If you use any DAW that supports volume envelopes and sub busses, you can accomplish exactly what you need.

Every song I work on and practically every track in it.... even drums and bass, use volume envelopes even if it's just to fade that last held chord or note.

That makes it easy to pull things down and push them up in the mix as needed. I add the nodes manually and set all the levels the same way..... totally by ear. As the song is in playback, I have "Automation read" enabled and the levels change instantly and automatically.

Sometimes, I even find that in spite of my envelopes, after the mix is pretty close to being done, I have the levels on the band too high to get the vocals to their proper level in the final mix. This is where a full featured DAW that supports sub bussing comes in real handy. Most of the time, at this point, I like the mix and the levels between the instruments. So having to rework all the envelopes lower would be time consuming at best.

I simply insert a new stereo buss and call it "Band" and then I route all the instruments and /or other sub busses into that new buss. Now, it's a simple matter of turning that busses' volume down as far as needed, and then the vocal track/buss is at the right level without having to do anything else.

As I pointed out in my first post above, if you do things right, the need to sidechain the compression becomes moot in most (but not all) cases. Yes, there is a time and place where side chaining is the best answer. Certainly, learn about this technique if you wish, since the more you know about things the more adept at this whole mixing and recording hobby you will become. I know what it is.... but have never come across the need to use it. I treat all compression with care, knowing that a heavy hand on the knob of the compressor can easily ruin an otherwise good mix. New enthusiasts tend to go heavy on compression because it can make the mix loud. And yeah, it sounds good, but too much of a good thing isn't always a good thing.

BTW: Sonar's Music Creator 6 is also a good inexpensive DAW that supports everything I discussed. It's selling for around $50. I used MC4 for many years when I first was getting back into digital recording. MC is totally capable but has synth number limitations and track limits. Neither of which will affect most hobby recording enthusiasts with our smaller and even larger projects. I've never come close to topping it out. 8 synths at a time, 48 audio tracks, 256 midi tracks..... IIRC.

If you're not in a big hurry, it really pays to drop in on the cakewalk store about once a week. A few months ago, cakewalk was running MC6T on sale for $20..... It had some folks speculating about what was going on with Cake & the MC line.



EDIT: I just checked the cakewalk store and if your computer's OS is Vista or XP, you can still get Music Creator 6 (XP/Vista) for $20 ...... That is what I call a "No Brainer" price.

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 10/28/14 05:19 AM.
You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.