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Many studios today still have the same mixing issues as they
did 10 to 15 years ago! Why? (1) many monitor systems (and room
acoustics) don't reveal all that you need to hear and (2) some
engineers tend to get into tunnel-vision while mixing... understandably
so. There's more to know now....
A quick Do-Don't checklist:
1. Do avoid digital clipping (those pesky red
lights... and hidden ear fatigue)
2. Do keep the crash cymbals down
3. Do make the kick a bit louder than you think it should be (better
yet, make Separations)
4. Do de-ess the vocals (compress the high frequency peak SS's
without compressing the rest of the signal)
5. Use careful compression on bass (manually riding faders is a great
solution) so it's even sounding (VU meters help)
6. Set plug-ins so that you can bypass them and not hear any
gain change - only a tonal change
7. Carefully compress the vocals so you can hear all the lyrics and
there is a natural evenness to the sound
8. Don't over-process stuff (throw away those 10-band plug-in eq's -
four bands is plenty most of the time) - I know, the big mixing guys
say ignore the manuals, turn the knobs to 100.... (but remember, many
of them are talking about the knobs on analog gear...)
9. Do break more rules (like #8.... but not #1)
10. Do compare your mixes with commercial CDs (not to duplicate,
rather to distinguish)
11. Don't try to make your mix as hot as commercial CDs (that's
the mastering engineer's job)
12. Do use 24 bit data files (AIFF, SDII, WAV) instead of audio CDs for
your masters if you're on a DAW (digital audio workstation).
Cool mix formats:
•Mix to analog tape
• 24 bit Masterlink (internal hard drive sounds better than making
CD-24s)
• TASCAM DV-RA1000 for your masters or
• 24 bit loop-back files. Use internally "bounced" stereo files only
for reference CDs.
The
Very Best Format: Separations
(See article in the May 2006 issue of EQ Magazine)
"Using Separations was
a great
experience - it made my songs come to life."
- Brad Rosenblum, OC,
California
"I am thoroughly
impressed
with John's Separation Mastering technique. The width of the sound
achieved along with the other adjustments is the difference between
typical versus outstanding sound."
-Todd Griffithe,
California
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The Gear Checklist:
1. A good source (like the musician's actual sound and
performance) is more important than the kind of mic
2. A good all-in-one "channel strip" (mic pre, eq, compression) is just
as important than the mic
3. A low-jitter clock and good A-D and D-A converters are just as
important as the mic or the channel strip
4. The converters and cables (analog and digital) are more important
than the kind of workstation software
5. The monitor system is just as important as all of the above,
because it's the "lens" you look through to determine how to set all of
the above. Example: If you system has too much high end, you'll tend to
eq everything slightly dull. If the bottom is mushy, it will take weeks
to figure out what really makes low end tight and punchy... because
nothing will sound punchy even if it is punchy!
6. Subwoofers are more important than 10 dates with a hot babe (well,
maybe 5...)
7. Summing in the analog domain lets you use your prized analog gear at
mix time.
The tunnel-vision cocoon: Low
resolution monitoring fogs your viewpoint
Ever had that situation where you get caught up in a blur
of sound, an onslaught of frequencies and decisions, and then the mix
just doesn't blow you away in the car? It's studio monitor madness to
be sure, but it's the resolution of the source (the "front end") you're
feeding into your monitors too.
It's not surprising on a typical console to find that the feed to your
control room monitors (the monitor buss) goes through so-so quality
chips and other extra electronics that can make the sound more cloudy,
edgy, and less defined. By hearing less depth of the true mix, it can
mask your decision-making ability. People without a console (who simply
send a stereo output directly to their monitors) aren't hampered by
those chips, but they also don't have the flexibility to monitor
different sources for real listening comparisons.
The key: Now you can hear
the important tone-based distinctions between your mix and a commercial
CD - and not end up in a volume battle. Is it a good idea to A-B your
mixes? Take it from the EQ
magazine interview with Stephen Marcussen where he said, "... just put in a [commercial] CD, see what it is
you like about the CD and go for it." Tom-Lord Alge also
stated, "...it can help to put up records that
you like, compare them whilst you're working and try to copy the sound.
I've done that."
Important: Mastering studios
have great reference monitors, but it isn't just about speakers - it's
the whole system - the preamp (like the monitor section of a
console), the line-level cables, the power amp, the speaker cables, and
the speakers, and the acoustics of the room all play a part. What
begins to get you out of the fog is the monitor controller that feeds
your speakers.
Trap: A console with blurry
or masked resolution may cause you to buy speakers that are too bright
in order to compensate for that foggy sounding console....or... a
brittle sounding console can cause you to pick speakers that are soggy
on the top end, which then smoothes out that edgy console sound.
The ideal method is to use the best source possible, and then choose
the next piece in line that compliments that first part of the audio
chain. In other words, start with the best analog signal (from D-A
converters or a console's stereo buss) going into a high-resolution
monitor controller like the Nautilus Master Technology NEMO DMC-8. Use
the best cables you can afford. Next select a power amp or powered
speakers that are clear and clean sounding - not edgy or brittle. The
next part of the signal is the room and the placement of the speakers -
be sure there aren't too many reflective surfaces or absorbing
materials in the room. There are lots of diffusers available on the
market that keep the sound from slapping back, yet still keep some air
and openness in the control room.
When all is said and done, enjoy your system and make the music the most important thing, not the
gear. The NEMO DMC-8 is what I use in my control room every day, and I
know how effective it is for other engineers, especially when effective
A-B techniques are used. This makes the DMC-8 a creative tool, not just
a switcher. You're invited to visit the Nautilus site to see the gear and
get more helpful information.
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