so i got the mix done, and i apply an eq over the whole mix at the end....HARSH!

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shackrock

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alright - so i got my mixes to sound very decent.

and i'm at the end, and wanna get sort of a "mastering" effect on it...so i apply a paragraphic EQ on the entire mix.

however - i get a result that sounds a lot more proffesional, no doubt - but there is just a really harsh sound that comes from it. Even when I boost/cut no more then .5db each way on any changes i make, it still just makes my ears want to burst out and attack the speakers...

anyone know what i'm talking about? ha. i guess you could say it sounds like an ametuer tried to master - which is true....haha

but it DOES make my mix a lot warmer and less "garage" sounding, and i would like to still get that.

anyone know what that HARSH freaq. range is or any tips or anything like that? I've tried everything but cant get it done on my own...ha
thanks again
 
It's usually anywhere from 1000 hz on up.

Keep in mind that Mr. Nyquist pointed out that our ears are most sensitive to the area between 1000 - 4000 hz.

I would take a fairly wide "Q," pull it down about 10 dbs, and start sweeping away across that general vicinity untill you hear the harshness go away or drop the most in intensity. Once you find your location, I would recommend either cutting 3-4 db's or using a multi-band compressor on that area.

If you're using DAW, then also try highlingting like 1/2 second's worth of an area that sounds the most harsh, and then use a Spectral Analyzer to find out what frequencies in that area are peaking the most.

If it matches with the area you found by sweeping, then you've visually confirmed your trouble frequency.
 
Nyquist??? Is he that old guy down the street selling penny-candy to little girls? ;)


I think you mean the Fletcher-Munson studies......... Nyquist was Mr. Digital.......

Bruce
 
Nyquist . . . Fletcher/Munson . . . Stephen Paul . . :) ha ha. They're all the same dude.

:)
 
My band is in the very early stages of a new recording right now, and while we're going to record it and *try* to mix it ourselves, we're going to leave it mostly raw and take it into a pro to make it sound pro.
 
the secret to self-mastery

Just boost everything by about 5 or 6 dB. Then it'll sound really phat and pro. The best way I have found to do this is to buy one of those really phat Behringer UltraCurve digital EQs. Man, it's got like 31 bands. Then I boost them all until it's LOUD. SometimesI make the eq into cool shapes, like a smiley face, or I boost and cut each alternating eq in a zigzag pattern. Explore the possibilities, my friend. It also might be worth your while tostrap an Alesis compressor and a Nanoverb across your stereo outputs. Phat mixes need that powerful Alesis-style compression, and some juicy reverb to smooth things out.

My mixes have never sounded so "punchy" yet "warm." The Behringer sound is all tube goodness, warm/fat/punchy/solid/deep/present/airy/smooth.

That's what a pro's gonna do if you take it somewhere to get it mastered anyway. Might as well save yourself some money.
 
Smileys faces? Hmm... Maybe I should give that a try and save myself some money too...
 
I don't think Stephen Paul or Fletcher Munson would condone such practices.

I think you guys are just trying to get all cute on us. :) :) Uh-huh. This is no laughing matter, here, people. Stephen and Nye Quist are getting ripped off by the minute ! ! ! Have you no shame?
 
Hey Charger! Did you do that last Steely Dan CD? That would explain it and let Roger Nichols off the hook.
-kent
 
i'm glad i've been on this board long enough to know he's kidding....i hope...ha
 
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