gain structure and mixing aka THE MONEYSHOT THREAD

[Redderious]

Do i just need some quality monitors to assure that my mix won't get messy on other systems? How do i make the mix quality more generic i guess?

Not mixing on a 30W guitar amp would be a start

Getting decent monitoring will set you off in the right direction - you simply can't expect to produce a good mix on a guitar amp. It's probably mono, likely has very high distortion (in monitor terms) and it designed for completely another purpose.


With respect - this is all pretty off topic.... I'd suggest (politely!) that if Mr Nice Mod sees this they could split it as it doesn't reeeeeally belong in this thread. I know it kiiind of does, but it'd be nice to keep the thread from meandering too much from gain structuring if poss

Not meaning to be rude!

Not at all Macc, you're holding this thread up didn't mean to divert the topic. I've used the search bar for a solid 30 minutes and i couldn't find a proper place to post. I guess i could just start a new thread..But don't worry macc no poblems here The guitar amp is in Mono, but i have a surround system attached to the sub i mentioned that plays only the hi-end stuff.

No need to respond to this, but once i post somewhere else im going to post the link on this message. Would love some advice from you!

[macc]

I gave you some advice boss - get some feckin speakers you bloody nana

Sorry, few beers but hope you take it as intended

[Redderious]

haha glad to see you're having a good night.

I would go out and buy monitors today but im moving from Virginia to San Francisco in late july, and i have some fests i need to hit up (Allgood, Outside Lands). So money is tight. But with some tedious work i finished my tracks last night, and the mix was fine. I render the project about 20 times so i could upload it to my ipod and listen to it on other systems, but in the end the result was worth it.

[Gurnumsbug]

Okay so I read through about the first 15 pages of this thread and it has opened my eyes to a couple of things, so thanks Macc and others...
But I am still kind of confused...
Like how would I check what dB my kick's hit at? A spectrum analyzer? A level meter? What?

[wirez]

Okay so I read through about the first 15 pages of this thread and it has opened my eyes to a couple of things, so thanks Macc and others...
But I am still kind of confused...
Like how would I check what dB my kick's hit at? A spectrum analyzer? A level meter? What?

There should just be a level meter on every channel in your DAW?

If you're on Fruity the level meters are on the mixer channels (you have to assign your sounds to the channel on the mixer - I'm sure there's plenty of FL users who can help you with this, I don't use it personally. But there's a box you change the number of and it changes which channel the sound is sent to on the mixer. Alternatively I think you can right click and select 'send to mixer channel...' - I'm on a mac so unfortunately I can't reference. YouTube will be your friend here if DSF let you down though )



A spectrum analyser is used for a graphical representation of the frequencies a sound (or group of sounds) is using and how heavy it is in certain areas of the spectrum. It's usually best to avoid these as much as possible as you want to train your ears to hear these excesses or lack in certain areas of the spectrum, your eyes will never be as good at making music as your ears. (Although I have read that with proper training you can reprogram your brain to do some things that you'd think impossible, such as blind people being able to see with their tongue. But that's another story!)

A level meter is what you're after, just a basic peak meter for this purpose. But it's good to have a meter which will show the average level of audio coming out of a channel (most useful on the master channel) too, for this you'll need a level meter that measures RMS output. But I wouldn't worry about that for now, you'll know when the time comes when you're advanced enough in production/mixing/mastering to start needing things like this.

Hope that helps!

[ChadDub]

I've read most of this thread, and I know the basics of mixing and stuff, but for I still can't get a full sounding mix on this:

Soundcloud

My concern is the drop. There's nothing backing the wobbles so it's just kinda, empty... I don't know what to do.

[amphibian]

Chad - as I've said numerous times - your problem is in the beat itself and not actually your mixdown. Your synths lack weight which only comes from duplicating channels, changing synth patches, resampling, compression.etc. Your beat is far more problematic in that tune than your synths, however. PS - keep WIPs/feedback in the appropriate thread, as you have been

[Ldizzy]

Chad - as I've said numerous times - your problem is in the beat itself and not actually your mixdown. Your synths lack weight which only comes from duplicating channels, changing synth patches, resampling, compression.etc. Your beat is far more problematic in that tune than your synths, however. PS - keep WIPs/feedback in the appropriate thread, as you have been

id second, then third that.

poor production. even the best mastering can't help it more then to a certain extend...

please keep this thread clean.

