Mixing - Mastering Trade off (dynamic range)

davecg321

New member
Hey

I have been reading many articles recently with regards to the art of mixing, and how we should mix to conservative levels (not overloading the master buss) which in turn undeniably causes our mixes to sound more natural, transparent, and dynamic. Many articles claim to save the "loudness" part to the mastering stage. However, with this in mind I also came across the following article

Master a song loud, without killing it stone dead

in which he explains NOT to make your mix "loud" at the mastering stage (using compressors/limiters, which cause dynamic range to "squish") but instead to aim in achieving a "louder mix," thus using less compression/limiting when it finally comes to mastering your song.


So ideally (from what i can fathom) we should really be mixing and mastering at very conservative levels to achieve a "good" dynamic range and "good" overall perceived volume?

any thoughts

dave
 
I didnt read the article, but I tend to control the dynamic range of the instruments in the mix, so nothing is jumping way out above everything else. This means that during mastering the limiters do not have to beat back all these huge transients, which makes the mix survive the mastering process a lot better.

By controlling the individual instruments, or groups of instruments, the mix will still sound natural and dynamic because each instrument is still separate from the next. So there is still 'air' around it.

I suppose if I normalized my mixes, they would be louder than somone elses normalized mixes. But I do not worry about the volume of the mix, unless it's getting close to clipping. (which happens occasionally on mixes with a high track count)
 
And as I've worked on about eleventy-bazillion of Farview's mixes, I can tell you that he does it "properly" (if there is such a thing). His mixes have dynamics and contrast while being "under control" from excessives.

On the flip-side, I get an awful lot of stuff in that's "pre-squashed at the source" and that just doesn't cut it -- Not just on the loudness level, but on every other level. Oversaturated, unresponsive to EQ and dynamics control, skewed imaging, skewed spectral response -- Those turn into nightmares real quick-like.

The "secret" - as it has always been, is to serve the mix.
 
I have been reading many articles recently with regards to the art of mixing, and how we should mix to conservative levels (not overloading the master buss) which in turn undeniably causes our mixes to sound more natural, transparent, and dynamic.

Just plain wrong. Mixing with conservative levels simply prevents clipping the master bus. You can still kill or preserve the dynamics while not clipping the master bus.
 
Yes, recording with conservative levels will keep you from overcooking the analog path on the way to the converters, which will make everything sound more natural, etc...

When mixing, conservative levels, as Boulder said, just keeps you from clipping the master buss.

Proper gain staging needs to be used throughout the process. It is important at every stage of the process.
 
I would try not to confuse making a loud mix with leaving headroom, you can have a plenty loud mix with plenty of headroom on the master output without the use of limiting. Most important is a good mix whether it is loud or not, that is the real goal and the one most hard to achieve.

cheers

Barry Gardner
SafeandSound Mastering
Mastering FAQ video + audio examples
Mastering blog
 
to have 'dynamics', you have to have a decent CREST factor.

the trick, is to make the right decision, about how far to limit the crest factor of any given individual track, and then the whole collective.

if you manage all of your peak levels flat at tracking, and mix them all together, the only way you'll get any dynamics back, is through clever arrangements and mix decisions.

there are many ways to skin the cat, but you want your tracks to breathe a bit, IF you want dynamics.

otherwise, you could just put a brickwall limiter across every track, and mix it all to one level. voila, done.

but that sounds boring.

listen to old classic rock albums that have TONS of dynamics on them.

they sound great.

they are quiet compared to modern mixes, yeah, sure, but they sound better.

IF you want dynamics.
 
Mixing and mix down at very conservative levels to achieve a "good" dynamic range and "good" overall perceived volume YES YES YES Dave. Then when it comes to mastering you will have a choice for where you want to take the song because you have left some headroom. You can then do one of four things;
1. Process using every dynamic effect including the kitchen sink
2. Do nothing
3. Use the mastering effects in moderation (I recommend)
4. Just amplify the level enough before clipping starts.

With all the articles and good advice I have read and heard I find the very best way forward is to mix/master two or three different variations then.. (now here is the most important part) have a break and listen back to back to the different versions and we will come to our best conclusion much quicker and more effortlessly with fresh ears...

We know how our music should sound
:-) Benny
 
Back
Top