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please help me with the mix
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klippel
Stereofeld
Started Topics :
91
Posts :
1153
Posted : Jun 6, 2008 12:11:12
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hello there,
please lend me your ears ;-)
working on the track below right now, and wanted to know how you like the mix. i tend to be able to evaluate other peoples music and mixing but find it hard to make clear decisions with mine.
also iīm quite a noob, so my mixing skills are not good at all...
any comment welcome, also comments on everything besides mixing as well of course...
track is not ready but main elements so far in the part you will hear are there..
http://files.filefront.com/testmp3/;10517632;/file
thanks in advance!
tim |
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Alex Roudos
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
33
Posts :
411
Posted : Jun 6, 2008 13:38
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First of all, i have to say that i like the track a lot.
I find the mix loud for my tastes and way of mixing. It hits on an average of -10.70dbFS with -0.5dbs difference for the right channel. I'd suggest that you mix 2dbs lower, around -12dbFS in order to have an effective extra 4dbs of headroom for the mastering process, which again is the loudest any mix should be, in my very personal opinion.
The biggest problem i can spot is the lack of high frequencies. Around 7Khz for the hihats and 12Khz max occasionally for the crash hits and they are way too low. Therefore making the mix dull sounding imo, in combination of course with the over-present low frequencies from around 70-100hz and the mid/low mid-freq based synths you use.
Also, it sounds quite narrow in the sense that a lot of the sounds are mostly centered with little panning and quite upfront. Some harder panning on certain sounds would be helpful i think. I can hear the use of reverbs but the general soundstage lacks depth and separation.
A combination of plate reverbs with normal reverbs is what i use to get this separation in the front-back dimension combined with panning at the same time for widening the soundstage and stereo depth.
I hope this was a bit helpful.
 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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klippel
Stereofeld
Started Topics :
91
Posts :
1153
Posted : Jun 6, 2008 14:16
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hi alex,
thanks a lot for the quick and detailed reply! glad you like the track, although if i remember correctly you are not into psy normally ;-)
your advices are exactly what i was hoping to get. the narrow sounding is indeed something i wasnīt shure how to get a hand on. will try the reverberation tips you mentioned. so far its two reverbs used mainly on the insert fx but i didnīt go into detailed reverb tweaking ..
the lack of high freqs was surprising for me. but gonna try to even it out. iīm very sensitive to agressive hifreqs, hence i tend to lower them abit to much maybe..
the low freqs could be too high as i am not using a sub in my "studio"..
i will go through your tips and repost the new mix as soon as come home and have the time.. thanks a lot again!
@all others, more comments still welcome ;-) |
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Alex Roudos
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
33
Posts :
411
Posted : Jun 6, 2008 14:52
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Having a sub is important when your monitors are quite small and limited in their low freq response. What's your monitors by the way? And you know of course that room acoustics play a major role on what you hear or you don't hear as well.
After checking your mix in Wavelab, it's obvious that the frequency spectrum is not balanced. That's where i would start from.
As for the reverbs and plates here's how i do it, it may help you.
I always use a plate reverb with the lowest reverb times, cuts on hi and low freqs as i don't want any kind of reverb tails, at least audible into the mix. Then i set the mix value quite high(sometimes 100% wet). This way the sound gets far behind but dry sounding(how far depends on the amount of plate i add to the sound). I also use a normal big reverb. Both these, i always apply them on separate buses and then i feed any sound i want to these buses to the amount that is needed. Of course, i will use again the same combi in individual tracks, if the general bus settings are not what the certain sound needs.
Couple that with very careful panning, delays and the right eqing for the sounds, and that's it. But it's a very tricky procedure and a lot of other factors affect the success of it.
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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klippel
Stereofeld
Started Topics :
91
Posts :
1153
Posted : Jun 6, 2008 15:08
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hi alex,
i use quested f11 monitors.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov98/articles/questedf11.htm they are quite powerfull for their size, but of course do lack in the low end compared to a full range system..
my room is small, but there are basotect corner traps behind the speakers and a lot of basotect 10cm thick panels on the wall and at the side of the wall... i mean the sound is ok.. of course not optimal for mixing..
there is some liting on the master bus in the sample as well, doesnīt knwo how that effects the overall look in an analyser
in my living room i have a very nice system
(bryston 100bsst with optional d/a converter with b&w 805 signature speakers supported by an b&w asw 825 sub)to listen to my tracks, but itīs still hard to go back into the studio, feels like swimming in mud after a nice pool, compared to listening to my living room setup..
but now, i donīt have the money to upgrade my studio speakers...
could you be a bit more specific about panning of synths? what values do you use?
How do you go about autopans.. there are quite a few autopanned instruments in the track..
wil try the reverb tips, canīt wait to come home ;-)
cheers,
tim
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Alex Roudos
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
33
Posts :
411
Posted : Jun 6, 2008 16:22
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Your monitors are more than ok. I was using for a year the HR624, which are of the same size, and still my mixes were very good. You have some acoustic treatment, which is also very good, although i don't know of course, if they are placed according to the rules, and this might have an effect in general. I don't think you need to upgrade your monitors, considering as well that your room is small.
Regarding panning of sounds in general, i always pan sounds when they play together and share quite common frequency ranges. And i say sounds that play together on the same time during the track because i want to maintain the panning balance of the track. There are no standard ways or values here. You try different panning values on the sounds you want to pan until the whole thing sounds right to your ears.
As for the autopan sounds, if they sound ok after you did everything else, then all is good. If not, and you think, that the autopan sounds are the problem, try changing the time settings on the vst instrument or fx you use, until they fit to what you have in your mind.
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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klippel
Stereofeld
Started Topics :
91
Posts :
1153
Posted : Jun 6, 2008 18:31
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ok. round nr. 2 ;-)
alex, itīs is the first time i really go into the mixing as an own step in making a track. i always focus on sounds and music and mixed only roughly, but now i want to learn it better..
so here is my imho much better 2nd mix..
letīs hear your opinion.
there is more panning, more reverbs, a more even freq spec (never actually used the damn good spectrum analyser of my rme soundcard for really mixing... its sweet)..
http://files.filefront.com/test+2mp3/;10521379;/fileinfo.html |
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Alex Roudos
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
33
Posts :
411
Posted : Jun 6, 2008 20:38
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If it's your first time that you go into mixing, i'd say you'd better forget the panning and plate-reverb tricks for the moment.
Your mix suffers heavily on the most important and primary area. Volume levels. While the kick+bass sound quite balanced, everything else is totally out of the mix. Especially the synths are very high in volume and cover everything else.
I also think it would be better not to use the limiter on the master bus at least until you get to a higher mixing level.
Check your PMs.
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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klippel
Stereofeld
Started Topics :
91
Posts :
1153
Posted : Jun 7, 2008 00:37
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@alex,
check your pm! |
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