Hey Producers

I Did Not Understand at which volume we have to make music ? Some people tell me that always make music with low volume, but when i make music at low volume i can't understand which sound to use in bass, and when i produce at loud volume than at the time of mix, the mix will me muddy, plz tell me the right(Important) things to remember when we make music, and also mention is there any plugin we can put on master channel while making music.

I Produce House Music.

Thanku

 

1. Don't use any plugins on the master while making music. What you hear should be the result of your work, not the result of what some plugin makes out of your work, right?
2. Make music at the volume you can work on for an extended period of time.
3. That low level hint is used when it comes to mixing. Making music and mixing are different things, don't mix them up.
4. Mixing at low levels is great. It helps you making a well balanced mix. The underlaying thought is that if it sounds good at low levels it sounds good on all levels, which is true in most cases. If you mix at high levels, I guarantee you that your mix will sound crappy on low levels. So, mix at low volume, then turn up and do the fine tweaking.
If you can't hear your bass at low levels, the bass is most likely not loud enough. Or you eq'd it wrong. But if you have to turn the volume up to hear something right, you're doing it wrong.

The most important thing to remember when we make music is:

Concentrate on making music - worrying about plugin xy is only a distraction. It's more important to actually do it than how to do it. Stay focused and reduce complexity.
So, forget about the master, mastering, and plugins in the master chain. Make awesome music first! There really are no "magic-button-plugins" you can hook up to your master chain which make a smash hit out of an uninspired, crappy song.

 

Thanks fraifikmushi , Tell me one more thing, someone tell me mix along with arrangement and thats what i was doing now, whats your opinion about this should i mix along with arrangement or after the arrangement ?

 

Well it makes no sense not to touch the faders while you're making you music but the final mix should be another process.

 

Thanks Mate, Its Help Me Lot

 

James have you looked at some of the tutorials / vids in the Audiosex Academy? Especially Part 1 Pinned at the top

http://audiosex.pro/index.php?/forum/64-audiosex-academy/

 

SirSillySausage Still No, But I Will Check Now, And Thanks a ton for the rply

 

also check out the pinned posts on the mixing and mastering section

http://audiosex.pro/index.php?/topic/29-frequencies-levels-of-a-mix-and-mastering-tips/

 

it's a personal choice, i find produce better music at low (speaking) volume

 

I agree, I always mix at low levels, reduces fatigue, gives you a more "realistic" idea of what's going on.. .But then turn it up once in awhile to check, and get some personal excitement.... But better decisions seem to be made at nominal levels. While writing, I probably have it a little louder, just to provide some adrenaline etc to myself, but not TOO much, otherwise, your ears kinda burn out...

 

When my neighbors are forced to relocate. Just kidding, lower volumes are deemed better conditions to produce under since volume changes how we perceive sound.

 

Ha! Me too! Whenever I would get new neighbors, I would always go over, introduce myself, give them my phone number, and politely explained what I do, and that they can knock on my door or call anytime if I get too bad! (Better then them calling the police!)... MOST have been really cool. But absolutely +1 on your comment, high volumes exaggerate and underwhelm frequencies that are not there under "normal" listening conditions, and give you a far more realistic picture, even IF it's end goal is to have it being played at 140db at a club!

 

There is a standard reference loudness if want to get fancy (83dBSPL per speaker, c-weighted SPL meter, -18dBFS pink noise, etc)
http://www.digido.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21%3Alevel-practices-part-2-includes-the-k-system&catid=13%3Abob-katz&Itemid=89&fontstyle=f-smaller

Or just go with comfortable listening volume. Be aware of the Fletcher-Munson curve. Take breaks every hour. Your ears are your most valuable tools.

 

83 seems OK to me that's still pretty hard!
Take breaks more often, crusial hearing is gone after 5 min
Before releasing anything your last mixvsesion should not be longer then 5 minutes not happy yet? Take a break and try again

 

Low and High volumes are subjective data, so, if you read what some reference guide says, we should work at 70 watt RMS. (As a bad example of that, the Event opal's calibration software/hardware comes at that fixed power) which in most cases is too loud. But to understand these professional numbers we have to read the whole research and we find that they say that we should work in an acoustically treated rectangular environment not less than 50m2.
As many of us don't work in these conditions, we have to adapt, and then the "right" level is different depending of your room, your speakers, and your ears.
But there is a minimum level to hear bass correctly, which depends of your speakers too.
If your speakers are small, with a woofer under 8 inches, they need more power than the greater speakers to produce bass sounds. (It's a physics mathematics of fluid's law).
I had very small JBL Control 1 with 4' woofer that only produced decent bass beginning at 50 watts rms.
With 8 inches woofers, you can get decent basses from 25-30 watt rms.

As a conclusion, check your speakers curve to find what is the lower level where they still produce decent bass, and if you are in a small (under 25m2) room, keep them around that level.
You can crank it up at some point just to check a detail, and come back to your comfortable level.

 

Erm...what?

 

Sorry, I meant this is explained as part of the Mathematical Theory Of The Motion Of Fluids (1879)

 

It is true that its a preference amongst producers. IMO and seems many others as well, is that you should not really produce at high volumes due to what is called "Ear Fatigue." It is always best to mix at low but comfortable volumes so that you can work as long as possible. A great thing I have done over the years working in studio is I tend to work in sections, about a few hours at a time. When I have done maybe 3-4 hours of work, I tend to step away for an hour or two, to rest my ears and give them a "reset". That has helped me always when working on a new composition or on another client's work. Also when mixing at low but comfortable volumes, concentrate the most on your composition. It is always best to get your idea down as much as possible and then deal with FX chains and automation later. Only mess with FX chains and other goodies when you have established your own workflow. Mastering chains are wonderful if your ears are well trained to understand what your ACTUALLY hearing vs what is being ENHANCED. This is something that takes a lot of time to develop properly plus some other circumstances. Its not impossible to do but you must take time to develop that certain skill. If you got other questions, Let me know and I will do my best to help you along. Best of luck.

D

 

It's all mentioned already but to keep it simple
Mixing should be done on a constant and steady volume.

Low volume : will give the most realistic reference with any monitor, keeping room-reflections at minimum, ánd you will hear more accurate over a longer timespan.
High volume: ear fatigue, room reflections, ear fatigue..

Low volume can be over-interpreted. It is the level where you do not need to raise your voice to be heard.
And take a break every hour for 15 minutes to keep the ears fresh!

 

Well Said.