Warming Up My Mixes Cubase LE (Mac)

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daveblue222

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hello all!!

have recorded a bunch of songs using a budget mic going through my presonus firestudio project into cubase le

I am pretty happy with my mixes, effects, and mastering. the style of music is primarily acoustic folk, with some electric gtr clean, trumpets etc. i have been using t-racks vintage compressor on the vocals and stereo mix, and also the linear phase e.q and brickwall limiter to get a couple more db out of the mix.

the only thing my tracks are now lacking is some kind of analogy warmth. i realize i could get this by using better mics, preamps etc but i am on a budget. are there any tricks/tips out there to get some more color and warmth onto my mixes? i read an article on the sound on sound website (mastering in Cubase) and it said to use the magneto tape plugin to get a more analog sound, however my version of LE does not have this plugin. any freebees out there?

all help much appreciated

-dave
 
Warm sounds come from warm sources and good gain staging.
 
Seafroggys said:
Warm sounds come from warm sources and good gain staging.
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True story.

"Analog warmth" can mean a lot of things and it can come from a lot of places 'after the fact' -- But one of the problems is that it can be like covering a scratch with a can of spray paint. "Scratch is gone (just try to ignore that big blotch on the side of the car)."

I can tell you one thing though... "Analog warmth" usually tends to come from analog processing. That's why it's not called "Digital warmth."
 
I use antares tube. Its old but still nice sounding, theres loads of this type of pluggin, loads are free also. Check the KVR website.
 
If you must go the freeware plug-in route, check out Bootsy's plug-ins. Seriously, you won't be disappointed.

If you're recording a Martin with nylon strings and not getting any warmth, even with the n00best setup, then something else is wrong.

But I do really like Bootsy's plugs.
 
Do you have a cassette recorder? Record the mix from Cubase onto a cassette recorder. Then play back the cassette recording and record that in Cubase.


disclaimer: I've never tried it. ;)
 
dastrick said:
Do you have a cassette recorder? Record the mix from Cubase onto a cassette recorder. Then play back the cassette recording and record that in Cubase.


disclaimer: I've never tried it. ;)
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Fttp. Maybe if you want to warm it up a degree or two.


Now...Do you have a wax cylinder?











(I kid, I kid)
 
daveblue222 said:
using a budget mic going through my presonus firestudio
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What mic? Not concerned about the "budget" part as much as the model itself. Many chinese made mics have an uncomfortable, artificial bump in the 2kHz region which can make things sound "digital"... errr... I mean harsh. Next, check the gain staging. What are your levels going into the Presonus?

Tone things down, use a different mic, then come back complaining about lack of "analog warmth". This is not the 80s anymore.
 
dastrick said:
Do you have a cassette recorder? Record the mix from Cubase onto a cassette recorder. Then play back the cassette recording and record that in Cubase.


disclaimer: I've never tried it. ;)
Click to expand...
Yeah, make sure to bring that cassette track back into the Cubase project, and play it in parallel to the original tracks. That wow and flutter should give you some nice phasey sounding stuff. Cut up, resample, load into a sampler, add some reverb, call it golden, and epitome of sound design :D
 
cheers for all the advice!!!

noisewreck: when you say play it parallel with the original tracks does this mean create a mixdown of both the casette and original files?

how would i get the casette track to allign with my other tracks?

cheers :)
 
daveblue222 said:
cheers for all the advice!!!

noisewreck: when you say play it parallel with the original tracks does this mean create a mixdown of both the casette and original files?

how would i get the casette track to allign with my other tracks?

cheers :)
Click to expand...

Um...pretty sure he was being sarcastic.
 
Exactly what Eric Valentine done on Slash' album. Direct to the box out to a Scully and Scuder tape reel then back to the box.
You may have trouble getting hold of a Scully and Scuder though
 
daveblue222 said:
cheers for all the advice!!!

noisewreck: when you say play it parallel with the original tracks does this mean create a mixdown of both the casette and original files?

how would i get the casette track to allign with my other tracks?

cheers :)
Click to expand...

No no no no no no no no :laughings:
 
Massive Master said:
"Analog warmth" can mean a lot of things and it can come from a lot of places 'after the fact' -- But one of the problems is that it can be like covering a scratch with a can of spray paint. "Scratch is gone (just try to ignore that big blotch on the side of the car)."
Click to expand...

^^ This.

To the OP, it almost sounds like you're looking for a "fix it in the mix" solution to a problem described in highly subjective terms. You may be able to find some plug-in or trick method of making your mix sound different, but make sure you're honest with yourself on whether or not it sounds better.

For the type of problem you're describing, you're always better off looking at ways to as closely as possible achieve your desired sound in the raw tracks, without processing; the plug-ins all seem neat and cool, but if you rely on them you're headed for disappointment, IMO. I'm fairly new to all this and this lesson is one of the most important ones I've learned yet.

One tip that comes to mind, from my experience: if you're using a cheap-o condenser mic for acoustic guitars and/or vocals, the result can come across as glassy and overly bright. Look for a better mic, or maybe even try a dynamic.
 
As John said a lot of plugs that "warm things up" are basically band aids adding harmonic distortion. Essentially make-up over pimples. Try EQ first, possibly a low pass filter with a gradual slope or increasing some of the lower mids.

Of course the best approach is to record with warmth in mind, but when you're constrained by budget, compromises will need to be made. Don't beat yourself up over it, you can't fight the laws of Acoustics, Electronics, and Physics.
 
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