quote:

Originally posted by theterran And that's the last time I try mixing with a headcold heheh. Sneaky suspicion says that sinus pressure = mix destroyer. Trying this again in hopes of a better outcome. (There's no master this time ) http://soundcloud.com/theterranastronaut/summer-snow

Spectrically it's really well-balanced, but I still find your instruments are too low quality.

Also there's just too much compression on the piano at 2:59 for my taste.

I have a few opinions structure- and arrangement-wise, but maybe I should leave those to someone who actually knows what they're talking about.

___________________
Put an end to the loudness war. Don't limit or compress your mixdown until mastering; leave the master channel alone.

Contact me for mastering.

im starting to like the track hehe. fuck. ill give some feedback on the mixdown when ive listened through my monitors, but it seems its alot better already. its still out of control though, i hear levels going up and down, and various HPF on some of the synths and drums, killing some of the energy. i think u use too much automation on levels and filters or eqs but i cant really know this, its just what it sounds like. or some compressor is out of control. its very clear if you compare 1:20 with 1:40 and then again at 3:20 with 3:40.

Last edited by Zak McKracken on Oct-20-2010 at 08:59

Cool, thanks again for the listens...

I do use alot of automations it's true.

I typically use parametric EQ's over shelving, as it gives me a little more control.

I didn't physically add much compression on the piano...I suppose I might try adjusting the threshold and loosening up the ratio if it's hitting unbearably hard... I was sorta aiming for the oldschool compressed piano sound though.

And yeah, I'm trying to do a refinement method of work-flow. This track in question was mixed awhile ago before I really knew what I was doing, so digging into it and fixing the problems without screwing over the track has been tough. There are also alot of layers, so leveling is also proving difficult

And yeah a few of the synths were grabbed from some old nexus sample packs, so that's probably where the dated sound comes from. (I think nexus updated their sounds but I can't afford 2,400 bucks in samples =\)

Hopefully I'll be able to make some more modern stuff once I get aquanted with sylenth1.

if i where you, at this point id remove all the compressors and eqs, and start over with the mixing, ofcourse saving it as a new project so u dont loose what you have already done. you have some good elements in there but it needs to be redone mixing-wise i think. i have done this alot myself when things gets out of control. deleting all the compressors and eqs, reset the mixer-faders to 0 and start over with the mixdown. its a good practise too to clean up projects near the end.

I'm getting really lost in the number of previews I'm trying to help out with here, but, listening to "Summer Snow.mp3" again, your attempt at mastering is really ruining the sound. It's the mix that needs work - not strapping some limiter across it in an attempt to make everything better. I mean, listen to the drops after each "breakdown" - terrible ducking.... Focus on thickening up your sound with compression and EQ, or change the samples/instruments entirely as I've said before.

___________________
Put an end to the loudness war. Don't limit or compress your mixdown until mastering; leave the master channel alone.

Contact me for mastering.

quote:

Originally posted by Atlantis-AR I'm getting really lost in the number of previews I'm trying to help out with here, but, listening to "Summer Snow.mp3" again, your attempt at mastering is really ruining the sound. It's the mix that needs work - not strapping some limiter across it in an attempt to make everything better. I mean, listen to the drops after each "breakdown" - terrible ducking.... Focus on thickening up your sound with compression and EQ, or change the samples/instruments entirely as I've said before.

There's no limiter on anything...so *shrug*

And if you're getting lost in the #of previews, don't worry about it man, no worries.

This is an older track originally mixed with cheaper synths and equipment...I was indeed, simply trying to fix a mix I already knew was bad and was lookin' for some input. But yeah, I guess strip the mixer and automations is going to be required...

Had to do it with my very first track as well, and it benefited greatly.

quote:

Originally posted by Kenny Rogers if i where you, at this point id remove all the compressors and eqs, and start over with the mixing, ofcourse saving it as a new project so u dont loose what you have already done. you have some good elements in there but it needs to be redone mixing-wise i think. i have done this alot myself when things gets out of control. deleting all the compressors and eqs, reset the mixer-faders to 0 and start over with the mixdown. its a good practise too to clean up projects near the end.

