Urgent Help with Mixdown/Processing Deep Sounds

[Warfare Dubstep]

Thanks for stopping by!

I have a huge issue with getting my tracks to sound "deep" and "spacey" like the tracks in this mix (mine was featured in this, but compare it to the other ones) If you ever listen to music from Kahn or SP:MC, you'll know that they have that deeper vibe, and I'm seeing a lot of other producers who also have this vibe- a few I can name are Kawook, Khan Kurra, Dillard, Camu & Moskra- big up to these guys, check out some of their stuff, it's epic.

Soundcloud (my song comes in at 31:17 in the mix) Just listen to how warm the other songs sound in comparison to mine.

A little bit about my mixdowns:

1. I add a compressor to almost every bus (Hats, kicks, etc...)

2. I remove the limiter that's set on the master channel that comes preset

3. I master with Ozone 4 (is there a particular preset I should start with?)


Please, any help to get my dubs to sound like the other ones, resources, your own production techniques, etc... I use FL Studio if that's of any help.

Cheers!

P.S. For my sub bass I use Massive, I process it the way Distance has, I then add a roughrider compressor, EQ, maybe a camelcrusher and that's it, is it missing something?

[xtcvsmistycold]

im not really answering the question but

fuck ozone

get a buss compressor eq limiter and experiment



take control of ur master

actually skipping to your track you need to go easy on the 2buss compression. it's almost painful listening to the level ducking

it's my pet hate though so feel free to ignore that last point could be just me

[Kes-Es]

Less is more. A tiny bit of reverb on the master, light compression, I like to think with really organic sounding stuff, it takes refrain.

[blinx]

If your looking for depth lay off the compression, lean into dynamics and soak shit in reverbs. That's what I would do if I was aiming for "depth".

[Warfare Dubstep]

I think I'm doing everything right in terms of modifying each channel and bus, though I think there's something I need to do to the master channel that these other guys are doing.

If you observe my sounds closely and compare it to theirs, their subs and other elements feel more organic, like a rock, more prominent in the mix, mine feels like paper and feels synthetically manufactured, even though I am using a lot of organic elements and sampling.

It's hard to explain, but to sum it up, their tracks are pushing better through the mix than mine and I know it has something to do with effects in the master channel. All I add to my master channel is Ozone 4 (work from a preset on there called Heavy bass and ambience) and an eq to cut below 20hz, there's obviously something missing.

Please! I'm desperate to fix this issue and I've looked through so much information that is irrelevant and hasn't really helped.

[xtcvsmistycold]

take ozone off your master

send it to a ME and ask for a demo if u can't be fucked to try it yourself

it sounds bad cos it's overcompressed for starters

i'll listen through monitors today and let you know what else i notice

[outbound]

Stop focussing on the master. The better you can get things sounding earlier on the better the final result will be. All you want on the master buss is a limiter that you can switch in and out occasionally to see how it will sound when it gets pushed, then bypass again and go back to improving the mix.

[xtcvsmistycold]

Stop focussing on the master. The better you can get things sounding earlier on the better the final result will be.

that's true

[outbound]

Stop focussing on the master. The better you can get things sounding earlier on the better the final result will be.

that's true

The way I see it, every creative process needs to reflect and enhance a previous step in the chain so:-


Mastering needs to enhance the mix and the emotion/energy created there
The mix needs to enhance the music, the arrangement/timbre's chosen
The music needs to enhance the initial emotion/energy that the producer is trying to convey

The thing is as well is that a higher stage is only going to correct what is wrong in a previous stage. So from a mastering POV if I'm hearing a track and it sounds like there's too much going on around 80Hz and is impacting the music in a negative way then yes I could look to reduce energy in that area but if I have access to the mix then there is so much more creative control to say something like

"Well some of the sub notes when I play them up high sound pretty cool in this area because they happen in gaps in the track where nothing else is going on which adds a dynamic that enhances energy, however the kick plays in this area too and tbh I don't think the 80Hz actually works that well in the kick for the rest of the track so I could attenuate that in just the kick"

Going further back still to arrangement/timbre we could say, well maybe a kick with less focus in the 80Hz would work better in this track and suit it better. & maybe even use a different kick at the points where the high sub comes in to gel with that better and again add another dynamic to the track

You see how we can tackle this at different stage and get different levels of creative control? I think the problem with mastering is it is the last step in this creative chain and it can be quick to get certain results (I know if I have a dull sounding track, which is going to be quicker between going into the mix and spending a great deal of time working the upper frequencies between my tracks to get them to fit just right and just whacking a HF shelf on the master buss) but take the time to really work at the mix with everything you\ve got and ignore the master for now it will only hold you back if you're focussing on your art from a top down POV

[benjam]

Stop focussing on the master. The better you can get things sounding earlier on the better the final result will be. All you want on the master buss is a limiter that you can switch in and out occasionally to see how it will sound when it gets pushed, then bypass again and go back to improving the mix.

This.

[skimpi]

ye man stop blaming your master and stick a sausage fattener on everything

[TEKN]

Pretty much what everyone else has said. You need to work on gain staging and eqing your mix. If you get those right you'll notice a huge difference.

[legend4ry]

If your mix down was good in the first place all you'd need on the master is a character compressor (The Glue is great) and a limiter to boost and round off any naughty dynamics what hurt the overall boost.

Please also, stop thinking that mixing down different types of music is special. All mixing down is, is getting a volume balance between all the sounds in the mix and *maybe* slight compression on a drum bus to round off peaks.

Get something like Smexoscope to monitor this live.
http://bram.smartelectronix.com/plugins.php?id=4

Also please stop comparing your completely digital, unprofessionally mixed and/or mastered tracks to big artists within the scene. That will only make you be unhappy with your own music for a very long time.

Mixing takes A LOT of time to do well, it also is learned over time through trial and error to find YOUR way to mix down.

Don't put compressors on everything just turn the other channels down! The only time you 'need' need a compressor is when the dynamics of a sound are so erratic that you can't control it with a volume slider.

Reading your further posts than the top one too, there is more effects than just distortion and compression. I run a lot of my sub basses through the bass amps on Amplitube, it gives them a 'live' feel and makes them feel bigger. Also putting my sounds through a bus with some of the guitar amps on amplitube has really spread those sounds out too!

I just think you got to stop wanting to make music like THEM guys and just start enjoying making music. Unless you're on your death bed, there isn't a rush is there?