mixing the elements together and keeping a good sound at the really didn't have any good ways to boost them, which necessitated some MacGyver manuevers I would rather not have to repeat in the future. Can someone explain to me how to work with my levels, especially someone who realizes that I am mainly working with the VS-880EX and not having access to much outboard gear like mixing boards, etc..?

I'd be much obliged.

DaveX

[sjoko2]

the answer is with great difficulty unfortunately, you realy need something to mix on to make it work.

[DaveX]

Well, the 880 does have a mixing area, with the normal faders, etc... I was just trying to say that I'm not going to be able to sit down at some huge Mackie behemoth. I have quite good control over what can happen to the sound in mixing, I am just wanting to know more about how to go about doing it. I always seem to make things too loud, and have them fighting each other for volume. I'd like to be able to make quieter, more easily distinguishable sounds, that seem to compete less, yet still be heard in some fashion.

More or less, my mixes have been holding me back. It is the main area that I need to improve in at this time. I am getting to the point where I am able to realize my musical ideas, and capture the sounds that I am thinking of, but I am still having a hard time learning how to deal with these sounds once captured.

It's sort of hard to explain.

DaveX

[dobro]

Maybe your tracks aren't fighting each other for volume, but for EQ space. Maybe you have to sculpt the EQ of each track so that they all fit together like one big, happy family?

[DaveX]

This may be so. I have suspected that I may have too many things of similar frequencies, which may render them somewhat indistinguishable with one another. I complicate matters by generally not working with any normal instruments, so I often have odd sounds to begin with. Usually, though, I am trying to replicate sounds which seem like they could exist, because I can imagine them quite vividly.

I need to find a way to practice assembling sounds in such a way as to improve my recognition of their frequencies, and how they overlap each other from sound to sound. How do audio engineers get good at doing this?

(I suppose it is easy if you are trying to mix guitar, bass, drums, vocal... they are all sort of in their own area...) I need to be able to set everything in it's own place somehow... I don't want fighting noises.

DaveX

[Shailat]

There is a lot more to it then EQ.

You can start by understanding how to place instruments in a room and then move them around.

To explain how to mix is impossible and your going to have to work hard and experiment like hell but just try this at home.

Here is a OVERSIMPLIFICATION:

Panning left and right will bring your sound left and right (duh!!)

The use of volume will bring it back and foward in the room.
Lower-further, louder-closer

The use of EQ will make it higher or lower (high freq's-high etc...)
(among other things)
The use of reverb will put a room in a room. The more reverb, the further away it is.

The use of compression will focus a sound.

The use of delay will strech a sound as well as fatten it.

The use of a combination of the above factors will do even more things. Like....combine EQ with compression and a pan wih some reverb and you can bring your sound to the back top corner of a room.

And there is loads more !!!!

Give yourself a good 10 years at it

[Man]

DaveX,
Levels for digital recording are a controversial subject. My suggestion is to look over some of the articles I have linked to from:
http://www.studiocovers.com/articles8.htm
and search the 880 forum at
http://www.vsplanet.com/cgi-bin/ubb/Ultimate.cgi

One train of thought is that the old analog habit of keeping the levels as hot as you can doesn't carry over to digital recording. It may be that you are running out of headroom when you combine all those hot tracks.

Dan 880vxp