Recording Levels, etc.

[jonmorri]

Hi all. I am new here. I have had a home recording setup for a few years now and am totally depressed with how awful my stuff sounds!

I have a Fostex MR-8 that I record in to. I have come to realize that a lot of my problems stem from the fact that I have no clue what I am doing.

For instance - I can get my tracks to sound pretty good relative to each other when I play them back and listen through the headphones plugged into the MR-8. But then - when I mixdown to a WAV and put it on the PC and listen - it is AWFUL. The drums are way to loud, the guitar sounds really muddy, etc.

Please help! What is the right way to do this? I like recording into the MR-8. It is an interface I understand.

Should I just record the tracks there - then transfer the WAV files for each track to the PC and mix there? Also - what is the deal with "levels"? I see that the MR-8 has -12 dB, 0 dB, +6dB, etc - but i don't know what the "right level" is. I make all the tracks the same level - but that seems sort of meaningless overall.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[89gtsleeper]

A few different possibilities... first and foremost... if it sounds good on your headphones, and not on your regular speakers... one of those components is probably not well suited for what you are doing... probably the headphones. If professionally recorded cds normally sound good on your speakers, then the headphones are the problem. Most headphones have dips and peaks at certain frequencies, so the bass for instance might sound good to you, but only because it is exaggerated on your phones... so when you put it on speakers that aren't so exaggerated, it sounds like there is no bass... same thing for other frequencies also. A good set of "Studio" headphones for mixing will have a very flat and true frequency response.

Now for your levels when you mentioned the +6, -12, 0, etc... I assume that is in addition to the actual fader, correct? If so, leave them all probably at 0 and adjust the faders accordingly to get the best sound.

Really the last thing I suggest is learning your components, and knowing how to adjust levels, eq, etc... If you know the bass sounds weak on your final product, you have to learn to move the bass up even if it doesn't sound good to you while mixing on your headphones. The more you do this, the easier that will get, but starting with quality components will make it much easier.

 

[jonmorri]

Cool. Thanks for the reply. That makes total sense about the headphones. So is there a "name" for equipment that doesn't enhance certain frequency ranges? Or are they just called "flat reponse" or something?

Also - my MR-8 has faders for each track. The faders have a "sweet spot" that has extra markings and is about 80% up the slider. However, when I look at the realtime display for the track - the actual dB reading varies widely based on the input.

So, it sounds like I need some good reference headphones and monitors. Is it possible to just mix using headphones? Or do you really need monitors?

Is it better to mix tracks on the PC or directly on the MR-8?

 

[danny.guitar]

Hard to be specific without hearing any of your music. If you can, upload an MP3 here: www.lightningmp3.com

The best thing you can do is get everything recorded well. The tracking stage is the most important part and will have the biggest impact on the end result. If something is wrong with how you recorded something, change your mic placement, use a different mic, or something. Don't expect to "fix it in the mixing stage".

I would also advise to transfer the WAV tracks to your computer for mixing, unless you can hook the speakers up to your MR-8. www.Reaper.fm would be a great program to use. Audacity (free) might also be good, but Reaper has loads of more features and is still easy to use.

But yeah, post a clip.

 

[jonmorri]

Here is one song that is a good example of my typical results. The volume is way low and there is no "umph" to it. Nevermnd the fact that I suck at the drums - that is not a sound quality issue.

www dot screamingelf dot com/music/cry.mp3

 

[89gtsleeper]

If you were to get either headphones or monitors made for mixing, and only have one, here's how to decide...

Headphones...
1) You can mix anytime you want, and won't piss off neighbors, roommates, wives, etc... 3am or not.
2) You can record mic'd guitar tracks, or mic'd anything, while listening to the rest of your tracks, without having sound bleed into the mic.
3) A GREAT set of headphones for a home studio is 300 bucks or under.

Monitors...
1) With a proper room, can sound way better for mixing, and is easier to judge how things sound. With a crappy room, you will get crappy sound without spending even MORE money on sound absorbtion... auralex, 703, bass traps... whatever...

2) No cables attached to your head, and having to wear something over your ears for a long session.

3) Entry level decent speakers realistically will cost you about 500-750 for the pair. 200-300 bucks on monitors will give you a VERY limited selection.

 

[jonmorri]

Cool. Thanks for the breakdown. I will start web surfing looking for them. Is there a good spot to buy stuff like that - or just like musicians friend or whatever? Thanks again.

 

[Farview]

Mixing on headphones doesn't work very well. The stereo image is exagerated, among other things. Check out this link: http://www.bluebearsound.com/articles/headphones.htm


Actually, that mp3 didn't sound bad. You just have a lot of useless low end that you could shave off some of the individual tracks and you would be fine.

It does suffer from one of the problems of headphones: The stereo image is exaggerated. It sounds like everything in the middle is far away and everything panned wide is right in your face.

 

[jonmorri]

Great info. Thanks a lot for taking the time to listen and reply. I am going speaker shopping now.