Dubstepforum.com

So after reading every page of this thread (ace!), I've definitely improved my general mixing - although I know it's still a long way off. There isn't that squashed nature to them anymore though, and there's more room to breathe in there.

So really, all you experienced oracles here, I ask for your opinion on my mixing really.
Soundcloud

You probably won't like the track, that's for sure, but it'd be great to get some feedback purely based on mixing, rather than creative aspects; especially after religiously reading this amazing thread. TAH!

I think there's a thread for all that sort of thing - best we don't get into individual feedback in here or the thread will get clogged up with it... Sorry!

Now den;

muteqx wrote: It's funny, only a few hours after posting that, I had some thoughts in a similar direction myself, and realised that I've probably got the subwoofer turned up a bit too loud. So I turned the sub down so that the reference tracks sounded less muddy, and as you predicted, my tracks now sound a bit bright, and the reference material sounds pretty rounded again.

So anyway, this is the "knowing my system" part of it, and I think I just took a step closer to that. Shouldn't be a massive amount of work to go back and sort the current mixes out - I think overall, I'll probably end up just turning down other stuff relative to the bass, and maybe rolling a little off the mids and tops.

Have you done any measurements of your studio? Acoustics I mean? That will tell you what the score is... but certainly, having 'pro' tracks sounding good is a good place to start... Where does your sub cross over?

Kicks!!! I've rolled off most (not all) of the high-energy, low-frequency content of my kicks, so as to leave enough space for the bass. Would I be right in thinking that generally, you don't want to completely remove all low frequencies from your kick, just rein them in somewhat so that the bass has enough space to get through? I have a feeling I may have EQed them all a bit too much, so I now have punchy but not particularly hefty kick sounds.

I'd probably like a bit more low frequency content and meat in those kicks, but have become a bit scared of allowing it through, for fear that it will mess with the bass too much. Is it OK to have some low frequency kick content getting through as long as it doesn't get in the way of the bass and make things sound muddy down there?

I think you just answered this question yourself

Things will always overlap. Things sound better when they overlap! Just so long as it is controlled right, you'll get a full, clear sound. All this stuff about using 15 48db?oct filters on every sound to make it stop dead is bollocks - and wreaks havoc on the sound's phase response, making things even more unclear - defeating the object.

I've been writing electronic music for 18 years - more than half my life! Seems mad to still be asking these kind of questions, but I've never got as far as finishing an album before (and I may still kick the bucket before I finish this one LOL!), so much of this finishing off process is still new to me. Yesterday I ordered the Bob Katz "Mastering Audio" book and await it's arrival eagerly - time I plugged a few of these gaps in my knowledge.

It's a good book and well worth owning, but I dunno if it will answer many of these questions really. It's very dry, very processing-oriented and very technical. Very useful for mastering, but not so much for getting your mix right IMO. FWIW the bloke who edited it is my landlord... there you go.

Might you write a book one day Mr. Macc? Maybe there isn't much you can say which hasn't already been said before by someone else, but I like your way of explaining things because it's nice and clear - and often entertaining to read too. So, if you ever do write a book about your take on audio, I'd buy it and read it inside out! Here's hoping!

Haha, thanks man. It's something I have thought about, also teaching. This adds weight to the chances of me doing it some day... For now though, I have work to do

Macc, you are a legend, my mixing improved so much after reading all your advice on here, and all the other guys that gave tips too. My question is iv mixed my track to the rough levels you suggested, but my midrange sounds really flat and lifeless, have you any ideas for giving it a bit of punch?

Hard to say without hearing it really, but correct compression might do it (think, 30ms attacks, release set to follow things just right), or just turning it up, or a bit of cut around 2kHz and then both of the previous (which will fatten it a bit, then the compression), or watching ~500Hz, or a little extra 3-4k or or or or....

Tough to answer that without know where things are as they stand. Can't find your way somewhewre unless you know where you're starting from

Sorry I can't be of any more help loike... are you using a lot of compression already?

its the tune in my sig pal, it doesnt have the sharpness to it i want, im not using any compression at all, thanks for the advice

if you guys even understood how much the first page of this thread helped me. i'm used to everything being in the red all the time lol. i just tried this (everything going up to like -8 for drums, a few db less for everything else) on a dub and it sounds way better

Cheeky wrote:its the tune in my sig pal, it doesnt have the sharpness to it i want, im not using any compression at all, thanks for the advice

Perhaps try using some compression then, hehe. Impossible to tell anything from a soundcloud stream through my laptop speakers I'm afraid!

try some hihats

yo macc, have a couple of questions...

