Any help/advice about mixing process

Discussion in 'Mixing and Mastering' started by TheMoss, Dec 29, 2019.

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  1. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    Hello everyone. I am kinda new on mixing. I need some opinions about mixing process. Mostly using Ssl channel emulations and la 1176 clones. I'm mixing at least one multitrack a day for improve my mixing skills. I thought taking some advice will be helpful from people better than me. I'm dropping my last mix below. Some constructive criticism, pros and cons would be perfect. I need to know my mistakes and try to correct them.


    Here is the example soundcloud link:
     
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  3. korte1975

    korte1975 Guest

    Best Answer
    vocal : too much reverb.
    mix is lacking width.
    strange click on bassdrum.
    all guitars/backing vocals are in the center.
    snare has no punch.
    everything sounds muffled.

    cool song, the mixing didnt lift it off.
    ---
    some tips :
    hard pan the 2 guitars.
    get rid of that high clickiness on the bassdrum and add some weight @60hz, saturate a bit.
    hard pan overheads, saturate snare.
    high pass guitars at 150hz, lowpass @ 6khz ->compress them slighty.
    use less reverb on the vocals, add some high end. hard pan backing vocals.
    bass : saturate hard+compress .
    ---
    but it's a good start. you could make it sound like a CLA mix if you know how.
     
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  4. Lieglein

    Lieglein Audiosexual

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    I do not think that the vocals have too much reverb. I think if everything else would be as described they would fit (with more width of course).

    But yes. It sounds pretty much like a bad mono recording.
     
  5. korte1975

    korte1975 Guest

    i think it's recorded well it's just badly mixed. fire up american idiot and compare the two. feels like busses weren't used. this track calls for an SSL desk (plugin) treatment, sounds like a demo so far
     
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  6. KungPaoFist

    KungPaoFist Audiosexual

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    The song is pretty good, the pieces all there, but I agree with korte in that it isn't mixed at all. The writing is great which is the majority of the battle so this track is a win but you have to fix for more listens imo
     
  7. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    thank you very much for your opinion and helping out. In today's mix practice i will keep your advices in my mind. What do you suggest about song's width: is it enough to just panned instruments or should i use imager for widthness?
     
  8. korte1975

    korte1975 Guest

    u r welcome. panned guitars and overheadswill give you nice width during mixing, and yes you can use a widener at the mastering stage. separate the 2 process. some people narrow the overheads to 45-45 degree so the hard panned guitars stand out more stereo wise.
    also, use a monofier plugin on the master channel @150hz to make a solid low end .
    i would treat this mix with:
    nugen monofilter, ssl-e channelstrip, ssl g comp to start with.
     
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  9. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    one more thing, when i decide to filtering instruments what is the line between proper filtering and messing up the track? i am using filters very cautious maybe much less than it has to be 'cause i don't want to ruin channels
     
  10. korte1975

    korte1975 Guest

    try the filterin in song context not soloed, you will know where to stop . boost those guitars around 1.5k until they sound good to you, maybe it's a 8db boost, it might sound weird when solo'ed but sounds great in the mix. also you can drastically low/high cut/compress reverb/delay auxes/sends and feed them back whereever. set the master channel compressor when the song is the loudest. if the song is harsh, deess the master. i guarantee your next mix on this song will be night and day. keep up the good work !
     
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  11. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    with this golden tips, there is no doubt, i will imrpove my mixing skills. i learnt many things that i could hardly explore by myself. thanks again for your precious tips and advices. i can't wait for my next mixing session.
     
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  12. korte1975

    korte1975 Guest

    looking forward to hear it if you don't mind sharing it again.
     
  13. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    there it is, today's track is here. not great but at least i practiced panning and some filtering.

     
  14. Lieglein

    Lieglein Audiosexual

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    What speakers do you use?
     
  15. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    I don't have monitors atm. I'm using Samson Sr 850 headphones right now.
     
  16. korte1975

    korte1975 Guest

    yes ! much better mixing man !! push it further ! now remix the first post's song !! well done !
     
  17. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    yesss! thanks man, i'm trying harder now. tomorrow i'm gonna rip the first song off with my fresh mixing skills. keep one eye on the post!
     
  18. korte1975

    korte1975 Guest

    i will, link saved. see ya
     
  19. TheMoss

    TheMoss Kapellmeister

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    Done and done. Who needs sleep anyway? Kick was weird, no bass too much click. So i put on RBass on it and brought back some low end. I believe this is better. I hope this is better.

     
  20. BILIYA

    BILIYA Newbie

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    I'm dropping my last mix below. Some constructive criticism, pros and cons would be perfect. I need to know my mistakes and try to correct them.snaptube telegram web
     
    Last edited: Dec 29, 2019
  21. obi-juan

    obi-juan Member

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    Heyo, just wanted to add my two cents. It would also be helpful if you use a reference track during your mix. Try to find a well mixed released track (preferably a song within the same genre with the material/song you're mixing with) that you think sounds great and try to use it as a reference. Try to see how the song you're mixing sounds like compared to the reference track. Choose the elements you like from the reference track and apply that to the song you are mixing to make it better.

    That being said, you can also try and look up some great mixing engineers and check out the work they've done (again, preferably of the same genre). Like what korte1975 suggested, you can check out the numerous work of Chris Lord-Alge (CLA) and make your mix sound like his style. There are tons of great mixing engineers, and listening to their work and trying to learn their mixing process helps to create your own mixing style.

    Lastly, try to take short breaks every now and then during long mixing sessions. For example, try and make a cup of coffee or take a quick walk outside. Try to be in a listening environment where your ears can relax for a bit, especially since your primarily mixing with headphones. Although the Samson SR850 are semi-open headphones, mixing in cans can generally put a bit of strain to your ears during long mixing sessions. These breaks will help rest your ears and give you a fresh perspective when you're mixing again. As a mixer, you want to keep your hearing preserved and to always have a fresh listening perspective to your work.

    For what it's worth, I hope these small tips help you in anyway possible. Cheers and happy holidays! :cheers:
     
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