okay, ive finished mixing but im a little stuck?

[Cloneboy Studio]

Since I've offered some criticism I'll back it up with some advice:

This is how I approach a mixdown--first off, I'm planning for my *MASTER* before I ever press record. I chart out the number of anticipated tracks I'm going to be recording based on the song/instrumentation and how I'm going to be miking elements. Once I have a track count I calculate the volume level I need to be recording at; the reason I do this is so whether I have 16, 24 or 128 tracks my mixdown will comfortably hit a -6db volume level.

My formula: 24 tracks = record at -12db, and for every additional 24 tracks reduce volume by 3db. (So 48 tracks at -15db each).

This is a quick and dirty rule that takes into account compression, the fact that some elements may be *far* down in the mix and so forth. It is a good rule of thumb that will get you close to the goal of a -6db summed mixdown.

After everything is recorded I will mix with the goal in mind that -6db is the absolute peak the recording can get to, allowing for the occasional spike that may hit at -4db or so.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES LET ANYTHING EVEN COME CLOSE TO CLIPPING IN YOUR MIXDOWN!

Lately I've been putting a few light effects on my mixdowns, typically Analog Channel 1 and 2, to simulate a mixdown to 2" tape. Every once in a while (and for heavier music styles) I may feel that the Bombfactory Slightly Rude Compressor used very, very lightly benefits a track on mixdown.

Once you have the mixdown set the master should be easy if you did your job right and didn't clip anything, and the mix already sounds great. Slap on some light compression, maybe a little bit of EQ, maybe tighten the extreme low end with a filter, slam the levels a bit with some peak limiting like the Oxford Inflator (what I use) and call it a day.

There are rules (like digital clipping = bad), but they are easy to follow and even a noob with halfway decent ears can hear that it's bad.

 

[jamtheguitarman]

maybe tighten the extreme low end with a filter,

care to elaborate? how do you go about doing this?

I mix in the red all the time, and to my mixes are clear, thumping, and not distorted.

it was either my crappy computer speakers or the song i put on had a ton of distortion on the snare, every hit.

 

[Cloneboy Studio]

care to elaborate? how do you go about doing this?

In general, most frequencies below 40hz are worthless as far as playback/reproduction is concerned. The amount of energy required to create those freq's--which aren't often reproduced by most speakers--can sap your mix of vitality, punch and power.

Because those freq's are sometimes hard to accurately gauge and hear, I will often take a peek with a spectrum analyzer to see how much attenuation you need.

Actually performing the tweak is simple: throw in an Oxford EQ HP/LP filter and set it up with a slope befitting how much sub-bass you need to lose.

 

[tommy mas]

thanks for the feedback, and i appreciate all the criticism because that only makes me better..

but...

to me, and i am sure you guys have much better ears, my mixes dont sound distorted, they sound fine..

this has been gone over a million times, but the reason i always mix in the red, and to my ears it doesnt sound distorted, is that it is simply not loud enough when kept around -6 db in the mix. so just by adding compression and limiters that will boost the final volume in my mix????

 

[jamtheguitarman]

well the frustration kicked in today. id pretty much got it finnished but for some reason everything got louder at one point. after trying to figuer out what happened i relised all my multi-band compresor settings had set back to Zero . i have absolutly no idea why. hopefully i will be done tommorow.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

to me ... my mixes dont sound distorted, they sound fine..

Then you need new ears -- your mixes are horribly distorted....

so just by adding compression and limiters that will boost the final volume in my mix????

Yes..... but it's also easy to overdo it and introduce another form of distortion - a completely lifeless mix due to over-squashed dynamics...

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

this has been gone over a million times, but the reason i always mix in the red, and to my ears it doesnt sound distorted, is that it is simply not loud enough when kept around -6 db in the mix. so just by adding compression and limiters that will boost the final volume in my mix????

I'm going to repeat this one last time, Tommy, please read it this time:

It's called "mastering" (technically, more accurately, "pre-mastering".) It is a full one third of the the entire process. The first third is the recording, or tracking. The second is the mixing. The thrid is "mastering", and it's what needs to be done after mixing down to stereo.

It's not as simple as just boosting the volume, though that is often a big part of it. It's not as simple as just "throwing compressors and limiters on the mix", though that is also often involved. It's not as simple as throwing some EQ at the mixdown, though that often is part of mastering as well. Mastering is a process, an application of techniques, just as mixing is and just as recording is.

Once again, let me suggest that you do a little study (it's almost Back To School time anyway ). Start by searching this board for threads related to mastering. There is a whole slew of great discussions on this topic with lots of good information. You also might want to check out a book from your library or bookstore called "The Mastering Engineer's Handbook." It is readily availble at just about any Border's bookstore if your library doesn't have it.

Armed with this information you'll learn how to use those compressors and limiters (and how NOT to), how to prep your mix for a good mastering job before you even get to the mastering, when to your your comps, limiters, EQs and whatever whizbang toys you may have in what order, and - maybe most importantly for you right now - how to get the maximum volume out of your mixes *and* the maximum sound quality at the same time, without having to clip, distort or anything else undesireable like that. And, maybe along the way you'll also be able to hear the huge difference between what your mix sounds like now and what it can sound like when mastered well.

Mastering/pre-mastering is one of the least understood and least appreciated phases of the production processes. It is also one of the hardest to be *really good* at. But its is just as important as any of the others.* Most of us are still learning and practicing it (myself included). So why don't you come and join us on the adventure?

G.

* To others reading this thread: I know the whole tracking before all else issue guys, and I agree. But that's off-topic for this thread; just let this statment go by for now OK?

 

[tommy mas]

Thanks for the help, and taking the time...

 

[tommy mas]

instead of mastering myself, would it be a good idea to track and mix myself, and keep everything around -6db, and then send out my mix to be mastered ?????

 

[NL5]

instead of mastering myself, would it be a good idea to track and mix myself, and keep everything around -6db, and then send out my mix to be mastered ?????

Yes!

(I know it's redundant, but that mix is clipping something terrible)