What monitors are you using?
If you think they sound really good on headphones then you're going to want to look in to your mix before you try mastering it. It sounds like you separation isn't good, and that is why when you use headphones, you have that needed separation.

no i mean i just use headphones at home b/c i dont own monitors. But my friends are really good , and its not like a huge difference from the headphones honeslty, its more or less just the quality at loud volumes i think. Like it seems to come out cloudy...not as crystal clear as the top dog producers...which in my case i am about $20k shy of having one of their studios..lmao

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quote:

Originally posted by badapple@trance no i mean i just use headphones at home b/c i dont own monitors. But my friends are really good , and its not like a huge difference from the headphones honeslty, its more or less just the quality at loud volumes i think. Like it seems to come out cloudy...not as crystal clear as the top dog producers...which in my case i am about $20k shy of having one of their studios..lmao

Clarity in your mixing is all about choosing the right sounds and giving each sound its own space. EQ, proper effects usage, sound selection and proper mixdown are all keys to getting a clear, upfront mix.

There is a huge difference between mixing on headphones versus nearfield monitors because headphones exaggerate a lot of elements of a mix, such as the stereo field and bass frequencies. Most headphones do mot have anywhere near a flat frequency response acccross the spectrum, so that may cause you to compensate for that in your mixes, which means it doesn't translate well on other systems. You'll also loose the sound of the room your mixing in, which has an effect on what your mixes will sound like on other systems. There are producers who know how to mix on headphones, but that's usually because they have a clear understanding of how their mixes translate on other systems.

20k systems are not going to help much if you do not have your elements mixed properly. Good audio interfaces with good DAC run into good monitors are going to be the most helpful ways to improve mixdowns because, after all, how can you choose the right sounds and give them their own space if you can't HEAR what is wrong? This is one of the primary reasons why good monitors and a good audio interface are a must.

I can put together a $20,000 Pro Tools HD 3 system, but If I don't know how to mixdown properly, it isn't going to mean much.

its not really bout that on the mixdown. Its more or less the actual clarity of sounds. Ive made songs at my friends house on his monitors as well and they still seem just a little cloudy. Even from the start, i just want to know if there are like any suggestions as to how to make this better.

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quote:

Originally posted by Eric J Clarity in your mixing is all about choosing the right sounds and giving each sound its own space. EQ, proper effects usage, sound selection and proper mixdown are all keys to getting a clear, upfront mix.

Badapple, this is really all it boils down to. Make sure your sounds right, separate them properly, eq and effect them correctly then balance levels.

You might find it useful to watch the Andi Vax Mixing secrets video - I think it will help you in your situation.

After taking a look @ yourspace I can say one thing, actually give an advice if you'd like : learn

get some books on various fields of production, read them throughout.

Music production is a very complicated task, there is no one do-it-all button (especially in Logic), hundreds of approaches and thousands of techniques. The thing is, you have to know what audio is all about.

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Stop mixing on headphones!!!

Your headphone is not your best friend, audio monitors speakers are.. Use the headphones only sometimes to verify some details of your mix such as pan, minimum of volume adjustments...

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• i7 950 class A Vanilla Hackintosh w/ Logic 9 • Dead Macbook Pro w/ error ts2377 pending court decision ( I hate apple ) • Apogee Duet • Access Virus Snow • Roland JP-8000 and Juno-G • Novation Ultranova • Mackie 802-VLZ3 Mixer • Yamaha HS-80 •

BIG HELP WITH THE ANDI VAX SECRETS THING...GOOD SHIT!

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if you like that

then i suggest macprovideo.com and get the mixing electronica tutorial with olav basoski. it's very informative and it's based on logic not cubase and easier to understand.

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mastering won't really fix clarity issues. it is for very small details and increasing the overall volume without degradation to the sound. if you need things to be more clear, practice your mixdown and eq. whenever i want something louder in the mix, i usually lower the volume of other elements and as everyone else said, you shouldn't mix in headphones exclusively.

quote:

Originally posted by hadi ****** mastering won't really fix clarity issues. it is for very small details and increasing the overall volume without degradation to the sound. if you need things to be more clear, practice your mixdown and eq. whenever i want something louder in the mix, i usually lower the volume of other elements and as everyone else said, you shouldn't mix in headphones exclusively.

+1

It is a common misconception that good mastering can fix a bad mixdown. Nothing can be further from the truth. As has been discussed many times on this board, you should only consider mastering for raising the overall volume of your track 2-3 db at most and adding just the tiniest bit of polish. Your track should sound great after your mixdown, and in many cases, tracks may not need any mastering at all.

Think of it like this:

If your track is an ice cream sundae, then mastering is like the cherry on top. The sundae tastes good without the cherry, but adding it on top adds just a tiny bit "extra".