Thanks for this educational series and all involved. If I may, posting some sound examples (before/after) and/or graphics (spectrum, etc) would enhance these series and give people a chance to listen and experiment themselves.

 

Last edited: Oct 29, 2019

Hmm.. in some cases definitely yes, in others ... not. How hard can it be to handle a fader?

They are both targeted interventions. In some cases an if you know what you are doing, some of the problems have already been resolved before the eq is inserted.. and the eq does the rest.

 

I agree. I have mentioned this a few times but people don't listen to me. The value of putting "a name to the face" when a person is talking about audio and aural activities is, in fact, invaluable. It's like people are talking about the different colors(and shades) of crayons without actually showing the difference. Which is nonsensical at best.

This is my first post in the series i actually clicked on and read but, if they all are as clear and concise as this one, I will definitely read the rest. Because for me, my biggest weakness right now is mixing. And having digestible, specific targets to shoot for before I begin honing in the skill eliminates the trial and error on my part. Especially, if you factor in getting your ears acquainted with new hardware at the same time.

Thanks for taking the time all involved. In summation, if someone has info to share please upload A/B audio comparisons, thus proving your own point.

 

All right. Here again we have a case of "we talk past each other". Hehe

Of course, the result of filter and delay is different. however, it is not entirely correct what you say. The use of a hpf not only attenuates the low frequencies on the channel, but has a phase shift around the filter frequency, which can have unforeseen consequences and therefore affect other instruments in the mix as well.

Working with a sample delay is similar. With a delay of a few microseconds to 2/3 milliseconds, it is based just like EQing on phaseshift and masking. And just like EQing, it takes experience to be able to correctly assess the results in advance. With a delay of more than 3milliseconds you can rather speak of mikroarrangement.
You struggle with an instrument that is difficult to integrate in a full mix? then try it with 5-9 ms delay. find the gap

 

Last edited: Oct 29, 2019

I've played with the sample shift and noticed some widening effect too. Seemed to make it wider when 2 tracks (overheads) were panned left/right and I moved the time of one a few MS forward or backward.
I've recently jumped a huge step forward with effective LP's using linear eq. So great post, @No Avenger! I wish it was here 3 or so years ago, haha. I was afraid to lose that low end information on the guitar tracks and bass guitar track. But in the context of the full mix, it didn't impact the "tone" of the instrument greatly. Especially listening on typical consumer grade equipment. And clarity took a huge step forward. I had to go back and turn down some reverb sends which further removed some "mud".
I think the hardest part of this was training my ears. I went through some of my reference tracks which had isolated instruments I was working on, and tried to get the cuts similar in my tracks.
So where do I HP the guitars? Depends on a lot of factors. The other instruments, the fundamental note, etc. Once you learn to hear what you don't want to hear, it gets easier to identify where to set the HP.

 

Yes, that's called the haas effect. Normally sample delays are used to prevent this effect. To compensate for an unfavorable phase shift between two or more microphones. It is therefore not a good idea to delay one side of a stereo channel because it shifts the whole stereo image and looses its mono compatibility.
Sometimes it may be useful to move a mono-instrument or a group slightly forward or backward. on the downbeat, due to the transients, there is usually a lot of high and midfrequency material. therefore, in some cases it can be helpful to delay an instrument that has difficulty here. It can enhance groove, clarity and punch but it can also completely destroy it, so you have to be very careful here.

 

Last edited: Oct 30, 2019

No Avenger, thanks for sharing high quality knowledge with us. Not to mention you're a gentleman... always! Congrats pal ... as always!

 

beautiful post @No Avenger just this morning I was contemplating best approaches to mixing delicate hand instruments with presence, thank you for this

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but I Rather have phase shifts then pre-ringing. cause that's audible for me. that's why Minimum phase is the way to go on kick drums, at least for me it is.

 

4 headsz up

 

Good article