When I use only virtual instruments, I found that fewer process gives better results. The more process I do, my mix gets worse. Sometimes, only EQ and a single reverb are good enough.
Does anybody have a similar experience?

 

Oftentimes less is more, yes; and context is also important. Imagine pouring our hearts into that one single track, just adding effect over effect over effect to get it to sound just exactly the way we want it to, only for it to sound crappy with the rest of the tracks the second we un-solo it.

This is even more important when mixing with headphones, our ears can become fatigued and after a while, a track won't sound too different from whether it had that one effect or not.

 

So true, now instead of overcooking it id rather change for a new synth/sample and move on.

 

sometimes its important to leave stuff raw so to speak
a big fat raw kick with heavily modified snares and hats is often the key
to a dynamic and full sound.
the same with basslines and mid bass sounds
some people fall for Glue when some sounds actually need to breathe/move

 

Is this in context to a VST vs audio situation? Because I've heard of this before. Either way, Less is usually more

 

yep def, had to learn the hard way. i remember when i was starting out i'd slap all these stupid plugins onto a vocal track (boosting eq, rvox, 'aural exciter', tape saturator, nectar [which in-itself has like 3-4 effects], another compressor, de-esser, delay, reverb) and given my ears are f'd at this stage it sounded passable to my ears. but the next day, oh god

but now its lterally just <corrective eq, coloring eq (e.g. pultec), rvox, de-esser, compress>

the most important factor tho is the recording quality- namely a nice dynamic recording, no clipping and minimal/no audible noise (or in other words, no noise that can be audible once compression is applied). for guitars ideally the hum is killed via using double pickup selection on a strat or using humbuckers. vst synths like the farfisa will have a noise module u can turn off but of course having it on may be good for vibes,
all dependent on context of course

 

Yes, something I've definitely come to learn. When I open up old projects the miles long effect chains I would use drive me mad. I try to find the right tool for the job, and get as much out of it as I can. And only ever use an effect if I clearly hear a need for it.

 

yes I have similar experience, but it would be impossible of course to make whole mix with just an eq and a reverb sometimes you need to make the plugin chain "complicated", especially when producing electronic music, to get unique and nasty sounds
for me it's always fun to hear how even small changes in the first plugin of the chain can affect the whole timbre of the sound if there are multiple plugins following it, it really feels organic when with one move of an eq you can morph the sound completely

 

Problem with mixing is, as soon as you start you're already your own enemy. Your hearing is like memory foam. It quickly adjusts to what you're pouring into it, and takes a while to return back to neutral position. The longer you're working on something, the higher the chance you're slapping all these nonsense adjustments on it. Always a fun experience the next day lol.

 

This is something that is relatively easy to understand but harder to put in practice. In its appropriate context, of course.

 

well it depends on the way you work , mix
if the process make the sound sounding good that means it is a okay , then the problem should be the mixing ,
you cant keep the same level with processed and without , because when you effect the sound it's dynamics change and odd harmonics were introduced , and the eq can easily change the phase ,
also sometimes the DAW s introduce problems .
and the less you have is less stress on everything
but processing definitely can make it better if not worst !

 

Whenever I'm finding myself creating looong fx chains, it's sounds really weird, squashed and unpleasant. I think adding 6-7 different effects with subtle settings sometimes sound really good but when you made minor tweak mistakes, it's getting sound worse with every process. As like Doppler Effect.

The solution that I found is adding dry signal. If it is sounds bad with unprocessed signal, you're doing something wrong.

 

Context is king.

 

u must at least saturate to compete

 

No, I was talking about only VSTi. The only audio file is the vocal.

 

Ye, I also did stupid things when I was a beginner. Recently, I found the arrangement is the problem rather than the mix.

 

Well, why I said that is that I found the most virtual instruments offer the effects. So, what I needed was eqing for the masking issue and reverb for the balance. Of course, you need more process on the vocal though.

 

Very true. That's why I decided to take a break after 1-2 hrs.

 

Thx for your advice, but what do you mean "adding dry signal"?

 

Hi, Xupito.
Context = arrangement?