Sidechain | Headroom | Layering

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keem85

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Hi folks!

So I'm working on my new project. Overall I am very happy with my mix.. However I've encountered some headroom issues even though my mix is great and all unnessesary mud are scooped away.. I am using iZotope Alloy 2 to acheive great sound and good compression.. I have set my master fader to -2db, and at most my project exceed -0,8db which is too high..

Next up I am to record some serious vocals with background choir and synth layers to make the soundscape more interesting.. I can't imagine how this will fit my already maxed out sound.
What would you do in my situation? My mix is great, mud is scooped away and it sounds perfect to my ears.... May I lower all my tracks with -6db? Or will this affect my sound quality...? I've also noticed that when I lower my track volumes, my track compressions get whacked big time..

Hope you guys have some advice on what to do with my already existing track, and how you would go about recording more material, as I am about to do..

EDIT: I forgot to also ask: Will sidechain help on headroom issues?

Regards
Kim
 
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You have to mix at conservative levels to begin with... I always avoid my master fader going past -6 if at all possible. Usually it hovers around -10 or lower. There is no sound quality difference between a sound that is barely audible and one that is just below clipping, except the volume level. Turn up the whole mix later..

You need to bring down all the faders now, but as you say that will mess up the input on your compressors and any other dynamics work you have done. The only way around it that I can think of is to subgroup tracks with some new busses. So try to find like instruments, and send them to a new bus, then lower those busses. This way the individual track faders aren't being adjusted, but just the final output.
 
Thank you sixer! That was a good advice. I will bus all my track to a pre-master channel and bring it down without messing up the dynamics.. I am hoping that my future tracks added will be fine. Maybe record them with -8db input or somthing like that
 
So, did you record everything too hot? Boost levels in the mix and never cut them? Use plugins that boost levels? How did this happen? Answer that to determine the best solution.
 
It's best practice to record peaks around -12 to -18. If you find it too soft, turn up your monitors.

Cheers :)
 
You recorded too hot, which caused the problem. But since it's too late, here are some ways to fix the problem.

Turn all the tracks down by 6db and turn the threshold on the buss compressor down by 6db.

Or

Add a group buss, copy the channel settings from the output buss to it and route all the channels to that. disable the compressor on the main buss. turn down the new group buss to get your bedroom back.

Of course, your compressor settings will change when you add a bunch more tracks anyway, so it might just be easier to pull all the channels back, add the new tracks and then start messing with the compression on the master buss.

Two things messed you up here:
1. Recording too hot and, therefore, mixing too hot
2. attempting process the mix buss to get a finished sound before you were finished with the song.

Its normally a better idea to mix the song with nothing on the mix buss, then open up the stereo mix in another session and start doing all the processing to finish it and get the final sound. They should be separate processes...mixing and mastering.
 
Thanks! I brought the whole mix down individually and adjusted the dynamics. It sounds great again. I'm just hoping there is room for vocals, backing choir, synths etc
 
keem85 said:
Thanks! I brought the whole mix down individually and adjusted the dynamics. It sounds great again. I'm just hoping there is room for vocals, backing choir, synths etc
Click to expand...

If there isn't, just turn everything down another 10db. You can never mix too low, only too hot, as you found out.
 
keem85 said:
Thanks! I brought the whole mix down individually and adjusted the dynamics. It sounds great again. I'm just hoping there is room for vocals, backing choir, synths etc
Click to expand...

That is a symptom of attempting to make a finished mix before you are finished adding parts. all the mix decisions should be made in the context of everything that will be in the mix.

For example, if the guitars end up fighting with the keys and you need to thin them out a bit, that will change the balance of the mix. That means that you will probably have to change the tone or level of other things and the result might not work with the buss compression the way it is set now. It is a lot of chasing your tail.

Get all the elements of the mix recorded - mix it - then add buss compression/limiting to get it louder and more solid. That should be three separate processes.
 
Why are your channel dynamics post fader? That is definitely not normal. You should be able to adjust channel volume without affecting anything inserted on the channel.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Why are your channel dynamics post fader? That is definitely not normal. You should be able to adjust channel volume without affecting anything inserted on the channel.
Click to expand...
The compressor he is talking about is on the mix buss.
 
Keem, to make it suuupper simple take this approach.

-Mute everything
-turn on just kick, lower kick till the signal hits at -10 (not the fader but the actual signal) use a trim plugin if you have to.
-Once you have the kick signal at -10 then select the snare and adjust to taste according to the kick
-Hi Hat, Cymbals OH same as follows.

Then set levels for everything else according to the drums. The drums are the foundation of your mix so if their loud everything else will be but if your start them at a decent level everything else will follow. Let this be your staple. I know your proly thinking ugghhh!! -10 thats low...Then turn your monitors up :D
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Well there's one of the OP's problems, trying to master before the mix is done.
Click to expand...

I think this can be a bit misleading though. If you mix into a buss comp, I don't think that should be considered "mastering".
I agree that this probably isn't the case here, but talking as if it shouldn't be done at all doesn't seem quite valid either.
 
sixer2007 said:
I think this can be a bit misleading though. If you mix into a buss comp, I don't think that should be considered "mastering".
I agree that this probably isn't the case here, but talking as if it shouldn't be done at all doesn't seem quite valid either.
Click to expand...

But he is using ozone, not just a buss compressor. Also, he is obviously attempting to get the buss compression perfectly tuned before he adds the rest of the instruments to the mix. He is definitely putting the cart un front of the horse.
 
sixer2007 said:
I think this can be a bit misleading though. If you mix into a buss comp, I don't think that should be considered "mastering".
I agree that this probably isn't the case here, but talking as if it shouldn't be done at all doesn't seem quite valid either.
Click to expand...

Okay then, OP's trying to mix into a compressor before all the tracking is done. And anyway, mixing into compression can be misleading and isn't a good idea for beginners.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
mixing into compression can be misleading and isn't a good idea for beginners.
Click to expand...

This is SO true, even tho mixing into a comp is standard practice for more experienced eng its not the best approach for beginners and... no not just cuz your beginners its because you dont know the sound and accustom to it. In the studio I mix into an API 2500 or sometimes the Chandler Ltd LTD-2. Plugin version WAV SSL Comp
or recently just into the PSP Nobel Q and no comp. But you want to get used to the sound to know what the compressor does and how it changes the sound.
 
Alot of posts here since last tine I checked.. To start with, I'm not new to mixing and my mix actually sound great as I stated but I had problems with headroom.. I used iZotope Alloy 2 which is NOT a mastering plugin. I used this on several tracks and this contributed to taking up alot of space. I rolled out all the mud I could and it sounds really clean.. One of the earlier advices helped me get the volume down to a reasonable level without being afraid of loosing quality, because that was my main concern in this matter. I also admit I have a bad habit of making mixdown before my track is complete.. I often find that if I'm working with a project that sounds crap, I loose interest in finishing it.. I think that's my reason I'm doing a "mixdown" once my core instruments are recorded :(

Thanks everyone! Alot of great advice here!
 
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