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Hey Sound Engineers and Music Producers,

Im from Pakistan and have been in the industry for more than 10 years.

Ill come straight to the point.

I need some professional advice regarding mixing and mastering songs.

First of all whenever I mix a song down, the sound isn't as clear as it should
and the depth in the mixing is missing compared to other songs (international songs)

I have Cubase 5 with me i have loads of plugins,compressors and stuff but
i dont know where the problem lies.

Can somebody help me out and give me tips?

Cheers,
Ali

Comments

iyahdub Tue, 02/28/2012 - 13:52

Remember a good track is a mix of all the stages involved. Recording ( gear used, and its parameters: Distance of mics, angles, pre amps, levels,, acoustics in the room, etc etc), Mix( same here), etc... So, repeating the previous post...Too many to even try to help you.
But maybe start by compiling a good reference list of tracks in a CD and then use them to try guide yourself in ten recording and mixing...NOT JUST MIXING, as a good recording is half way to a good mix and a brilliant track !!

aliakhtarallahditta Tue, 02/28/2012 - 22:06

Davedog and Iyahdub,

Thanks for the reply mates, really appreciate it!

As far as the gear is concerned I think im using the proper gear, i mean i have an AKG mic, and MOTU mk2 soundcard...
and i know for sure the problem lies with the mixing and mastering processes....
as far as the plugins go...are the default plug ins in cubase enough for a good mix?
Or do I need to upgrade my plugins as well???

Thanks Guys,
Ali

iyahdub Wed, 02/29/2012 - 07:50

There is lots of free plug ins that will do the job, i can assure u . As for mastering, dont worry about that for now, and if you intend to give it a more professional touch in the end, then think of paying the extra few quid to a pro ( at least for now).
At the end of the day, your ears are supposed to be your best tool, first and foremost - If it sounds bad, then its cause its not right. Nowadays people ten to get lost in details too much... a bit like the neverending quest for the perfect tome( which doesnt matter much if you not delivering a good performance to start with , for example).
So keep it simple, and practice makes perfection. You cant expect to deliver same quality as experienced people in top quality studios...
But dont let that discourage you !

aliakhtarallahditta Wed, 02/29/2012 - 23:55

Thank you so much iyahdub, i really appreciate your advice.....
i actually have asked a professional to come and mix one of our songs so
maybe we ll get to know what problems we are having.

I guess u are rite, im getting confused because of getting into too much
details. And I believe your idea of using Reference tracks for mixdowns was
great and ill definitely start from there.

Really obliged SIR!!!!!

Cheers,
Ali

P.S. Will ask you guys again if I need further help
check my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MusicalAscension

Black Diamond … Sun, 03/04/2012 - 18:14

MIXING

I've been in the music industry for more than 20 years and in my experience in cases when you just can't get it right, the best thing to do is just turn it over to someone else. This can get a little costly especially if you're working with a huge project. However there are a number of reliable sources out there that can get you great service for a nominal price. I say that to say that I just happen to be one of them. I can help you mix any project you have and I'll do it within whatever budget you have. Contact me and I can give you more details.