Was Eq’ing off a tune I made last night (well its not finished but I get happy and try to do everything at once) My master level is on 0db (well in Ableton, I haven’t moved the master fader atall, there is no limiter on it and the only other effect added to it is an auto filter which is automated on & off before the drop) Most of the drums I think are sitting down below the -12db point so have left loads of headroom and the drums all sound nice and punchy so I think I’ve got everything pretty much okay (the levels on the master are only just over halfway and it sounds lovely) just wondering if you would add anything atall? Or if you think I should push the levels up a touch, I personally think it’s okay how it is and I just need to finish the tune off, however your expert opinion wouldn’t go a miss... if I posted a screenshot, you think you would be able to ‘review’ my technique (as such)?

I haven’t really paid MUCH attention to the numbers in this thread, more so going on what a clap should be as a guideline and eq’ing around that db mark, is this a valid way to start eq’ing? Only picked that as the frequency’s in the sound peak quite high, so thought this would be a good guideline to start EQ’ing around..

I am producing in HD25’s at the moment, so my mixdowns are a bit poo

oh and, it's not dubstep, it's more like berghain techno. I don't make dubstep but this forum is an excellent recsource

edit* and apologies if any answers to this have been posted before, please let me know where in the thread they are if so..

also wondering if, once I have finished the tune, it will come out quite low (but clean) with lots of margin/headroom for a master if it ever needed it, my question is, can i then, run it through ableton again and 'master' it myself for DJ's to play out against released dubs? Or is there another technique I need to be using?

Again, if this has been answered already, let me know..

deamonds wrote:
oh and, it's not dubstep, it's more like berghain techno. I don't make dubstep but this forum is an excellent recsource

Lets hear!

might just send it to macc for his opinion you know

It's all been answered in the thread sir. Sounds like you're doing very well to me;

the drums all sound nice and punchy so I think I’ve got everything pretty much okay (the levels on the master are only just over halfway and it sounds lovely)

Happy days!

Mix that down, give it a week or two and work on other stuff, then come back to the exported wav and do what you think it absolutely needs and no more. Likely that will involve limiting, hopefully it won't include eq/widening/compression/other gubbins because the mix is spot on. It might benefit from a tweak here or there, but you won't know that until you have had some time away from it. Even then you are listening on the same system as you mixed it on, with all the same inherent problems, but it is better than plowing straight into it after hearing it a zillion times this week already...

Good luck

Great thread. Thanks for you time macc
I mentioned this thread on my blog and gave sc a mention in the article.
Let me know if there are any problems with this:
http://decklyn.com/dublog/2011/01/essen ... with-macc/
(free advertising )

Can somebody please archive this thread somehow???

I want a copy on my HD.

copy & paste page for page & then delete the bs??

!!chea

wow, big thanks to everyone who helped in this thread, especially macc! literally, from the first page so many things managed to make sense!

so i decided to put it into use and structured the gain to make sure there was plenty of headroom etc following the rough guide macc posted.
but the output seeemed very very quiet, the master was peaking at -6
so to fix this i just pushed the master up to 4db and then it was peaking between -2 and -3 with no clipping.

my question is, is that an okay thing to do, or is it a big no no and i should be increasing the gain on each element?

Soundcloud

theres the track in question if a listen is required...the techniques explained in this thread have been so much help,
already...i just have this last queery

@ decklyn - Thanks ever so much man! Really kind of you

@ Mortal - that's fine but in truth there's absolutely no need for it, at least from the point of view of getting a quality final result. I wouldn't really care a great deal which of two files turned up here, for example. Just turn your speakers up for now, IMO. Next time you know that you can give things just a little more though innit... you'll find what works for you, but you're on the right road if you ask me

To the few people who have PM'ed in the last few days - I'll try to listen get back to you all as soon as I can, but it is busy here at the moment and paying bills takes priority Plus amazingly I am having this weekend off

Sorry - a P.S. - please try to keep this thread clean... it will get seriously clogged if everyone comes in posting their tune saying 'what about this?' etc etc. I hope you know where I'm coming from here!

ah brilliant, cheers macc! thats greatly appreciated, i just didnt want to go through all of the gain structuring to then bugger it up with one fader haha.
i think if it is hitting too low in the future i'll do that then...just so its not too quiet when other people listen to it

That's what yer limiter is for