Mix too bassy on other system...

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Myriad_Rocker

Myriad_Rocker

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I know I don't have the best monitors in the world...in fact, they're not monitors at all....the music sounds killer on my computer where I'm mixing but when I take it to my car, it's way too bassy. Specifically when a distorted guitar palm mutes.

The monitors are going to be the first thing I upgrade in my recording setup but for right now, I have to work with what I have.

So...any suggestions on what I should do?

Thanks in advance!
 
Look for some type of rta plug-in. Their are free ones around I think. Since you cant hear the bass look at it. Then GET MONITORS. :)
 
Looking at the bass on an analyzer is a great tool and will help you, but in real time you can to go back forth from your mix station to you car or home stereo to find out how much bass you need to reduce on your present monitoring system when you mix since your mixing something you cant hear otherwise. Once you get that curve like you like it, look at the analyzer, remember or write down the readings, and use that as a reference on your following mixes, until you get something you can hear with.The price is having to listen to your mixes with an anemic low end while working in your recording rig. Even some good used home stereo speakers would be better than the pc desktops. It`s kinda cool weather to be running back and forth to the car.
 
Oh, I'm not mixing on PC speakers. They're stereo speakers. I've got the SPDIF out going to a power amp and then going to two speakers and a sub woofer.

I'll try the analyzer.
 
I got the Waves bundle for X-Mas....so...this analyzer....how do I use it? Is it the PAZ Analyzer?

Cause I'm sitting here looking at it...and it makes no sense to me.

I do see that I have some phasing issues though....I know where that's coming from though.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
 
In the PAZ, If you clik on the "load" button and select "slow stereo", select 10hz for the "LFrez". It will show you where your problem frequencies are. Most likely from about 80 hz and lower. Your monitor system probably can`t reproduce those frequencies well so you don`t get to hear them until you get in the car and the subwoofer kicks in and uses the car as an enclosure. You can use your equalizer to adjust them down to get rid of the mud.
 
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(A) 90% of the time, overtones from guitar mutes are caused by the guitar tone.

(B) Read the maual(s) front-to-back on the Waves stuff. If you're not certain how to use it, that's a lot of rope to hang yourself with.

(C) Use your ears - Not your eyes. Get good sounds at the source - There's no substitute for this method, and it works basically every single time.
 
What is the full name of the Waves bundle you are referring to? It sounds like handy software to have. TIA

Fendophile
 
palm mutes...............

when you palm mute a distorted guitar it throws out a huge signal which can be controlled with a limiter somewhat. What I do is make sure it's not redlining and shrink just the section that booms on the wave editor. Hook up a subwoofer so you can hear the lows. In recording with cheap speakers for monitors you'll tend to mix the bass and guitar too strong and it will sound shitty on other systems. When mixing I just kind of "rule of thumb" the drums bouncing at about -1 db max, the guitar just under -3db max, bass -6 db max, and vocals right at -3db, just over the guitar. I compress the hell out of the bass and eq it in the 200 kz range to smooth it out. Loud bass will kill your mix. Depending on the song, this is just where I start and some songs, I have to kill the bass even more than -6 and even -9 to keep it from overtaking the song. Now, sometimes when the bass is following the guitar note for note, that mix will suffer, because the volume will seem to increase on both instruments when the same note is played.(I don't know why). I always eq my guitar somewhere around the 2k to 4k range and bring it up about +4 to +6 db in that freq to make it a little different sounding than the bass. This will allow you to turn the guitar and bass down even more, but they will still remain audible enough to still drive the song. Experiment, I'm not an expert, but this has helped my music tremendously.
 
This is a common problem with heavier guitar players. They love to get that Marshall and Mesa stack just jacked up in the lows. Listen to albums..... That woof isn't there for a reason. A lot of the heavy low toned guitar sound on heavier albums actually comes form layering, drop tuning, and the the bass player helping to fill tightly with the guitar players. I would say try a high pass filter set all the way up to like 160. Then I would even give that guitar track a little bump up at about 3khz to help reclaim some of that aggresion and volume that the HPF may have made you feel you have lost.
 
