Hello to all.

I'm producing trance music and I've been mixing my song for a while now. No matter what I do, I can't get that fullnes of a commercial tracks. I always get all the instruments too clear, too independent, too in your face, too present while commercial mixes are more distant, involved in each other, punchy, lost in the big cloud of music while still staying recognizable. If I put more reverb the result is getting more fuzzines and noise but no depth, no matter how I set it up. The closest I can get is to BT's - Flaming June while I would like it to sound more like Tiesto's tracks - Just Be, Silence... And I'm not talking about sounds but about how they sound together in the mix.
Any suggestions, tricks, methods of how to get that deep sound? Reverbs, compressors, linking them together....

hm,most uf us looking for the answer of the same questions, and i think it's the combination of all those compressors,reverbs,samples...everything has to be on it's own place and that can be reached only in years of producing,i dont know better way...

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Simple initial tip.

Try to start building your mix using just levels & EQ. Then think about compression then think about FX.

If you have a track you are working on, Mute all the FX, & Bypass everything, add EQ plugs as you need (Try to stick with one type, Waves Ren EQ is great). Sticking to one general EQ plug will help co-ordinate your sound.

Not all mixes can be put together that way, but by the sounds of things you are suffering from a too detail orientated approach.

You're spending too long on each part, rather than the mix as a whole..

Try that and let us know how you get on

Yeah sounds like me. Lately I've been getting too involved in the actual sound and not the structure of the mix or how everything mixes together. Just work on your structure and then work on your sounds and automations and all those goodies in the end. It really makes it a lot easier to create your track and takes 3/4 less the time.

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quote:

Originally posted by cupax I would like it to sound more like Tiesto's tracks - Just Be, Silence... And I'm not talking about sounds but about how they sound together in the mix.

Send your unmixed track to the people that make Tiesto's tracks

quote:

Originally posted by wood0292 Send your unmixed track to the people that make Tiesto's tracks

PC

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quote:

Originally posted by Diginerd Simple initial tip. Try to start building your mix using just levels & EQ. Then think about compression then think about FX. If you have a track you are working on, Mute all the FX, & Bypass everything, add EQ plugs as you need (Try to stick with one type, Waves Ren EQ is great). Sticking to one general EQ plug will help co-ordinate your sound. Not all mixes can be put together that way, but by the sounds of things you are suffering from a too detail orientated approach. You're spending too long on each part, rather than the mix as a whole.. Try that and let us know how you get on

I disagree. I personally love to work with different delay and EQ plugs and I mix as I go with the track. I do anything from compression to other effects to eq, everything while composing. It all comes down to preference.
Mixing the way diginerd advised could be good, but could make it worse as well, either way it's is worth a try just as doing the mix as the songs developes is interesting too.

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If less is more think about how much more more would be. -Frasier

A good thing to do is to put different tracks through group channels and add effects and dynamics accordingly to the group channel track.

What is often done is putting a BD and Bassline through a single compressor together. Or a pad and a BD. Sidechain your BD/PAD compression by threshholding it to just low enough for your BD to hit the threshhold.

Having multiple elements interact with eichother through group channels will give them less individual identity while maintaining their pressence in a tune.

Layering is very important too. Having the same sequence play through multiple synths give more flexibility to the design of your sound and the imperfect unison makes for a more natural sound.

kind regards,

Charlie D

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Music is as universal to people as breathing. We've probably been at it since before we even started talking. Immaging two cavemen smashing away at a peace of flint to make a spearhead. It wouldn't take long for them to learn te synchronise the sound. And there you have it, the words first percussive band.

Music has survived wars, famines, the plague and many other things and has evolved with man across many cultures. Dance music is just the next step in the evolutionary chain. My guess is that it will probably be with us untill we are extinced.

Another tip is to instead of creating all instruments in standard mono or stereo tracks, try using 5.1 Surround tracks or LRCS tracks. Surround tracks allow you to create sounds in a wider field such as Front, Back and Center. Although you can also achieve the same effect with skillful EQ, Level and Panning.

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My point was to get people to think about the mix as a whole, not just as a collection of elements...

Also by mixing levels before FX you will find your mixes come to gether a lot better.

At least 80% of the mix is levels, get those all in the ballpark and you can really clearly hear the impact of the rest of what you do.

Is that Compressor/limiter REALLY neccesary, or do you think it makes it sound better due to the increase in perceived level 9Which we assume is more pleasing), match levels and you may find you've lost power...

Of course some parts demand some FX, but if you have to have the effect to make the track what you want then you may find you are creating a sonic collage, not Music. Music should stand without the trimmings.. ;-)

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Originally posted by Diginerd Is that Compressor/limiter REALLY neccesary, or do you think it makes it sound better due to the increase in perceived level 9Which we assume is more pleasing), match levels and you may find you've lost power...

No, I meant the comp just as an example of how to have tracks interact with eichother. Appart from increasing the perceived level a good comp can serve as an effect if parameters are exadurated.

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PLEASE RETURN REVIEWS!
C.D.M.P. Website
Review Latest Track; Charlie Delta - Then The Days Where Long

Music is as universal to people as breathing. We've probably been at it since before we even started talking. Immaging two cavemen smashing away at a peace of flint to make a spearhead. It wouldn't take long for them to learn te synchronise the sound. And there you have it, the words first percussive band.

Music has survived wars, famines, the plague and many other things and has evolved with man across many cultures. Dance music is just the next step in the evolutionary chain. My guess is that it will probably be with us untill we are extinced.

I see what you're saying, and doing all kinds of fun stuff is what makes a mix stand out, but I think he was looking for a simple starting point to make his mixes sound more cohesive.

There is a tendancy for people to go over the top with processing, trying to improve what is basically a weak sound, or poor melody line.

By starting your mix "Naked" you strip away all the gloss and create a solid foundation for building up the layers and adding tricks to make the mix stand out.