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mixing and mastering tips and suggestions
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daark
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
58
Posts :
1397
Posted : Oct 25, 2011 15:28
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D7uan
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
43
Posts :
159
Posted : Oct 26, 2011 07:07
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why is it so hard as fuck to get head room i keep on lowering shit well my layered bass to be exact and I barely got it to +2 on the main out channel...and then when I add synths it just goes up alot and then if I lower the synths then I cant hear them at all WTF?
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daark
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
58
Posts :
1397
Posted : Oct 26, 2011 10:28
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orgytime
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
120
Posts :
1703
Posted : Oct 26, 2011 15:42
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Colin OOOD
Moderator
Started Topics :
95
Posts :
5380
Posted : Oct 26, 2011 17:11
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Quote:
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On 2011-10-26 07:07, D7uan wrote:
why is it so hard as fuck to get head room i keep on lowering shit well my layered bass to be exact and I barely got it to +2 on the main out channel...and then when I add synths it just goes up alot and then if I lower the synths then I cant hear them at all WTF?
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Take ALL your audio channel faders and instrument output faders down to -oo so everthing is silent. Put your master fader at 0dB.
Now turn up your kickdrum so that it peaks at -10dB on the master fader. NOT so that the kickdrum fader is at -10dB, you need the actual level of the sound at the master fader to be -10dB. Now turn up your monitors so that the kickdrum is really nice and loud. Now bring up the bassline until it sounds just a little quieter than the kickdrum. If it's louder than the kickdrum ON THE METERS, you need to adjust the sound/s somewhere along the line.
This gives you a basis to mix the rest of the track. As you do so, do not touch the kickdrum fader - mix the track so that it sounds good with the kick where it is. This is how you keep enough headroom.
[-10dB is an arbitrary number, the point is to start mixing so that the loudest sound (ie. the kick) is quiet enough to leave enough headroom for the rest of the sounds]
As for your leads, it sounds like you have to work on the sounds a lot still - in particular, you might have low frequencies in there that you don't need, and which are eating your headroom. Make sure your leads are constructed right, and highpassed if necessary.
 Mastering - http://mastering.OOOD.net :: www.is.gd/mastering
OOOD 5th album 'You Think You Are' - www.is.gd/tobuyoood :: www.OOOD.net
www.facebook.com/OOOD.music :: www.soundcloud.com/oood
Contact for bookings/mastering - colin@oood.net |
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D7uan
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
43
Posts :
159
Posted : Oct 26, 2011 17:26
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Quote:
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On 2011-10-26 17:11, Colin OOOD wrote:
Quote:
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On 2011-10-26 07:07, D7uan wrote:
why is it so hard as fuck to get head room i keep on lowering shit well my layered bass to be exact and I barely got it to +2 on the main out channel...and then when I add synths it just goes up alot and then if I lower the synths then I cant hear them at all WTF?
|
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Take ALL your audio channel faders and instrument output faders down to -oo so everthing is silent. Put your master fader at 0dB.
Now turn up your kickdrum so that it peaks at -10dB on the master fader. NOT so that the kickdrum fader is at -10dB, you need the actual level of the sound at the master fader to be -10dB. Now turn up your monitors so that the kickdrum is really nice and loud. Now bring up the bassline until it sounds just a little quieter than the kickdrum. If it's louder than the kickdrum ON THE METERS, you need to adjust the sound/s somewhere along the line.
This gives you a basis to mix the rest of the track. As you do so, do not touch the kickdrum fader - mix the track so that it sounds good with the kick where it is. This is how you keep enough headroom.
[-10dB is an arbitrary number, the point is to start mixing so that the loudest sound (ie. the kick) is quiet enough to leave enough headroom for the rest of the sounds]
As for your leads, it sounds like you have to work on the sounds a lot still - in particular, you might have low frequencies in there that you don't need, and which are eating your headroom. Make sure your leads are constructed right, and highpassed if necessary.
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awesome...thanks man yeah that seems to be the problem I was placing -10 on my kick fader not on the main out fader...probably cant thank you enough...peace |
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Colin OOOD
Moderator
Started Topics :
95
Posts :
5380
Posted : Oct 26, 2011 18:09
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D7uan
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
43
Posts :
159
Posted : Oct 26, 2011 22:31
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Quote:
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On 2011-10-26 18:09, Colin OOOD wrote:
On the METERS man, not the fader 
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right sorry its what I meant |
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Upavas
Upavas
Started Topics :
150
Posts :
3315
Posted : Oct 27, 2011 09:02
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I would call mixing the art of combining different sounds into something that is pleasing to the human ears. Note that if you start learning the art of muxing that you can do so for a life time. Once you are really good enough with mixing, you can start thinking about mastering. I have worked on mixing for years now and just started to even think about mastering, for my releases I have this dude.  . Who does most of my mastering...
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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mudpeople
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
113
Posts :
1785
Posted : Oct 28, 2011 16:47
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I really feel a whole lot better since I quit trying to master my stuff.
But for mixing;
Work work work
Try sitting in different positions, different distances from teh speakers, even listening from anotehr room
try listening to it quietly so the bass isnt getting in the way and the highs are the main thing you hear
listen on crappy speakers, ipod phones
try and find someone nto into trance who isnt afraid to be a jerk to offer as objective an ear as you can find
trust yourself, if you think it sucks, its not likely others will like it
set the project aside for a while now and then, let the memory dull so you can lsiten almost like someon who hasnt heard it 10000x, often I find that makes the blatant mistakes that i missed, because I was listening to it so much, obvious
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