^^^

Last edited by theterran on Oct-23-2010 at 01:52

quote:

Originally posted by theterran There's no limiter on anything...so *shrug* And if you're getting lost in the #of previews, don't worry about it man, no worries. This is an older track originally mixed with cheaper synths and equipment...I was indeed, simply trying to fix a mix I already knew was bad and was lookin' for some input. But yeah, I guess strip the mixer and automations is going to be required... Had to do it with my very first track as well, and it benefited greatly. ^^^

Well there's your first problem. Why even attempt to overload the volume if you don't deal with it the right way (i.e. using a limiter to 'catch' the peaks)? Too much volume equals clipping in the digital world and should be avoided at all cost. In fact I'd advice against any post 0 dBFS volume and get the mix sounning tight without any volume enhancment. I know I'm knew at producing as well (after having been an engineer for many years) and know it takes an incredible amount of dedication. Just don't let me discourage you as I'm only trying to help those just starting out.

___________________
Put an end to the loudness war. Don't limit or compress your mixdown until mastering; leave the master channel alone.

Contact me for mastering.

quote:

Originally posted by Atlantis-AR Well there's your first problem. Why even attempt to overload the volume if you don't deal with it the right way (i.e. using a limiter to 'catch' the peaks)? Too much volume equals clipping in the digital world and should be avoided at all cost. In fact I'd advice against any post 0 dBFS volume and get the mix sounning tight without any volume enhancment. I know I'm knew at producing as well (after having been an engineer for many years) and know it takes an incredible amount of dedication. Just don't let me discourage you as I'm only trying to help those just starting out.

I'm not discouraged...And I need to put together a tight mix without relying on limiters anyway.

I've recently started mixing to -3dbfs, where the seperate channels were mixed at 0dbfs unity and then levelled...then bring it up to 0 dbfs with the 4-band compressor as a final step.

Been practicing alot of "subtractive" Eq'ing...

I've also been using a filter to nip everything past 16khz...As Soundcloud won't accept anything past that frequency anyway. (And it ends up killing my tracks on the stream)

Cubase (and my monitors) have been adjusted to the k14 scale, and read a happy 83 db spl with pink noise in the sweet spot...

I also re-adjusted some bass traps and home-made diffusers...and it seems to have eliminated alot of my med-range frequency issues. (and altered my choice of reveerb)

This is on my recent "nice" mixes, and they seem to have turned out well.

Thanks again for das input, and the goal is to someday fix my previous tracks leading up to where I started 'actually' getting a grasp on mixing.

Last edited by theterran on Oct-23-2010 at 04:49

quote:

Originally posted by theterran I've recently started mixing to -3dbfs, where the seperate channels were mixed at 0dbfs unity and then levelled...then bring it up to 0 dbfs with the 4-band compressor as a final step.

I'd seriously advice mixing without that compressor, then seeing how you can get things to sound then.

quote:

Originally posted by theterran I've also been using a filter to nip everything past 16khz...As Soundcloud won't accept anything past that frequency anyway. (And it ends up killing my tracks on the stream)

This is an absolute CRAP piece of advice. Don't filter anything from the top-end because you're ruining the quality of your work. I've just recently signed up with SoundCloud and it excepts FLAC as far as I know, which means lossless format.

___________________
Put an end to the loudness war. Don't limit or compress your mixdown until mastering; leave the master channel alone.

Contact me for mastering.

quote:

Originally posted by Atlantis-AR I'd seriously advice mixing without that compressor, then seeing how you can get things to sound then.

Sorry, let me clarify. I do the mix all the way without the comp...

Then when it's ALLLLLL done, I stick it on to bring out the qualities I like best.

Good to know about the .flac as well. Not a problem uploading larger files either as I have a 40Mb connection

dont tell me you dont use compressors, i can hear the level goes up and down out of control. so either you have it intentionally because u believe it will help the sound, or the render does it automatically to prevent clipping. try lowering the volume and see if its better.

quote:

Originally posted by Kenny Rogers dont tell me you dont use compressors, i can hear the level goes up and down out of control. so either you have it intentionally because u believe it will help the sound, or the render does it automatically to prevent clipping. try lowering the volume and see if its better.

Where did I say that I didn't use compressors?

I don't use limiters alot no...compressors yes, limiters no.