ntrack mixer shows clipping tracks.... help

[timandjes]

When I mix down, my NTrack mixer often shows that I'm clipping. To reduce or almost eliminate the clipping, I lower the volume of the clipping tracks.... But, then my final product is much quieter than commercial CD's.

How can I solve the clipping problem w/out sacrificing the final volume?

 

[JohnWaynesTeeth]

Goldwave

If it's really not loud enough for you, try downloading a wave editor like www.goldwave.com. Open your final mixdown .wav in the program and run the volume maximizer. Other programs have similar types of effects. There are different ways to do it as well like maximizing the loudest level or maximizing the average level, etc. You can also run a noise reduction algorithm and do some overall EQ tweaks in Goldwave. It's a little difficult to understand at first, but the quality is pretty good.

Pete

 

[Slackmaster2K]

Your problem, really, is that you're not very good at mixing yet. I know that sounds mean, but a good mix will really be pretty hot, and won't require a whole lot of limiting/maximizing. That's really what mixing is all about. Start thinking about how the various tracks are adding up, and learn to use tools like compressors to tame tracks that are a little jumpy. EQ is another very important tool to help things play nice, but try to get a good sound to start with instead of fixing things with EQ too much.

Start reading the mixing forum and practice. There is no special trick or single procedure to produce a good mix. You can use a maximizer/limiter on your final product to boost mean level a bit, but too much of that makes for some serious nastiness.

Slackmaster 2000

 

[timandjes]

Slackmaster, here's some specifics on what I'm doing. Tell me where I'm messing up.

Elect. keyboard track is run through an ART TPS Tube and the NTrack vumeters are just below red.

Drum track is recorded with oh condensers running through the ART TPS Tube, (it has two channels), & then to my mixer. Snare & bass are running directly into my mixer. NTrack vumeters are peaking slightly into the red. Then the mixer goes out to my rca analog in's of my Audiophile 2496 sound card.

vocal is run through my ART TPS Tube. NTrack vumeters are just below the red.

Then, without adjusting the tracks sliders, I draw the volume lines on each track so that all tracks can be heard in the proportion I'm looking for.

(Warning: I'm one of those BBE Sonic Maximizer fans.... I know that's a debatable topic on this sight & perhaps it's a testament to what you said earlier,... "I'm not that good at mixing yet."... Still, to me, my recordings sound better with it, than without it...)

Having that said,.... Next, I display the mixer and assign my BBE Sonic Maximizer plugin to the keyboard track using it's piano preset, then I assign it to the drum track using it's drum preset. I assign soft knee compression to the vocal track and (usually large hall reverb).

Next I go to the master channel and assign the BBE Sonic Maximizer set to it's mastering preset or either I assign compression, (usually not both). Last, I assign my db-l mastering limiter.

Then, I mix down, choosing the "create an mp3 also" box & 16 bit.

I'm unclear on whether to use effects like compressors & maximizers on the individual tracks AND on the master tracks, or whether I should just use them on the master track.

I know getting really good @ mixing and recording in general will take time, experience, and research from sources like this sight. I guess I'm pretty much in the research stage now.

Considering what I'm doing now, am I using NTrack appropriately?

I appreciate the help.

 

[Slackmaster2K]

I really can't tell you See, everybody asks questions like this when they're first starting out because they seem to think that there are certain procedures that are more valid than others. There's really no truth to that at all! Anything that you can do is a valid means to an end, as long as the end product is what you were going for.

If putting a sonic maximizer on a track or mix makes it sound better to you, then put a maximizer on a track. However I will say that sonic maximizers tend to fool a lot of people people. They simply boost frequencies that the ear has more difficulty with thereby tricking you into thinking you've added clarity, when you've justed added some....stuff.

Blah blah. You're using n-Track just fine, except for your fear of faders Your actual questions are more related to mixing in general than to n-Track specifically.

Regarding compression. If you put a compressor on the master channel, you're going to compress the entire mix. If you put a compressor on an individual track, you'll be compressing just that track. If you're not sure what you need, then don't use ANY compression at all, and I promise that one day you'll be listening to a track and you'll think, "man, I need to throw a compressor on there." In fact, try mixing for a while without using any effects at all...it'll boost your learning curve considerably because you won't have as many variables to screw with.

Here's what you should do: take a mix that you've been working on and think is pretty good. Upload it somewhere like nowhereradio.com, then post a link in the MP3 Mixing Clinic and ask people for constructive feedback. When people can actually hear what you've got, they can help you get to where you want to be. It's the best resource on this BBS!

And a tip: don't use the n-Track MP3 encoder (blade)...it sucks. A free step up would be something like SCMPX. I don't have a link so you'll have to google it.

I hope I didn't come across as being pompous....I'm just an amature myself. I do know that things will start to click for you if you keep at it, and you keep asking for specific help. One word of advise I can give is to hear the sounds you're trying to make before you try to make them. It's really very important that you start with a clear sonic goal, or you will never acheive any goals! Once you really know what sounds good and what sounds bad, you can start using all these tools at your disposal. I know when I first started I threw every effect I could at every track.

Slackmaster 2000

 

[timandjes]

Slackmaster, one more favor if I may ask.... I downloaded SCMPX and I've tried to read how to convert a wave file to MP3 but I'm obviously missing something... Could you tell me in "dummy terms"?

I'd really appreciate it....