Mixerman.. Oh, mixerman..! I bought all this gear, and.. and.. I layed a lot of tracks, real good one's... and they all sounded great.. and then I played them all together and they sound like.. little, you know? Everything became unimportant, and little, and WAY back there in the bayou, kinda. So I added EQ, and I added pretty, and I SLIGHTLY boosted each little thing until you could make sure you heard it, and I panned, and.. you know what? Everything sounds so unimportant and kinda of blanketed..UNLESS you turn up the volume loud. My wife doesn't like it loud. So I don't think she's REALLY listening. What'd ya say? Is she really listening? Or are my ears fried? I say she doesn't give a sh*t, but hey?
Oh yeah.. are there tricks that make listening at elevator music level that open things up? (Remember.. the tracks sound lovely.. by themselves.) Or do you have to put instructions to listen loud. Now admit it.. this would have to be your BIGGEST secret. So.. are you gonna tell? Thanks a lot if you're gonna tell. Paul
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...you like mixing them so they sound good at EVERY level... So,
...you like mixing them so they sound good at EVERY level... So, you're NOT gonna' tell.
Well, I already knew the theoretical "nice at all levels part" would be desirable.
And I already knew that experience is the best teacher.
And I already knew that it's an individual thing. I was just hoping you might get into a little EQ primer, even though it is always to taste. Rule of thumb stuff you generally setup, BEFORE you start all that artistic tweeking.
However.. life is busy, and I'm sure it really does all come down to following your own instincts and ears until you go AH HAA! So, you probably gave the best advice on the subject possible, and I'll try too "individualize" my education with the usual self-teaching. Thanks for all the help you, and others on the board impart. It has really helped me get started here, both from gear to How-to, and thanks for all the great music you guys have undoubtedly turned out over the years. Paul
PS you mentioned a great new EQ you're using for mastering, but no MFG? Any reason for this? I'm looking for an outboard EQ and Comp. I've tried the new AMEK channel in a box, but the PRE in it sucks compared to AVALON 2022 with the Neuman M149 I'm using. (Might be great on other mikes, but the AVALON is so airy, open, present, rich by comparison to dessert dry. Same with Focusrite ISA110) Also, NEVE EQ & Compressor are good but a little grainy to my ear, and I like Rich/clean. Probably trying Avalon EQ & Comp (standalone's), but their 737sp was way short of transparent. Guess you have to pay more to get that. Thanks for input, and hope you will suggest a favorite EQ/Comp or two.
One thing you might try is to not go for wonderful sounds on eve
One thing you might try is to not go for wonderful sounds on every track. There is not enough room in a two track mix for 24 , 48, 150 etc. beautiful sounding tracks. When u mix you end up using eq to make all those sounds fit. If you give more thought to how a certain track is going to sit in the mix during tracking, you can go for that sound now and not have to worry about eq'ing it later and compromising quality.
Jason
Paul, It's not a secret. It's a matter of compromise. It's a m
Paul,
It's not a secret. It's a matter of compromise. It's a matter of listening loud, listening medium, and listening soft in order to make everything work at all levels. I cannot impart any wisdom on this, other than to keep working the mix until it sounds good at all levels.
Mixerman
Thank you. Still no mention of the new eq you're working with? O
Thank you. Still no mention of the new eq you're working with? Oh well. I can't imagine why it would be held info, but it's your call.
AMEK vs Avalon: My mistake.
I STAND self corrected on another issue. On further testing of the AMEK channel in a box, it is terriffic. It took some getting used to because of a certain "color" ita adds, but made me realize I WANT some "color" in the tracking process. In fact, it now appears to be cleaner and more present in some ways than the AVALON 2022, and has a kind of compressed quality to the PRE alone (compressor out of the chain) whereby the vocal sounds like a "performance", rather than individual words hanging around in space. Something contiguous seems to marry all the voice components and lift the signal up and forward. Also, the EQ and compressor are not grainy. I just had a frequency in the mids out of whack. I'm learning. Paul
I always try to make a mix sound good at all levels. This ties i
I always try to make a mix sound good at all levels. This ties into Step 8 of my better mixing plan. Mixing cannot be taught, it can only be learned.
I'm not trying to be a smart ass, but this is the best response that I can give to such a broad query.
Mixerman