Use your ears - Not your eyes.

Words to live by, John.

Going back to the initial question, you must have a decent monitoring setup because every deficiency will come and bite you on the butt when you play back on another system. Is your monitor too trebly? You'll mix to that, and it'll sound dull on another system. Do you monitor with a slammin' sub? Too bad: there'll be no bass on another system. Whatever you have too much of you'll not have enough of when you play it back somewhere else, and vice versa. The only way around the problem is to do a mix, burn a CD, try out the mix on different players (car, living room, boom box) and repeat as necessary. You will appreciate that it's a hell of a lot easier to improve your monitors first.
 
I have attached a screen shot of what my PAZ Analyzer is showing....what the heck does it mean? I've read the manual and I'm just not sure.

Also, I mixed down the whole song and I have to plug-in on the mix down. Is this not correct?
 
Okay, I've done some EQing and all that. Reading in the manual has helped and the tips and tricks section is cool.

I have EQed on the guitars and taken out quite a large bit of "thumpy" bottom end but I notice that it's still punchy which is good. I've also EQed the kick drum but I can't seem to get the attack and thump of the kick that I would like. When comparing it to commercial releases, the kick just has an attack that hits you in the chest and I want that.
 
yeah that huge peak area over around 110hz is your thumpy awkward sounding low end. You could have that in the real low end, around 60 - for somethin like rap - for big bass with subs and stuff like that. but that 110 starts to sound boomy if it's that loud.
 
Congratulations! I`m glad you get some resolve on that issue. Now your ready to start checking out the other 7/8ths of the eq spectrum. :)
 
This might help you monitor better with your current setup: Grab a couple CDs that you think are mixed very well, CDs that you're very familiar with and use them as reference CDs. Listen to them on your current setup and make some notes about how your monitoring setup reproduces the sounds differently than you're used to hearing them. This way you'll get to know the exact limitations of your current setup. Peace.
 
Myriad_Rocker said:
I know I don't have the best monitors in the world...in fact, they're not monitors at all....the music sounds killer on my computer where I'm mixing but when I take it to my car, it's way too bassy. Specifically when a distorted guitar palm mutes.

The monitors are going to be the first thing I upgrade in my recording setup but for right now, I have to work with what I have.

So...any suggestions on what I should do?

Thanks in advance!
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Often times the proximity effect caused by miking a cabinet too close helps to contribute to this. Try micing about a foot away and it should help.

If this is after the fact, try sidechaining a compressor (or multi-band comp) tuned to the frequency of the bump, fairly quick attack and release.
 
masteringhouse said:
Often times the proximity effect caused by miking a cabinet too close helps to contribute to this. Try micing about a foot away and it should help.

If this is after the fact, try sidechaining a compressor (or multi-band comp) tuned to the frequency of the bump, fairly quick attack and release.
Click to expand...



Thanks, but I don't mic my guitar cab. I record everything direct with a Line 6 Vetta II. I'm using the SPDIF out. I'm pretty happy with the sound I'm getting. Not as happy as I would be recording my tube amp at full volume with a great ribbon mic, but I work with what I can afford and what is practical for me. :)
 
Actually, if it's any kind of heavier rock, the over curve in the picture you posted isn't too far off. There does seem to be a pretty good high end lack at about 8khz and up though. I would try knocking a little bit of 160 off your kick, and give it a nice little boost at 3k and at 8k. That should help it a little. You may even need to turn it down a bit after that.
 
I didn't see this suggestion anywhere..............how about putting in some bass traps in your mixing room? Or do you have them already? Your mixing room needs to be "tuned" so what you mix in your studio, transfers to other stereo systems well. You may already be set up that way, just a suggestion.
 
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