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Posted by kadomony on Oct-06-2009 12:30:

Loud sounds that aren't really?

Working on a tune at the moment, however it sounds really loud at some points. It's not really, though, as all the elements are still discernible, aren't clipping, and aren't overly compressed.

What could be causing this? I'm guessing it's frequency spikes, which I'll look into, but does anyone have any other ideas what could be causing this?

Posted by AstroB on Oct-06-2009 12:59:

I'v had this happen a couple times and I always thought it was due to room acoustics? I am not sure though.

Posted by Eric J on Oct-06-2009 13:12:

Re: Loud sounds that aren't really?

quote:
Originally posted by kadomony
What could be causing this? I'm guessing it's frequency spikes, which I'll look into, but does anyone have any other ideas what could be causing this?

Well you haven't really given enough information to draw any real conclusions, but it is advisable to check your mix on a spectrum analyzer and see if you have any big spikes in problematic frequency ranges. 50Hz can be a rather "boomy" frequency, as can 1K. This can be especially problematic is you have low-grade monitors in an untreated room that don't allow you to hear such spikes.

Posted by EgosXII on Oct-06-2009 13:28:

i would guess frequency spikes if it's more like one sound coming thru clearer than others or something in the mix...

as eric said you weren't very specific with the problem, so it's a bit hard to say...

Posted by kadomony on Oct-06-2009 23:38:

ah yeh.
more details:
i'm using headphones, and the problem seems to be in the high-mid range; particularly with some chime sounds. might be some weird resonance in the reverb i'm using.

Posted by Eric J on Oct-06-2009 23:45:

quote:
Originally posted by kadomony
ah yeh.
more details:
i'm using headphones, and the problem seems to be in the high-mid range; particularly with some chime sounds. might be some weird resonance in the reverb i'm using.

Those types of sounds often require some frequency taming using very thin Q values. Check it with a Spectrum Analyzer.

Posted by Fledz on Oct-07-2009 00:49:

Do a full EQ sweep and isolate the problem frequncies.

Posted by kadomony on Oct-07-2009 12:48:

just checked the melody on a spectrum analyzer and there's a bunch of spikes.
swept them and the problems seem to be around 2.5, 5, and 10.5 khz
however, those parts of the graph dont appear significantly different.

how much cut should i be applying to these areas?

Posted by EgosXII on Oct-07-2009 13:41:

just run a frequency sweep while the whole mix is running and listen for the frequency that sticks out most, then just turn that part way down...

it's just trial and error man, how much it needs to go down will depend on the other frequencies in your mix...

i would trust the frequency sweep (where you can clearly hear it sounding weird) over the graph...

Posted by sako487 on Oct-07-2009 19:34:

Run it through an eq and watch the sound. Lower the volume on that specific area that is spiking, usually does the trick.

Posted by kadomony on Oct-07-2009 21:12:

ok ill try it out, thanks for the tips m8s

Posted by Fledz on Oct-08-2009 09:00:

If you really want to take a lot of time doing it, then try and isolate the specific track too, then play around with the EQ.

Posted by kadomony on Oct-09-2009 17:04:

seems to have worked

had to mess with some of the reverb dynamics too.

thanks!