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Mixing Down

hi all,

Was just hoping you could help me out with finishing my 1st song.
Ok so i have all the tracks ready and automated.
My problem is with mixing it down. Can not one track bounce in the red during the track? i have a few tracks, especially my kick beat that is bringing on the red clipping light when i play it back. If i bounced it like this will it distort when played back loud? i cant notice any distortion playing it back until i turn it right up and even then i think it the speakers that are being battered!

Please help.
Cheers.

Sounds like you have got a limiter or a compressor on the master channel. Usually it is not a huge problem if stuff is clipping a bit, a limiter can take care of that.
Usually, your host will clip anything thats above the 0db mark anyway. It should be hard limited at 0db by the host, and if stuff is not clipping too bad, it should still sound okay... Though if you have professional ambitions, the best way is to really dont let any channel go in the red. And if you want to render the clip alone, the best way to save it would be to let it NOT clip before you render.

this EQ tutorial explains what I mean I think:
http://www.hitechaudiosystems.com/u...itePapers/1.PDF
if not, its a good read anyway.

Without even listening to a sample I can tell you that your kick does not need to be as loud as you think it should be. This is a common problem.

okay thanks guys, i have re worked all my levels and have basically scaled them all down.

I tried bouncing for a test and it sounded quite muffled...as if it was outside a room. Any comments on that?

Cheers

quote:

Originally posted by spolitta Without even listening to a sample I can tell you that your kick does not need to be as loud as you think it should be. This is a common problem.

+1

And I'll go one step further and say that nothing needs to be as loud as you think it does for your un-mastered mixdown. You should leave yourself 4-6 dB of headroom for mastering/finishing, at which point you'll bring the level of the entire track up to where it needs to be. A common problem among beginners is that they start mixing with the kick drum pegged at 0dB (i.e., already out of headroom) and start bringing everything up relative to the kick drum. By the time you're done, you're going to be in the red and there's nowhere to go, other than clipsville. Adding a limiter may reduce clipping, but it will also introduce other unwanted problems at that level. Start with the kick down around -6dB or lower (depending on the track, number and relative loudness of other instruments, etc.)

quote:

Originally posted by pactdonkey I tried bouncing for a test and it sounded quite muffled...as if it was outside a room. Any comments on that?

Hearing fatigue? Room acoustics? Do you have an EQ on your master bass?

I suggest posting a sample for others to hear. Also, check your mixdown on a stereo system that you're used to listening to (e.g., your car).

okay thanks,

I have posted the bounced version up in the other section, here it is. I apreciate any feedback from it.

Thanks

[[ LINK REMOVED ]]

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik And I'll go one step further and say that nothing needs to be as loud as you think it does for your un-mastered mixdown.

True and what people tend to forget is that it is eventually going to be played on a big sound system (club or venue). Or at least that is the main purpose of most productions. Although some sounds in your mix may seem quite when listening to them in your cosy little studio, they'll sound HUGE live. Balance is the key word.

- farris

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik You should leave yourself 4-6 dB of headroom for mastering/finishing, at which point you'll bring the level of the entire track up to where it needs to be...Start with the kick down around -6dB or lower

It's a relief to know that I've been going about levels the right way

hmmm

Should overall dynamics of a mixdown be as loud as that of a professional track? What i mean by this is, often when i am comparing a mix to that of a professionals, the latter is at least somewhat louder.

is this soley due to their management of headroom? or is there some extra gain increase post mixdown that i am unaware of.

thanks in advance.

Your mixdown will have more dynamics at that stage, and sometimes the relation between elements is different. For example on my mixdowns my drums sometimes feel too loud and the bass not so powerful.. but that is all important because its helping the drums punch a bit and the bass become a bit rounder. So dont be confused if your mixdown doesnt sound that great:
I usually put compressor and limiter on the master channel of my mixdown and switch them on, to 'test' what the track could sound like when mastered, but of course render the track later on without the compression.
That kind of boost is actually applied later, during the mastering stage. When you mix down a track, you need to leave headroom for the mastering engineer, who will usually boost the track up, add compression and limiting so that it feels full and loud without distorting... its just important to understand that mixing down a track and mastering it are 2 very different stages.

quote:

Originally posted by cybernetica dont be confused if your mixdown doesnt sound that great:

I ve heard time and again that your mixdown should be as fat and badass as you can make it and that mastering is not a saviour.

quote:

Originally posted by cybernetica I usually put compressor and limiter on the master channel of my mixdown and switch them on, to 'test' what the track could sound like when mastered, but of course render the track later on without the compression. That kind of boost is actually applied later, during the mastering stage. When you mix down a track, you need to leave headroom for the mastering engineer, who will usually boost the track up, add compression and limiting so that it feels full and loud without distorting... its just important to understand that mixing down a track and mastering it are 2 very different stages.

so for exceptional EDM tracks, does mastering typically result in quite a noticeable change in dynamics & reduction of headroom?

1. thats definitely true. The best mastering can not compensate a poor mixdown.. What I was trying to say is that after your mixdown, there will be another stage of compression/limiting, which will usually reduce the dynamics. So you have to figure out and test how the track actually would sound like if there was a mastering compressor/limiter on the mastering stage. So lets say you compress some of your single elements too hard, and it still sounds alright on the mixdown... but these effects will show even more during the mastering stage.

2. Usually yes. The mixdown peaks at lets say maybe -3dB (figured out this is a good value), and the master peaks at -0.2dB (some kind of 'industry standard' for trance tunes), thats a reduction of headroom of course. Very often there is quite hard limiting and compression used during the mastering stage which means the track sounds more upfront and in your face... but there will also be a reduction of dynamics. The key to a good master is to find a balance between bringing the track upfront and maintaining the important dynamics.

awesome. thanks cyber for the info

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