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Mixdown And Mastering Question....
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| Jaye5024 |
I know mixdown and mastering with the proffesional's tend to sound to say the least, sound "fuller". And the key is to get your track to sound the best without it, I'm aware of this.
My question is if it's possible, even though you don't have the option for mastering imediatly, to mixdown / master the track to the best way possible and get a fuller sound...
Maybe I'm just a really really picky person, but to me even though I finish mixing down, compressing, equing and etc. When I hear another proffesional composistion, and say compare or mix in my own, it sounds really "dry" in comparison. Which really sucks, because I do try my best to get it the best sounding as possible. And I'd like to finish a song for once, but this is an obstacle. I'm always thinking "needs more sfx sfx", but I know there's more to it than this.
Any suggestions?
On a side note (rather not just having this as last option), are monitors really essential in the mixdown to fully here what's needed to be pointed out? If you don't have the option to, what's the best bet?
Thanks guys.
- Jaye |
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| AaroNoct |
If your mix sounds dry, then your mix is dry. Mastering is not going to help you out of that. A lot of people confuse mastering with a completely different process. If you're running fx over everything after the fact, then you're doing some post mix processing. You're still at the mix stage. You want that. The mix stage = control. It blows my mind that most people want to "master" destructively after the fact. A master masters in a great room, with amazing speakers, and amazing gear. Yet, they don't completely change the sound of your mix. 90% of the mix will still be intact. They'll just do the best they can to make it 95%, or 100% by putting some glaze on it, and allowing it to translate to multiple systems. They know what to listen for because if you get a good one they have years, decades, and scores of experience of doing just that.
Ok, now that we've familiarized ourselves that mastering doesn't rescue mixes, here's what you can do. Yes it would be a good idea to have a set of monitors. You must become intimate with them. If you don't have the budget right now take your mix to every playback system you can and focus on trouble areas in the mix. Does it have some strange artifacts in your car? Is it the car? Do you know how the car system sounds? Take it to your friends house, pop it in their multimedia system, how does it sound? Take lots and lots of mental notes from as many different playback systems as you can.
If you have a dry sounding mix, go back rearrange and try to get the mix you want. If you can pinpoint why it's dry, send it to a friend for a 2nd perspective. Maybe they can tell you why it's dry, or maybe you're just imagining things.
-Aaron |
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| Jaye5024 |
| quote: | Originally posted by AaroNoct
If your mix sounds dry, then your mix is dry. Mastering is not going to help you out of that. A lot of people confuse mastering with a completely different process. If you're running fx over everything after the fact, then you're doing some post mix processing. You're still at the mix stage. You want that. The mix stage = control. It blows my mind that most people want to "master" destructively after the fact. A master masters in a great room, with amazing speakers, and amazing gear. Yet, they don't completely change the sound of your mix. 90% of the mix will still be intact. They'll just do the best they can to make it 95%, or 100% by putting some glaze on it, and allowing it to translate to multiple systems. They know what to listen for because if you get a good one they have years, decades, and scores of experience of doing just that.
Ok, now that we've familiarized ourselves that mastering doesn't rescue mixes, here's what you can do. Yes it would be a good idea to have a set of monitors. You must become intimate with them. If you don't have the budget right now take your mix to every playback system you can and focus on trouble areas in the mix. Does it have some strange artifacts in your car? Is it the car? Do you know how the car system sounds? Take it to your friends house, pop it in their multimedia system, how does it sound? Take lots and lots of mental notes from as many different playback systems as you can.
If you have a dry sounding mix, go back rearrange and try to get the mix you want. If you can pinpoint why it's dry, send it to a friend for a 2nd perspective. Maybe they can tell you why it's dry, or maybe you're just imagining things.
-Aaron |
Great reply Aaron. Things like this really help alot.
Thing I mentioned mastering is because there are artifacts behind the "dry" that being brought out could make some difference.. Yet volume and etc seems to not help.
I played it in the car before mix down (yet I don't have the best system). I'm going to take your advice and drop it on a big system w/ playing a cd beforehand to hear and pinpoint what is needed and etc.
I'm definitly glad that this is something that I am having trouble with now since it's all a learning process.
Thanks again, I appreciate any help.
- Jaye |
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| Limit |
one major issue that is over looked in the mix is panning. Panning can give the mix a fuller feel but shoud be used with descresion. make sure that everything has its own place in the mix..think of your track as a room where all your instruments are seated...they all can't stay in the middle of the room or they will be on top of each other. Your main goal is to open up your mix but but don't go to crazy. reference other tracks to see where things sit in the mix. Also listen to your final master and then listen to your pre-master to see what changes took place, and which one you like better. Sometimes a mastered track can sound pretty bad if your not careful. I nice trick is to add some warmth to your bassline by using a tube compressor or even one of those plugins that come with cubase, like Da Tube, or Magneto. warmimg up bass can do wonders. you could even try putting your whole mix through Magneto to warm it up a little but do so respectievly. Always remeber that cutting is better than gain. try and stay away from mixing on headphones..you'll end up pumpimg everything up to much. Remember that V shaped eq settings on your stereo?, well keep that in mind when mastering a track.
Also when you put soem final EQ on a track try using different EQ'a if you can..plug ins too if thats your things. TL Audios EQ1 is pretty sweet..try different ones to see if there is a difference. Some give cool overtones that you might not have thought would be there. Make a few different masteres and compare them.
Also check out http://www.computermusic.co.uk/tutorial/features.asp
there are some good tutorials there to help you out on mixing and mastering.
Limit Out! |
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| Jaye5024 |
Another great reply. Thanks a ton limit.
Panning is something I haven't really done alot of as of yet (I'm glad you suggested it), I've mostly try'd staying away from it.. It seems it just may be a good idea to see how it sounds with some panning to fill "the empty spaces" to say the least.
I really appreciate the help.
Anymore suggestions are welcome. Learn't alot within these few little hourse heh.
- Jaye |
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