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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Just re-read my reply from last night; sorry if it sounded blunt, but at least there was a point others have agreed with.
(That and I was in serious pain at the time)
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Dec 2013
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I just wanna say thank you all, you helped me a lot with this subject 
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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David, I'm up to page 30 of the 60 page mixing thread you suggested. Worthwhile reading for any novice interested in learning about mixing. There are some nice links buried within the thread too. Hope to be finished reading the thread by the time BIAB 2015 comes out! 
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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David, thanks for posting that Reaper thread. Its a great read and I'm learning a lot. That "Yep" guy really seems to know his stuff and can write it in clearly understandable language.
Win11, Intel i7 7700K 4.2Ghz, 32Gb RAM, 2x1Tb HD, 500Gb NVMe, BIAB/RB 2026, MOTU 828MK3 audio, MOTU Midi Express, Yamaha Montage 7, DX7II, TX802, Motif XS Rack, Roland Fantom XR Rack, Oberheim Matrix 1000, VoiceLive3 Extreme, Kontakt 6, SampleTank 4.3
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Lots of really good info in this thread both for newbies and the more advanced. My approach is based, obviously, on my tools at hand and what's left of my old ears. A few notes in no particular order.
1. Reference music for me is essential. I listen to an example of the genre that I'm mixing that has the same feel and is well produced by folks that I admire. I try to imprint it on the ole brain before starting and during the process.
2. I start with RT's that are as dry as I can bring them into the DAW.
3. For track effects I use only modules of Izotope's Ozone5 and Necter2 (Yes Necter2 is a vocal product...but it has a great emulation of the old EMT 140 plate reverb that works very well for my needs.)
4. I rarely ever solo a track when adding effects but try to listen to how an effect on one track sits in the aggregate and to what degree it may affect the panning and/or gain.
5. When I'm satisfied (are we ever?) with the general mix I apply certain Ozone mastering presets that have been modified to work with particular genre's and other specific needs. If I like the mastering but perhaps it is influencing one or two tracks in a negative manner I will try if possible to manipulate the mastering to fix it rather than changing the track's variables. Several members of BIAB's online community have helped me a LOT with Izotope's products.
6. I try to always remember that "perfection is not when there's nothing left to add but rather when there is nothing left to take away."
7. I try to remember that mixing "rules" are extraordinarily broad and are very contextual and are often very genre specific.
8. When "finished" I try to exercise the discipline of putting the project away for a couple of days and then coming back for a fresh listen. Occasionally I'm pleasantly surprised :-)
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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I was just gonna say...do the solo special treatment on the vocal! I always give it extra attention to remove breaths and other noise, maybe a tiny bit of tuning, etc. But even for voice ya need to hear it in context of the rest of the mix. My mixing skills are adequate, at best. But if nothing else, I think the info in the quote I used is the most important advice you've been given. The second most important, in my opinion, is to mix everything in context to the entire production. Drums and bass get a little more attention from me because sometimes the drums feel over-compressed (I give them a little extra high EQ) and the bass lines sometimes sound muddled. Good luck with your music! Alan (and Di)
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
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Abby, the best mixing software is the one that has the user interface you are most comfortable with.
A couple of my favorite mixing guidelines, that are no doubt in some of those articles referenced:
1. Mix at levels very soft. Bring up levels so you can just hear each instrument. This will translate well when you turn up the volume.
2. Test your mix everywhere: car, boom box, cheap headphones etc. and don't forget to test it in mono.
3. When adding any effects, bring up the level so you can clearly hear the effect, then back off half.
4. Remember the difference between mixing and mastering.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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A 23 page RealBand mixing pdf file is available in the tutorials folder.
The file is located at X:/RealBand/Tutorials with X equal to where you have RealBand stored.
Even though the pdf file is based on using an older, 2008 version of RealBand, the mixer interface hasn't changed so the screenshots and highlights are relevant using RealBand.
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A 23 page RealBand mixing pdf file is available in the tutorials folder.
The file is located at X:/RealBand/Tutorials with X equal to where you have RealBand stored.
Even though the pdf file is based on using an older, 2008 version of RealBand, the mixer interface hasn't changed so the screenshots and highlights are relevant using RealBand. ___________ I looked for this in my 2014 (7) version and I do not have the X:/RealBand/Tutorials folder. However, in my X:/RealBand/ folder, I have a 322 page users manual pdf for version 2012 and 2012.5 as well as two features upgrade pdf's. From the help menu in RB, buttons are available to access each of these files. However, (again) the button to access the new features works and accesses the file but the user guide button does not work. No problem since I just access it manually.
Last edited by c_fogle; 11/06/14 08:39 AM.
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