Live Mixing and Recording using Analog Mixers

[jonahmano]

Hi guys

We are going to have a recording session. There will be two singers and three instruments. A digital workstation, an accoustic guitar and a steel guitar. All these go into Yamaha MG 16/6 FX mixer and there on to recording device and there won't be any post mixing after that.

I'd like you to guide me with best mixing technic using the above analog mixer.

1. I'd like to know about the fader volume percentage to be used for vocals and the instruments

2. Pan setting for the instruments and vocals

3. EQ settings for the individual faders and also Main Graphic Eq at the master level.

4. Effects or reverb setting (like gate, hall, vocal reverb, room, etc) to be used for both vocal and instruments.


Thank You very much.

 

[stevieg11]

There's no formula for what you want. I can't tell you to have your lead vocal fader at -7dB and your slide guitar panned 62% left at -5.5dB. It all depends on what your set up is. You'll have to have some form of monitoring system in place so you can play through a few times whilst an engineer gets a good mix.

I'd suggest trying to set up the desk and monitoring system in a different room so the live sound doesn't affect the sound from the speakers.

Once it's all set up like this, microphone position will be a key factor on each instrument because of any spill, general room positioning in relation to eachother etc..

If you're using room mics as well as close mics then you'll have to pan the close mics in accordance with the stereo image created by the room mics.

EQ is completely subjective for each instrument and each mic used in different parts of the room. If it's not bright enough, add some high end and if it's too bright, take some away.

Reverb might not be necessary if you're using room mics. And if you aren't, then use a room reverb if you want it to sound like it's in a room. Hall reverb to imitate a hall...
As for send levels, the more reverb, the further away the instrument sounds. Generally you may want the vocals to be close up to the listener, ie. less reverb, and then the guitars a little further away.

It's all about experimenting when you have everything set up.

 

[mjbphotos]

I assume you are in the band, not with the 'studio'. Isn't there going to be an engineer? Why are you trying to mix live with no post-recording mixing? If this is to save money and you are just looking for some demos, great, but you might do better just to record a live performance with something like a Zoom recorder.
Like StevieG said, there are no 'magic numbers' - no one can tell you where to set anything, every situation/band/mic set/instrument/recording room is different.

 

[jonahmano]

There's no formula for what you want. I can't tell you to have your lead vocal fader at -7dB and your slide guitar panned 62% left at -5.5dB. It all depends on what your set up is. You'll have to have some form of monitoring system in place so you can play through a few times whilst an engineer gets a good mix.

I'd suggest trying to set up the desk and monitoring system in a different room so the live sound doesn't affect the sound from the speakers.

Once it's all set up like this, microphone position will be a key factor on each instrument because of any spill, general room positioning in relation to eachother etc..

If you're using room mics as well as close mics then you'll have to pan the close mics in accordance with the stereo image created by the room mics.

EQ is completely subjective for each instrument and each mic used in different parts of the room. If it's not bright enough, add some high end and if it's too bright, take some away.

Reverb might not be necessary if you're using room mics. And if you aren't, then use a room reverb if you want it to sound like it's in a room. Hall reverb to imitate a hall...
As for send levels, the more reverb, the further away the instrument sounds. Generally you may want the vocals to be close up to the listener, ie. less reverb, and then the guitars a little further away.

It's all about experimenting when you have everything set up.

Thank you very much for your replies. Actually mics are given only to the singers and the instruments have their own connectors. Both the yamaha arranger keyboard and the guitars have their outputs so no mic is going to be used for the instruments.

The mixer is Analog one and there are altogether only 5 inputs. 2 vocal and three instruments.

I understood that by giving reverb then instruments will be far from the listener if then I will have less reverb on vocals than instruments.

Please can you suggest more. I have understood a lot by your reply, I wish you could enlighten a bit more.

The drums and few instruments are coming from the inbuilt rhythm pattern of the Yamaha keyboard apart from the two guitarists.

The scenario is a small rectangular hall and the musicans will have one monitor to listen to what they perform which is aux out and the both main out - left channel and the right channel from the analog mixer will be sent to the recording device.

I assume you are in the band, not with the 'studio'. Isn't there going to be an engineer? Why are you trying to mix live with no post-recording mixing? If this is to save money and you are just looking for some demos, great, but you might do better just to record a live performance with something like a Zoom recorder.
Like StevieG said, there are no 'magic numbers' - no one can tell you where to set anything, every situation/band/mic set/instrument/recording room is different.

It's like an amateur band and there is no engineer here. We want to make use the best of what we have. Guys are singing some cover and their own written songs and present them on youtube.

As I have read behind the cd covers that vocals will be on left channel and the instruments on the right channel. I thought guys here could suggest something that people naturally do to harmonize the whole orchestration. Please do lend me what you do and hope something good may come.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

1. I'd like to know about the fader volume percentage to be used for vocals and the instruments

2. Pan setting for the instruments and vocals

3. EQ settings for the individual faders and also Main Graphic Eq at the master level.

4. Effects or reverb setting (like gate, hall, vocal reverb, room, etc) to be used for both vocal and instruments.

The answer to all of the above is "whatever sounds best to you". Without an engineer in an isolated control room all you can do is record, listen back, make adjustments and record again. Hopefully you can get a good mix and a good performance in the same take before you all get sick of playing the song.

 

[PRHunt]

Do some critical listening (preferably on a good stereo system) of bands that you consider influential. Try to tease apart the various components of the sound by listening: placement of sound on the soundstage, reverb, evidence of compression or eq (might be subtle, might be bad?) - things like that. This could help you conceptualize what you might want to achieve in your own sound.

I believe that in _any_ audio endeavour - as a musician, engineer, or audience - it is vital to become proficient with your most important item of equipment, your ears.

Some things can be done as "paint by the numbers". Good audio, I think, can not.