[ChadDub]

So ok, instead of trying to make my tracks sound professional myself, by making shit loud as fuck and stuff, I should just chill out, make everything very quality and not care about the levels, because mastering will take care of that for me?

[amphibian]

So ok, instead of trying to make my tracks sound professional myself, by making shit loud as fuck and stuff, I should just chill out, make everything very quality and not care about the levels, because mastering will take care of that for me?

Read this thread. You say you've read 10 pages but I don't think you quite understand what mixdowns are for. Get your mixdowns right and your track will sound full and loud. Masterers are there to breathe life into your tune, make them sound even fuller.

[macc]

keep WIPs/feedback in the appropriate thread

Bob Macc likes this.

[sillika_]

mix it down to -4db, then put a decent limiter on it before you play it to people to get the level up.

I am not sure where I am limiting it too cos I am doing it in reason (no numbers). All I know is that its out of the red and I hear no distortion.

If I was going to be giving the tune to a ME then I wouldn't limit at all.

just assign the main mixer to the big meter in the hardware interface and you can see the numbers

[Jizz]

mix it down to -4db, then put a decent limiter on it before you play it to people to get the level up.

I am not sure where I am limiting it too cos I am doing it in reason (no numbers). All I know is that its out of the red and I hear no distortion.

If I was going to be giving the tune to a ME then I wouldn't limit at all.

just assign the main mixer to the big meter in the hardware interface and you can see the numbers

whaat how do u do that?

[Thierry_D]

i've just read a fair amount of this thread learned fair bit about head room and -6db some stuff i knew about also learned alot more about mixdown!!

but was looking for something how to learn more about mastering my own tune after i done a mixdown and everything at the right levels..like what software i could use to give my tune more boost..

thanks to Macc on this thread!!

[LucazMusik]

i've just read a fair amount of this thread learned fair bit about head room and -6db some stuff i knew about also learned alot more about mixdown!!

but was looking for something how to learn more about mastering my own tune after i done a mixdown and everything at the right levels..like what software i could use to give my tune more boost..

thanks to Macc on this thread!!

izotope ozone 4 is pretty sick man
Obviously you arent going to get it sounding as good as it would with a proper full on professional master but its still decent..
Hope this helped

[Thierry_D]

i've just read a fair amount of this thread learned fair bit about head room and -6db some stuff i knew about also learned alot more about mixdown!!

but was looking for something how to learn more about mastering my own tune after i done a mixdown and everything at the right levels..like what software i could use to give my tune more boost..

thanks to Macc on this thread!!

izotope ozone 4 is pretty sick man
Obviously you arent going to get it sounding as good as it would with a proper full on professional master but its still decent..
Hope this helped

Thanks alot!
also for the advice.

[Gurnumsbug]

Still having some troubles regarding the level meter
I'm working on getting some powerful kicks going in the beginning..
While playing the track back, the kick sounds like little baby steps..
Here's an image if someone wants to help me understand this a little more?
http://i52.tinypic.com/epq2p5.png
I remember somewhere around here someone mentioned having the kicks at around -6 on the level meter?
I am nowhere near to -6..and raising the volume of the kicks made no difference when played back through the meter...
Sorry I'm still learning and wanting my new track to be sounding better than my previous

[Electric_Head]

use your ears as a default if the db meter is confusing you.

[skimpi]

Still having some troubles regarding the level meter
I'm working on getting some powerful kicks going in the beginning..
While playing the track back, the kick sounds like little baby steps..
Here's an image if someone wants to help me understand this a little more?
http://i52.tinypic.com/epq2p5.png
I remember somewhere around here someone mentioned having the kicks at around -6 on the level meter?
I am nowhere near to -6..and raising the volume of the kicks made no difference when played back through the meter...
Sorry I'm still learning and wanting my new track to be sounding better than my previous

i dont get whats goin on in that pick, is the yellow line around -10db the peak? if so that doesnt matter, it doesnt have to be -6db, it can be wherever you like, i mean if you have it down -32db its a bit ridiculous, but just have you kick wherever it sounds good!

or is the green line the loudest it will go, and its way too quiet? if so try increasing the gain of the audio file, or maybe there is summat in a chain of effects thats lowering the volume considerably? also if you have your kicks at the max it will go, and raising the faders etc more wont make it loud enough for you (i dunno how that could happen though cos it should be going over 0db if its the loudest possible), just turn everything else down until it fits, and then turn up your monitoring system so that its loud enough again.

[macc]

just turn everything else down until it fits, and then turn up your monitoring system so that its loud enough again.

This man understands this thread.