Mixdown, Dynamics & EQ (and related) Topic

[archmusic]

can any tell please Mixdown - relative levels for parts?

Like:

KICK - *dB
Snare - *dB
Leads - *dB
etc..

ty guyz in advice

[Black Elision]

There's no standart formula for db-levels in a track. Just don't start clipping and use your ears to get a nice and clean mixdown.

[archmusic]

uhh... damn mixdown is hard part :/

[Euphorizer]

Put kick at -8db and mix everything around that. Make sure that NOTHING peaks above -8db.

[archmusic]

Put kick at -8db and mix everything around that. Make sure that NOTHING peaks above -8db.

thank you buddy!

[noaii]

Put kick at -8db and mix everything around that. Make sure that NOTHING peaks above -8db.

This is new to me. Mind explaining to me how to bring everything back up insanely high at mastering?

[Euphorizer]

Put kick at -8db and mix everything around that. Make sure that NOTHING peaks above -8db.

This is new to me. Mind explaining to me how to bring everything back up insanely high at mastering?

Using a limiter, of course, allthough there's more to a master than just one limiter

Keep in mind to know your llimiter well though, as some limiters tend to start distorting once they boost more than a certain amount, like, say, +3db.

[noaii]

I was kinda hoping for I more specific answer, but thanks anyway I've been kinda doing what seamless did in his new stuff master. That is: magical saturation at 0db and some finetuning, lowering the muddy freqs with eq first. And I've always put that limiter there early on in the mix.

[Euphorizer]

I was kinda hoping for I more specific answer, but thanks anyway I've been kinda doing what seamless did in his new stuff master. That is: magical saturation at 0db and some finetuning, lowering the muddy freqs with eq first. And I've always put that limiter there early on in the mix.

First of all - NO LIMITER unless you're MASTERING the track.

Good, now that we have that cleared, I guess I could explain what mastering is to you..

Mastering.. it's the art of increasing the amplitude ot a file without squashing it's harmonics. It's something that is.. well, quite new, considering for how long music has been around. The jist of it is basically that humans interpret something as sounding better because it is louder - this is called hype, and this is also why you should spend some time listening to your tracks in a low volume while producing them.

First of all, there are in general 3 things you always want to do while mastering a track - boost its volume with the use of a limiter, compress it to make the quieter parts louder, and EQ it. How much, or how little you limit, compress and EQ varies greatly between each and every track. This is why you never should look up a video of a guy mastering one track and then copying his techniques step by step and applying it to your own productions. Just like you can't give the same toy to 10 different kids and expect them to have fun with it you can NOT boost +2db in the 50hz area on each and every track to make it sound 'better'.

What I usually do when I master something, which I btw rarely do because I have somebody else do it for me on my solo tracks, is applying an EQ at first, cutting 17khz> and <20hz, to give the compressor more headroom. After that I apply a multiband compressor, tweak around with it for a bit, then I apply another EQ to maybe reduce or inrease some frequencies that I feel are missing in the mix, and then top it off with a limiter to boost the volume. However, I imagine an experienced master engineer would do a lot more while mastering.

After that you're basically good to go. Remember to uncheck dithering when rendering your premasstered file, render it as .wav and 24 bit and then use that file for mastering.

[noaii]

Thank you for writing that. I've been getting information, that says that master compressor should go on early in the mix, and that you start tweaking it once the mix is ready. I've never succeeded at EQ'ing after the multiband compression, but I guess it'll work when I have the levels as you suggested. I will definitely give your way go.