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Levels??
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astro_traveller
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
13
Posts :
65
Posted : Dec 31, 2012 23:45:08
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i generally put -10dB on kick and around -11dB on bass and snare.. and synths and hihatt on -14dB..
.. i think there should be some new approach to it as well.. please share your opinions.
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Xsze
Started Topics :
5
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657
Posted : Jan 1, 2013 01:23
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I practice to put kick on -10db and rest from there, where it sounds right.
Use your ears, numbers don't mean much 
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astro_traveller
IsraTrance Junior Member
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13
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65
Posted : Jan 1, 2013 13:21
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Yes defiantly use the ears..
how about eq.. i see some people cut all the synths, fx, hihatts above 500Hz and some people cut it around 150-200..
I cut my synths and fx above 500 it was sounding really clean on the studio monitors ( dynaaudio bm5 and yamaha hs 80) but on the hifi speakers it was sounding really thin with no mids.. then i cut it around 150-200hz it was sounding little dirty on the monitors and big and clean on hifi speakers..
I want it to sound good on every thing..
also I want to know Rms level on the master channel with out any final compression or maximizing. Are there any rules or u jsut leave that for mastering?
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knocz
Moderator
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40
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1151
Posted : Jan 1, 2013 16:14
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Quote:
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On 2013-01-01 13:21, astro_traveller wrote:
how about eq.. i see some people cut all the synths, fx, hihatts above 500Hz and some people cut it around 150-200..
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Don't think of it that way. There's no rules, everything just needs to be in its place. Try to fill the spectrum, and avoid frequency clashes or overcrouding.. but still no rules. For example, you really don't need any low's or low mid's from your hats and crashes.. but a snare without a punch on the mids becomes hollow.
Generally I leave the 150/200Hz down for the kick and bass, but I only cut out more if necessary.
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On 2013-01-01 13:21, astro_traveller wrote:
Yes defiantly use the ears..
I cut my synths and fx above 500 it was sounding really clean on the studio monitors ( dynaaudio bm5 and yamaha hs 80) but on the hifi speakers it was sounding really thin with no mids.. then i cut it around 150-200hz it was sounding little dirty on the monitors and big and clean on hifi speakers..
I want it to sound good on every thing..
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That's what we all want. Try listening to your mixes in other environments and setups, like with a crappy laptop speakers, in your car, etc. In the scenario you specified, your looking for a sweet spot somewhere between those values.
However, as I said don't use that as a golden rule, you can cut one sound at 500 and another at 150, helping you place each one in it's position. Think of it as "what do you want playing you lows', low mid's, mid's, mid high's and high's at each point of time?", and try to fill it out. (Magic tip: silence is golden, as music is as much about the notes as the silence between them)
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On 2013-01-01 13:21, astro_traveller wrote:
also I want to know Rms level on the master channel with out any final compression or maximizing. Are there any rules or u jsut leave that for mastering?
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At the mastering process you can raise the gain of your track without destroying it, however when the meter goes over 0dB bad things happen. These bad things can sound awesome in analogue equipment, but not in digital. The answer is keep it below 0 at all times.
However, in the mastering process, you wanna do a bunch of things like playing with the dynamics, controlling the peaks, really gentle EQ'ing, limiting, etc. In order to do this without loss, you need to leave some headroom -> your highest peak should be bellow the 0dB. Many engineers ask for somewhere between 10 to 3 dB of headroom, so your peaks should be between -10dB to -3dB.
At the mastering stage, the masterer(?) will do his best to keep control of your music sound wave, maximizing it's usage of available room and making it sound a bit polished (like finalizing the thing), and will raise the gain to whatever standard he thinks fit. This comes to the "loudness war":
Long story short, studios and record labels want their mixes to sound as loud as possible. This has led to many over-compressed records over the years, and since they tried to maximize it, many use as a maximum peak of -0.3dB. Google around SOS for this topic.
However, this can kill a tracks dynamics (and has murdered many along the way). My idea is, there's an amplifier between your music sound wave and the speakers, and it's his job to make it loud. The track shouldn't have to suffer, for what's easy to do by turning the knob on the amp just a little higher.
What your should do it maintain coherence. Choose a value you thinks is appropriate and stick to it.
