Some possibly useful info here:


http://www.homestudiocorner.com/mixing-levels/


Regards,

Bob

Nice! Thanks for sharing the link. I think you've shared a new website for me to explore.

Bam... That was easy... just turn up your monitors.

Hey why didn't I think of that? (dripping with sarcasm)

Frankly, I think that is a good approach, and is one that I will be more aware of in future. What is always important in a good mix is to have headroom. Don't compromise that headroom by making the song louder in the mix.

Thanks for the link.

Jim and Trevor,

You're welcome. I thought it was useful information, especially in this day of 24 bit recording, where the noise floor is almost a thing of the past. I hear so many mixes that are slamming the meters, then comes Ozone to get that "pro" -0 dB mix, and sucks all the headroom out of the mix.

Regards,

Bob

Ozone... yep... used improperly it will destroy a mix faster than you can say "turn it up".

Proper use will polish that mix nicely though. Too often, new Ozone users tend to push it hard.

Nice and direct to the point article.

I notice that mixes to master have their own audio personalities...some brighter than others, more bass in others, vocal more forward in some, more or less or different kinds of reverb or other effects, intentional noise added to mixes like turntable vinyl to hint of a genre of music. How they are mixed together seem to bring a kind of magic that has the recorded music sound better than most. Wish there was something out there to refer to for mixing for a particular genre of music.

Thanks for the link

Atze

Look up Mixing Genres on Groove3.com. There is a good selection there.
Brian

Great site. Thanks.


Regards,

Bob

Thanks,

Membership cost about $9 a month to access videos, but it looks worth trying it out,

Atze

I usually just buy the videos I am interested in when they are on sale. Right now today all videos are 60% off!!

Groove 3's general purpose (how to: mix, master,equalise, etc.) are very good if you're not familar with the material or need a refresher.

Their Band-in-a-Box videos (there is one for Windows 2016 and Mac 2015) are well worth purchasing. The organization is superb and the naming convention makes finding specific information very easy.

I just recently re-subscribed to the Groove 3 annual All-Access pass (it was on sale, and I had Groove Cash from previous purchases, so it was a no brainer).

They have excellent, very professional videos, easy to follow (although it will take more than one viewing to really get some things.

Odd, I just received an email from Discmakers for 7 days free access to Groove3. Checking it out now....

lol

I will never get the obsession with loudness.

You must not be a guitar player.

Well I was talking about recording, not playing, but anyway....

No I'm not, but most guitar players I know aren't obsessed with it either. Loudness and quality are not in direct proportion.

Thanks Bob, interesting read.

My simplistic approach is to rough out the mix with the level from my monitors at approximately 80db avg at my ears. Why, because my audiologist told me that if I wanted to keep what's left of my old phart hearing I should never exceed that.

After that I just kick back and try to mix as though I was listening to a live band playing my production with me sitting in the center of the stage about 4 rows back. When all seems "right" with the track levels and effects I kick in one of five Ozone 6 mastering presets that I know how to slightly tweak. I just try to hear if the amount of headroom is "right" and not overly rely on the meters.

No paralysis by analysis for me. Folks whom I respect tell me that my mixes sound "open," "airy," "live," so I just hope I'm doing something "right" and let go at that. One caveat is that my productions are minimalist with typically only 4-8 tracks other than vocals. Perhaps that facilitates my equally minimalist approach. Whatever...I'm just pretending I know what the hell I'm doing.

To quote Eddie Arnold "Welcome to my world"!

On the same point, I'll actually say to also turn down your monitors as well. The reasoning behind it is that if you can hear everything well quite, then you should be able to hear everything when you turn up your monitors. The way "turn down" my monitors is by inserting a trim plug-in into the master fader and set it at around -10db so that the overall mix is 10db quitter. Then, I'll mute the plugin so I can hear the mix at the volume before it 10db was reduced.

Here is something I am finding to be useful, as an added thought.

I really love those Xtra styles just released because they function as "benchmarks" and "mixing suggestions" for different styles. They really are "premixed" and "pre-engineered" to a certain degree, although I do add stuff to them in terms of VST effects and other instruments.

HOWEVER, it is interesting to see how they render all alone, and to run a dynamic range test on them with something like the TT-DR meter, recommended in earlier posts. (I love this plug in.)

https://www.kvraudio.com/product/tt-dynamic-range-meter-by-pleasurize-music-foundation


In their native state you can listen to generations of songs done with Xtra styles and see dynamic ranges in the 10-12 range which is, like, Cat Stevens. Perfect. Then, try adding in whatever effects you are going to use like EQ, compression and so forth and see how much you mess it up. If the dynamic range goes to 3 you are making noise, not music.

I myself am on a vast, vast learning curve with all of this mixing stuff, but here is what I am learning.

1.) Less is more most of the time.
2.) Use effects but be careful.
3.) Study the sounds of the Xtra styles as "reference masters" to see how far you are straying away from simplicity and a pleasing tone.
4.) Make sure you examine your dynamic range and leave headroom. -1 DB is about as high as you should go and a dynamic range of at least 7-8 is preferable. Below that you start to make noise. At 3 you are noise.

"Pleasing tone" doesn't just apply to acoustic and folk.

Aerosmith knows a lot about pleasing tone, too.