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Bus misunderstanding...
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EtherealMotive
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
56
Posts :
186
Posted : Mar 23, 2009 21:22:46
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Hello, I'm having trouble understanding when you can use stereo effects. I'm told that you need to mix all your tracks in mono so that if you end up playing them on analog mixers your tracks won't be effected. My other question is that, when eq, adding compression, do you send your audio to a bus to compress and eq? Or is it better to eq/compress on the actually audio track? Also, at which point does the whole stereo thing apply, how do you get your tracks in stereo, and how can you have stereo effects with panning, without disrupting the panning after mixing down to mono? |
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sly
Started Topics :
3
Posts :
183
Posted : Mar 23, 2009 22:49
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first and most important: the problem of wasting your panning is that you bounce as mono. i guess you get something wrong. don't even mix in mono. the meaning of this advice is that you switch on your master to mono from time to time and check the sound. this only has to be done because there are still often shitty mono systems on partys, cars and elsewhere... they simply can't play stereo and match both sides together what can lead to very unpleasant results. especially when phases of the same waveform do delete/amplify each other. pan a synth on two buses hard right and hard left. use a phaser on one channel. fiddle around and check mono... (just to hear the difference).
stereo you can use almost everywhere. i.e. you can pan one synth from left to right and back using lfo, automation, fx. don't do this on principle, just if you really want this synth to toggle. naturally it would sound horrible if every element would switch all the time.
then you can apply stereo fx on each track for mixing purposes. think 3d, we have the level/lodness, the stero field and the depth. the first you handle with volume, eq, comp and other dynamic tools.
for the second (stereo) you need panning, spreading, stereo fx. i.e. you pan the hihats on the left/right by different amounts. this leads to more clarity cause always still a bit overlapping freqs in hats. or you use panning and spreading on a synth to place it better in the stereo field and make room for other elements. this can be reached with fx on the track fader as well. there are no fix rules. usually kick and bass is mono (here you could send the bassline thru a bus with hi-pass filtering and a stereo tool. just as example, not important). snares are often mono too. pads maybe spread to both sides. leads from mono to very stereo or toggling around. also possible to reach fatness by sending a synth hard left and hard right (2 channels) after apply ultra-short delays or flangers, detuning or whatever just on one side. drums you can play with. maybe complementray hits and rythms from both sides. this can also be done with synths like question/answer.
it's not a strong boundary between stereo applience as fx and as mixing tool. i would say the mixing is much more important. as a rule of thumb use panning and stereo fx more on high frequencies and leave the deeps in the middle. essential is that it sounds good. not every channel needs extensive stereo-treatment but think for each where it should be in the stereo field. and ask google, it can tell you surely for each drum hit where it should be placed exactly. at least in pop 
the third one (depht, or is deepness the right word?) you can create with reverbs, delays or other time-manipulating fx. this is mostly done as sends. send different amounts from your tracks to such buses. same here; can be crazy fx but mostly used to make the elements fit together and create depth. especially done by reverbs with decay/predelay. i also apply on track or group channels sometimes.
eq i always do on the track, compression often. depends for which purpose. i.e. if i want my drums to sound a bit overcompressed without losing their whole body, i send to a bus by different amounts and compress the hell out also often applying comp on group tracks.
eq is used on sends as well but not as dynamic tool, i.e. you can place an eq after a reverb in a send channel to remove the unwanted freqs in the hall.
same here; mostly used for mixing. on single tracks or as sends also as fx (i.e. sick compression of a drum-loop).
of course stereo fx can be applied as sends or on group channels as well. there only wanted freqs should be spread, otherwise no good stereo depth. this is done also at mastering.
principally it's more precise to generate fx on a certain element from the source. but to melt the elements together it's more effective when applied on groups/master. little things like hats can easy be panned and changed in sampler or channel. in general it's easier to enhance stereo later than the other way around...
peace |
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EtherealMotive
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
56
Posts :
186
Posted : Mar 23, 2009 23:20
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Thank you for your helpful response. So besides the kick and bass, and maybe leads, is there anything else I should keep mono? |
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~d2~
Inactive User
Started Topics :
7
Posts :
751
Posted : Mar 24, 2009 00:09
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On 2009-03-23 21:22:46, EtherealMotive wrote:
Hello, I'm having trouble understanding when you can use stereo effects. I'm told that you need to mix all your tracks in mono so that if you end up playing them on analog mixers your tracks won't be effected.
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Some analogue mixers will have stereo channels. And if they don't you just pan one channel hard left and the other hard right. |
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EtherealMotive
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
56
Posts :
186
Posted : Mar 24, 2009 00:21
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Thanks d2, can always count on your responses  |
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~d2~
Inactive User
Started Topics :
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Posts :
751
Posted : Mar 24, 2009 11:50
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jizy
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
90
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1493
Posted : Mar 24, 2009 15:01
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Quote:
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On 2009-03-23 23:20, EtherealMotive wrote:
Thank you for your helpful response. So besides the kick and bass, and maybe leads, is there anything else I should keep mono?
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A snare prehaps, vocals.
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EtherealMotive
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
56
Posts :
186
Posted : Mar 24, 2009 18:06
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Thats cool, never even thought of that. Thank you. |
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EtherealMotive
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
56
Posts :
186
Posted : Mar 24, 2009 18:07
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Quote:
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On 2009-03-24 15:01, jizy wrote:
Quote:
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On 2009-03-23 23:20, EtherealMotive wrote:
Thank you for your helpful response. So besides the kick and bass, and maybe leads, is there anything else I should keep mono?
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A snare prehaps, vocals.
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Yep! Thanks |
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