 Super Banana Sauce http://www.soundcloud.com/knocz |
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makus
Overdream
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82
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3087
Posted : Jan 1, 2013 16:54
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the more you rely on number the longer you gonna get bad mixes. forget numbers, close your eyes if you cant ignore them, and just listen. if you snare is thin, add there 15 db of 120 hz! dont think "120 is for my bass, so i cant use it for anything besides that". if it sounds good - its good.
www.overdreamstudio.com |
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PoM
IsraTrance Full Member
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162
Posts :
8087
Posted : Jan 1, 2013 20:15
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true for me it s one of the big avtange of using hardware, there is no precise numbers it s just about how it sound.
i wonder why they have to put value on everyhting.. even synths,eqs.. it s just make it more complicated.
the less visual feedback the best our ears work . |
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makus
Overdream
Started Topics :
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3087
Posted : Jan 1, 2013 21:10
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PsiloCybian
Mammal Footwork
Started Topics :
92
Posts :
557
Posted : Jan 1, 2013 22:10
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Quote:
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On 2013-01-01 20:15, PoM wrote:
true for me it s one of the big avtange of using hardware, there is no precise numbers it s just about how it sound.
i wonder why they have to put value on everyhting.. even synths,eqs.. it s just make it more complicated.
the less visual feedback the best our ears work .
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thats why i like to turn of my screen sometimes during the mixing stage to avoid the visual input + turn off the lights.
That way im only concentrating on the sound and on nothing else 
only thing i have as a starting point is my kick at -12db, but by the end of the track that can go up from 1 to 3dbs
www.psilocybian.com / www.facebook.com/psilocybian |
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alajarvela
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
20
Posts :
130
Posted : Jan 1, 2013 23:11
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C(sharp) - B - A(minor) - F (sharp) - E - E - E - E - E - E - D(sharp) - D(sharp) - E - E
C(sharp) - B - A(minor) - F (sharp) - E - E - E - E - E - E - C(sharp) - C(sharp) - B - B
There's levels fore ya |
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astro_traveller
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
13
Posts :
65
Posted : Jan 2, 2013 03:29
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thanks for the replies.. i guess i just have to check in as many as speakers and environments as possible.. to get use to it..
another question- is there any soft synth that sounds like virus?
i borrowed Virus snow from a friend for couple of days and recorded few sounds from it..
now im trying to fill up the track with soft synths.. soft synths are not sounding so wide and fat like virus.
any recommendation would be very helpful.
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Alien Bug
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
27
Posts :
682
Posted : Jan 2, 2013 14:04
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Djones
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
267
Posts :
1766
Posted : Feb 24, 2013 23:01
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I need some help.
When exporting my Bassizm kick in Cubase which measures -10 db in to a mono wave file, the meter shows -7 db whilst not sounding louder.
So how do I know which is the real -10 db kick, the stereo version or the exported wave version?
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Alien Bug
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
27
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682
Posted : Feb 25, 2013 00:03
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Djones
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
267
Posts :
1766
Posted : Feb 25, 2013 02:30
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Quote:
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On 2013-02-25 00:03, Alien Bug wrote:
strange. after my test i can see that meter shows the same level of bazzism and rendered mono wav
cubase 5, bazzism 2
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Cubase 5, Bazzism 2 here as well.
But you know what's weird, on the master bus both levels are -10 db.
What happens I think is when you export a stereo source into a mono file, it layers both the left and right signal on top of each other , therefore increasing the amount of db's.
But as this mono track is eventually routed to the main stereo bus, its split up again and the db's are diminished again. |
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Upavas
Upavas
Started Topics :
150
Posts :
3315
Posted : Feb 25, 2013 13:22
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On 2013-01-01 16:54, makus wrote:
the more you rely on number the longer you gonna get bad mixes. forget numbers, close your eyes if you cant ignore them, and just listen. if you snare is thin, add there 15 db of 120 hz! dont think "120 is for my bass, so i cant use it for anything besides that". if it sounds good - its good.
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Very good advice. One more thing, if it really gets too close to 0 you can lower the overall volume on the master fader, it will not make any difference as far as your mix is concerned!
Upavas - Here And Now (Sangoma Rec.) new EP out Oct.29th, get it here:
http://timecode.bandcamp.com
http://upavas.com
http://soundcloud.com/upavas-1/ |
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