Mixdown, Dynamics & EQ (and related) Topic

[MRK]

SPAN isn't the best idea to check the peak and RMS volume. I'd suggest you a meter with K-meter system. And the higher RMS is the louder track is but the less dynamic it's got. Dynamic is the difference between RMS and peak volume. I'd sugeest you to read some books about mixing and mastering

[tek-noize]

@MRK I know what is Dynamic. The "art" of mixing and mastering is find the point of perfection between "Enough loudness" and "Enough Dynamics". I know that a high RMS level (over-compressed signal with low dynamics) is not the best result of a mixdown.

[D-Verze]

Merged, since this was mainly about dynamics.

[Shadow Interaction]

Merged, since this was mainly about dynamics.

ah shoot i thought you gave some income on the subject when i read the last post was by you

[MRK]

@tek-noize listen to G4H - Bolivia and check it in your DAW completely 0 dynamic and I don't concider it as a bad mix actually

[D-Verze]

ah shoot i thought you gave some income on the subject when i read the last post was by you

On the loudness subject you mean? Well yeah, there's a lot of issues which could be involved. A part of your answer is mastering, yes, but a part is in mixing as well. There's a lot of things which might cost you headroom. For a lot of people, I think it's basically a kick which isn't really mixed well enough. As a kick is the main element while mixing down hardstyle tracks, you have no chance of succeeding without a properly mixed kick.
Then, what is a good kick? Well, your kick should (in principle) be constant in volume. Lots of people tend to layer their punch and bass, which results in a waveform which has a higher peak at the punch than at his bass. You want your kick to be on constant volume, something like this:


(jap, that's one of my kicks. Results may ofcourse differ from this, as their sound may as well differ)

Other common mistakes are people who leave too much vst input in their project. The output sound of a vst instrument is generally instable, which can cause problems when mixing. Therefor, be sure to export at least all your main sounds as .wav files when mixing down. I mean like, a simple sweep or something in the background of your mix isn't the most important factor, but screeches, kicks and leads should be .wav files when mixing down. Always.

Also, a mistake I used to make was speeding over setting the levels on my mixer correctly. You should put your kick on a certain level at first and then put the rest of the faders at their correct level in a certain order. Start with the more import things, end up with the less important things. Why? Simple, the important sounds should sound good by themselves, whereas the less important sounds should be mixed in such a way that they support the more important sounds.

Do I have more tips? Sure, there are a few things you can't live without (in my opinion). At first, a real time waveform analyzer like this one. It'll show you where your track shows strange peaks, so you know where you should focus on. It could be that for instance your kick and lead are conflicting too much, and thus giving peaks. Secondly, reference material. When you feel like you finished your mixdown, export it, and compare it with a professional track. Keep it mind that the professional track is mastered and thus louder, but it should give you a clear view of how well you eq'ed your sounds and if your levels are right. Also, check if your track sounds okay in mono as well. You may wonder why, as almost every system is stereo these days, well, simple: hardly anyone who will listen to your track in the future will be at the sweet spot regarding stereo. Thus the mono sound will also be of influence.

Final tip, never mix a track over a day. When you feel like you have finished it at an evening, check it again the next morning or (even better) the day after that. Our ears get tired and may give you a false view after some time Oh, and be sure to READ about MIXING! You won't build a car's engine without reading about it and making sure you know what you're doing, and mixing audio might be more complex than building an engine . So, make sure you know what you're doing and why you are doing it, instead of just trying some things and do "what sounds good".

[Shadow Interaction]

yay thanks darycka, thats a wonderful post!

Then, what is a good kick? Well, your kick should (in principle) be constant in volume. Lots of people tend to layer their punch and bass, which results in a waveform which has a higher peak at the punch than at his bass.

this is exactly one of the points where i get stuck on

any way to check if its in constant volume while tweaking?

[D-Verze]

any way to check if its in constant volume while tweaking?

Sure, there are a few things you can't live without (in my opinion). At first, a real time waveform analyzer like this one. It'll show you where your track shows strange peaks, so you know where you should focus on.

Your question is already answered

[Shadow Interaction]

any way to check if its in constant volume while tweaking?

Sure, there are a few things you can't live without (in my opinion). At first, a real time waveform analyzer like this one. It'll show you where your track shows strange peaks, so you know where you should focus on.

Your question is already answered

oh, so that's what 'real time' means

[Neutronic]

any way to check if its in constant volume while tweaking?

Sure, there are a few things you can't live without (in my opinion). At first, a real time waveform analyzer like this one. It'll show you where your track shows strange peaks, so you know where you should focus on.

Your question is already answered

If I find out that my kick isn't the same volume all over, how can I fix it? I mean with layers it aint that hard but is there another way of doing it, that does not destroy all the dynamics?