Mastering Issues Which Bugs Me Out

Discussion in 'Mixing and Mastering' started by TheMoss, Sep 30, 2020.

  1. spencer26

    spencer26 Platinum Record

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    Hi I have not read what everybody else says but Ill just throw in a few comments.
    1. To much bottom snare.
    2. Not enough different reverbs creating different spaces. If you put long reverb on everything it will sound very dated.
    3. Vocal is harsh. Find the resonant frequency and dip it a few db then the vocal sound will be fuller There maybe a couple of resonant frequencies. There usually is. Look for the whistle.
    4. Perfect monitors or you cant hear what you are doing. Thats now why I mix on Beyer990pro headphones with flattening eq curve.
    Film TV music and song mixes translate for me on all mediums.
    Spencer
     
  2. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    Thank you very much! I literally absorbed every word in this beautiful entry. Thank you for considering me a worthy person to share your precious experience with me. I just got some mediocre quality multitrack for work tonight, i will try to make it professional as much as i can. I am trying to understand some top tier mixing artists to understand their behaviours about mixing, understanding their aspects. In 'jealousy' i never cut or boost any frequency more than 1.5 db i guess. In the past, i made some serious -shameful- eq moves and decided less is more. Now, using q shape more than ever instead of 6 bands cut -3 or so. Learning compressor basics. I was using compressor like transient shaper -which is so wrong- 6 db gain reduction ultra slow attack fast release like hell. Now i know compressors for tame dynamics like what they done for. Using attack time for letting pass some transients just for keep sound natural. And release for consistent flow between the dynamics. And an eq with no frequency graph (trying sonnox oxford eq and i found it amazing). Keeping things simple is really worked for me. Now i am seeking for philosophy or mood or style makes me unique or at least different from sausage mastering guys or too mudy mixing guys. Actually with a correct compressor i am cutting less and less mid range for muddiness (it is so surprising). About gear, I have only 1 headphone which is samson sr850 and 1 laptop. No monitors no fancy stuff. I believe improving myself with worst equipment helps me on pro ones. I am saving couple bucks for my first monitors (i have to choose cheap again because living in poor country) presonus eris e3.5 or adam t5v. I dont mind slowly growing up my goal is getting a solid spot for myself. Working with my own bands, not with multitracks i download. I am not ready for it yet, but i feel it's not too far. Being noob is funny and enjoying too. It makes me happy when i learn something new. I would be unhappy if there was nothing to learn any more. I sincerely hope, digging with my bare hands will make me better than my opponents. 'Cuz i was never ambitious about anything like that in my whole life.
     
  3. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    yes, i get that very upfront drums feeling when i listened again. Snare hits right through my brain sometimes.
     
  4. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    I am trying to find myself, my style my different aspect and depth to add a mix. I think i will shape my perspective with making a bit mistakes. Loudness warning is proof how much i care you all and your sense of hearing lol.
     
  5. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    unfortunately, i have not so good equipment at the moment :( I am trying sonarworks reference 4 headphone edition and it will take time to get used to the 'flat' repsonse. I hope how far i can accomplish with baddy equipment, i will fly to the moon when i get good ones.
     
  6. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    Well... I just couldn't sleep and found a amateur group from cambridge-mt with worse recorded compared to generally songs i've worked on. You were right, mediocre records are hard to deal with. But i never yield. Only 1 snare ambiance sample added (snare was almost non-hearable because of hat bleed so i had to add one sample) unfortunately, it felt me like a bit lack of low frequencies but it did not bother me so much after i heard Andy Wallace's Avenged Sevenfold mix. Maybe we can ignore lack of low end a bit :/


    https://clyp.it/ranrdxdr WARNING! PEGI -11 LUFS, only ear fatigue allowed turn down before you listen.
     
  7. crematorium

    crematorium Member

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    there's obviously something wrong in the midrange, it sounds boxy, probably caused by the snare.
    find the boxy frequency (it should be around 700/1500 hz) and go ham with multiband dynamics. fast atk - medium rls turn down that freq range only. if you want to be even more transparent compress the mid signal only, leave the sides as they are, use mix knob or parallel.
     
  8. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    Yeah, I heard it too now. It is because of snare sample i guess i did not any eq or conpression on it. I’ll check it right away
     
  9. DoubleTake

    DoubleTake Audiosexual

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    With that voice, I am not sure anything else matters...

    Just kidding and I agree about the drums.
    Maybe just a tad hot, but i played this loud as **** on my Sony MDRv6 and no pain :no:.
     
  10. JMOUTTON

    JMOUTTON Audiosexual

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    You know it would probably beneficial to separate you concerns. If you want to take a shot at mastering get finished mixes, the Rock Band and Guitar Hero multi-tracks are pre balanced and EQed, just sum them and do the mastering. That way you don't have to mess with the dichotomy of mixing till you like it then deciding how you can make it better because now you have to do the post production on it.

    The other benefit of practicing your post skills on a known product is that you can A/B and judge your work against the ME that did the original not because that is the gold standard but to decide if you like it or your like your way better. We all have our styles.
     
  11. peghead

    peghead Platinum Record

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    Well, I compose, arrange, play, record, mix and master my music and, according to those who listened to it, sounds more than decent.
     
  12. Baxter

    Baxter Audiosexual

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    How come I have been doing it for years then, including playing multiple instruments and sing? That's just BS.
     
  13. SineWave

    SineWave Audiosexual

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    Simplify things and practice. Eventually you will get great results and your own way of achieving good results. Spectrum analyser is not such a great reference to look up to. It's better to have some tracks you find awesome sounding ready to compare with. That is, use your ears. But be careful to compare at the same loudness. Often [always?] you have to turn down the reference track by a couple of dBs.

    By simplifying, I meant use less plugins. Mix is always the most important thing, and you first try to do it without any EQ and limiters, even compressors. These tools are invented to correct the sound, correction tools. If you start correcting too early in the song/track, you'll end up correcting too much.

    Here's a nice video that's going to explain what I mean better:


    And a bonus one from the same channel:


    It's a good channel. Cheers! :wink:

    p.s.
    :rofl:
     
  14. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    Thank you, I'm glad it's not irritating at higher volumes. I am getting speakers around 1 month -more or less-. So i would listen better than headphones and make judgement about different elements. Headphones can be deceptive, i guess it makes unbalanced drums in that case.

    And song is great right? :yes:
     
  15. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    Good to know for mastering practice for sure! I will try that asap
     
  16. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    Watching right know! Thanks a lot!
     
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