Quote:

There are several interesting threads going on here about mixing and mastering. And this leads me to some questions about RealTracks.

Are they ready for the mix as-is or should they be considered raw, recordings?

Have they had EQ applied? If so is that a problem when I apply more?

Have they had Compression applied? If so is that a problem when I apply more?

Any other effects applied?





I haven't done much engineering personally, but I've been around top pro studios for a lot of years.

IMHO, if you have to ask the above questions then the answer to each might as well be "no." What I mean by that is if you can't tell whether compression or other effects have been applied then you might as well assume they have not and proceed to add any effect YOU LIKE.

And what YOU LIKE is the key. There are no rules---at least none that anyone should follow robotically. Best thing to do is read up on some of the top sound engineering books so you know what the BASIC RULES are...and then break them until you hear what you want to hear.

(-:

Best,
Jim