How to fix a mixed track with different volumes involved...?

[danny.solo]

Hi there, hope you're all well.

Ok, I've been practising more and more with mixing, however I still fall short with a few things...

A problem I now have with some of my tracks, is the fact that some of the track is quiet and the other is loud. How can I level off everything, without maxing the loud parts and without making the quiet bits sound odd?

The songs, for example, are simply one guitar and one vocal - recorded live. The vocals have a compressor running along side, as the vocalist ranges from quiet to loud quite a lot (same with the guitar in fact).

How can I solve this problem?
Thank you!
danny

 

[gecko zzed]

The first question is whether the loudness and quietness of the vocal and guitar tracks is a natural and reasonable aspect of the performance, or whether it is a result of, say, undeveloped or undisciplined performance skills.

If it is a natural and important part of the song, then why not just live with it?

If it is a result of a flaw in performance, then the best place to fix it is by repeating the performance until its right.

In fact, the best way to fix a mix is to get the performance right in the first place.

Having said that, you can use compression to control level variability. This is a matter of becoming familiar with how compression works. The best way to do this is to not apply any compression while recording, but to experiment with it during mixing. If you do it while recording, you can't undo it.

 

[danny.solo]

Thanks for the reply

I understand what you're saying, however I think the issue I have is that the mixed tracks I create, are a lot quieter than other tracks I have (from iTunes/CDs etc).

If I try to amplify my tracks to a desired volume I always have parts of the track that become maxed and distorted. If I concentrate on those parts first (for example, make them quieter or just not amplify them) I get a very odd sounding and not so smooth track...

So I guess what you're saying is correct, that the quite/loud parts are indeed part of the song, but the final result is just too quiet to listen along side other songs I've bought.

If that makes sense...

Thank you

 

[jimmy77611]

Sounds like your songs need to be mastered to me. One of the steps of mastering is taking a mixed down song from a studio, and bringing the level up to commercial standards. Google "audio mastering" and you will find a lot of info pertaining to this. This is a whole art form in itself, aside from recording, in my opinion.

 

[danny.solo]

Ok.
I've found some good guides and VSTs to help me along the way. Finally starting to get somewhere.

My next question is...
Whats the 'norm' of dB for a commercial song? (If that question even makes sense!)
How loud are they?

Thanks again

 

[dintymoore]

What I do is take a commercially made song that you like, something that sticks out from the rest as being loud and clear, and I put that right on a stereo track of the song I'm working on. It's usually muted, but I refer back to it and try to match my volume to it.

Use an AIF or WAV file, not an mp3 'cause they don't sound as good.

You can also look at the waveform of songs and visually compare them.

There is a point where, if the song is too loud, even if it's not distorted it will start to sound funny, like how they process ads on tv. The fine stuff like cymbals will be lost, so leave a bit of headroom at the top.

As far as a standard dB for songs, I've never heard of any and there's a lot of debate over what sounds best.

 

[RAMI]

What I do is take a commercially made song that you like, something that sticks out from the rest as being loud and clear, and I put that right on a stereo track of the song I'm working on. It's usually muted, but I refer back to it and try to match my volume to it.

So, you compare your raw, un-mastered tracks, to a finished, mastered 2-track, and try to match the volume???

Unless I'm not understanding, that seems like a recipe for disaster.

 

[dintymoore]

So, you compare your raw, un-mastered tracks, to a finished, mastered 2-track, and try to match the volume???

Unless I'm not understanding, that seems like a recipe for disaster.

I do the comparing primarily when I'm doing the mastering to two tracks. Up until that point the commercial track is muted.

Sometimes I'll compare it along the way too to see how I'm doing. The commercial track is routed straight to my power amp while the rest goes through a T.C. Finalizer, so it's like I'm thinking about the final master every step of the way.

As always there's no rules except no rules!

 

[RAMI]

I do the comparing primarily when I'm doing the mastering to two tracks.....

The commercial track is routed straight to my power amp while the rest goes through a T.C. Finalizer, so it's like I'm thinking about the final master every step of the way.

OK cool, I get it now. Makes more sense.

 

[Chibi Nappa]

Don't overthink this one. Compressors and whatever change your sound. Use them when you want to change your sound.

You can either: Record it again without volume changes in the actual performance.

Or you can: Manually slide the track volume up as you mix it.


Personally, I love sliding faders as I mix. Almost feels like I'm playing the board as an instrument.