Mixing tracks

Could someone just help me to describe how you make a decent mix?

How to you start the mixing part or do you just mix on the go...

Tell me some good tips, because my tracks stinks..I have some good ideas and stuff but I dont know how to mix.

thanks :D

u mean mixing as in mix-down, ie producing your track, or you mean mixing tracks together a la DJing?

  ~ism said:

u mean mixing as in mix-down, ie producing your track, or you mean mixing tracks together a la DJing?

  Quote

Tell me some good tips,because my tracks stinks

i think he means mixdown

mixdown is a lot of stuff, making the whole track almost, making clips and shit work together etc.

but the main issue about mixing is all about balancing the levels. making nothing stand out more than it should.

mixing is more than just turning up and down mixer channels, it's EQing, carefully analyzing the frequencies of sounds and isolating them as much as possible, make it less muddy.

basically, you need good monitors to make accurate judgments about the sound. it's invaluable

there are lots of tools and VSTs to help you out, some free that are good, some commercial that are really good.

how to mix is very individual for your track. do you want it to be bassy? focus on the bas frequencies, make the bass drum and kick as isolated as possible and boost it.

afteryoure done with mixdown, you apply mastering which is an even more tedious process

ANALogue

How about some book recommendations.

I mean mix-down and producing nice tracks...

Thanks for the tips Derelic7, appreciated--

I would like more tips if thats possible....like basic things in detail..I know its from track to track and it depends on whats sounds, but could some one tell me how u work if u want a decent mix not bassy just a basic clean mix..

i have no idea

That tip about over-use of stereo was really interesting.. I'll bear that in mind, maybe my stuff'll sound a little sharper in future.

Thanks dude!

Excellent tips! thanks a lot all who helped out :D

  loganfive said:

  arsenlives said:

first record everything through an m-box. then use a limiter/maximizer on every single track. if you arent recording use fruityloops for sequencing but export it the audio.

turn everything up just below max volume and then L2 the master track yo. now you got phat beats.

 

 

oh god no.

 

take it from one who knows.

 

the moment youj send a recording like this to a mastering engineer for commercial release or whatev, he'll email you saying "there's fuck all i can do with this ridiculously over compressed mix."

 

you want to avoid compressors wherever possible, particularly at the mastering end of the process.. especially if you're getting your work released.

 

look at it like this... compression/ultramaximizing/limiting etc all reduce the dynamic range of your music... one of the key points in terms of expression.

 

learn to mix properly without the compressors, and you'll be well on your way to being a ghood producer. compressors, especially the way they are used nowadays are generally a lazy tool for those who can't put together a decent mix.

 

a mastering engineer, will have access to multiband valve units, exciters, dacs etc wortyh several thousands of pounds that can do soooo much more than your waves l1 limiter, and sound transparent and lovely.... you over compress your mix and there's nothing an engineer can do to make it sound better.. you can polish a turd at the end of the day, but it's sill a turd. know what i mean?

 

plus, compression is a bit of a black art... it hasa taken me well over fifteen years to l;earn how to use the various types of compressor mproperly. again PROPERLY. sure you can make a track louder, sure you can make your drums sound beefier, but if the eq balance and stereo pan don't make enough room in the track, and your compression is not set correctly, you can a) muddy the mix,... B) make it sound weak and dynamic free... c) lose your attack transients etc etc.

 

my advice would be work on your subtractive eq ing... get to know where things sit in the mix... try a little gentle stereo panning.

 

do not go straight for the compressor...learn how to produce first.

loganfive speaks much truth, overcompress at your peril, it leads to disaster.

also at bubba69, you've got it the wrong way round man! analogue eq's are much more forgiving when you boost, the same rules of eating into your headroom still apply, but they are allot more forgiving to the timbre. a digital eq is unlikely to sympathetically boost your lows (for example) without adding in nasty elements to the sound.

so, for digital eq's, stick to cut as a general rule (but not a complete one, sometimes a little boost is whats needed when there are no other options). for good analogue eq's, boosting is less of a sin :)