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How do you equalize/mix your tracks?
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osker246
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
16
Posts :
34
Posted : Nov 17, 2006 09:54
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Ok,
So ive been messing around with cubase sx for awhile now. I feel pretty confident about arranging and layering tracks. But im having a tuff time trying to use the mixer in cubase to fix any clipping.
For example im using battery 2 as a sampler for my drums tracks. When I do manage to fix any clipping for my drums. The main volume ends up being to low compared to my bass or lead tracks.
So im curious to know how everybody else manages to get by this problem...
Any help is appreciated! |
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Alex Roudos
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
33
Posts :
411
Posted : Nov 17, 2006 11:48
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The general rule is that your master output sould be around -6db, for any mastering purposes after exporting the project to a stereo track.
Personally, based on this principle, all my tracks are way too low than even -6db. First, i solo the kick and bass tracks and adjust the volumes/eq of them in order to sound right. Then i add the other drum and melody parts, one by one adjusting the volume accordingly to what is playing already and to what i next add.
Once i finish with that, i take at least one day off from that project for my ears to rest. I check it out again and make new adjustments if needed.
Then i export it and make some kind of mastering(it can only be done properly in a pro studio imho) using the Neodynium multiband compressor/limiter.
 A friend told me once that the biggest mistake we make is that we believe we live, when in reality we are sleeping in the waiting room of life. |
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Freeflow
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
60
Posts :
3709
Posted : Nov 17, 2006 13:21
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for a track to sound solid and good you dont have to have very high levels, just good and clean processed sounds that dont interfere... in the end you will get it to sound loud with some EQ or FFT filtering and compression and limiting..
when you start working on a track things sometimes sound very dirty and levels can be flakey..
if you think your drums are too low in level compared to bass and leads, just pull down all the faders, and remix the levels till you find something that sounds good, though the problem can be many and you might not get a satisfactory result cause the sounds them self dont fit... some detective work can be good. smoothening the envelopes, changing pitch to make it sound like a unit, ect ect...
finding the parameters that makes a difference is the hard work.
i find that drums can reach a higher level by layering them, lets say you process a drum loop with compression and EQ, this can make it sound more upfront but you might lose some lowend, so take the clean loop and mix it with the rest and it can get a little fuller....
a technique called "NY compression" is when you mix the compressed signal with the clean signal... its a very usefull technique. (maybe someone can explain in depth about it, i might do it all wrong)
its hard work and i struggle with it all the times.. but if you work hard and focus on getting it to sound better it will do so eventually!
finding right balance can be a bitch, but just like i said, if you work on it it will happen!
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Elad
Tsabeat/Sattel Battle
Started Topics :
158
Posts :
5306
Posted : Nov 17, 2006 14:26
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i can warmly sugest to make group channel
"add group channel"
now you can link several channels to this group (all drums and fx for example) and apply compression on this group 
i like huge tresh and very light ratio or the oposite , limiter  all depend on your mix..
try to get you kick and bass together not greater then -6db on master , possible to group them as well 
www.sattelbattle.com
http://yoavweinberg.weebly.com/ |
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osker246
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
16
Posts :
34
Posted : Nov 18, 2006 09:43
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First I wanna thank you all for the replys!
Ok so I tried to use everybodys advice except using compression/limiting. I dont have a whole bunch of background knowledge when its comes to compressing/limiting so its new to me. I dont really have any type of plug-ins for effects, ect. either. Though I did notice Battery 2 has a compressor so ill mess with that a bit and see what I can come up with.
But I did manage to adjust a group of tracks so they dont clip. The only problem is the volume is a bit low and if I try to adjust anything to get it louder I start clipping again. So I was begining to wonder if this is a problem that is solved while mastering tracks. Am I right?
As you can tell I dont know much about mixing/mastering. So im pretty much going by what ive read on the internet. So I appreciate all the help:-) |
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