5 Things You Do in Every Mix. Pensado inspired

[if6was9]

Just watched the Pensados place Into The Lair video 5 Things You do In Every Mix.



Thought it be a great thread to read the 5 things everyone does/use in every mix, in the same vein as the video. So list 5 tricks/pieces of gear that you use in almost every production you do.

Here's mine.

1. Parallel Comp the Kick and Snare. I end up doing this in every mix I do, though I often don't set it up at the start as I try to go without. I guess the sound I have in my head has it as it always sounds better to my ears when I I use it. I use the free Roughrider plug, I think it's too heavy handed for almost everything else but it is perfect for this application.

2. JCM 800 somewhere on guitars. I just always end up using it on a guitar track somewhere. Everytime there's a guitar line that just sounds best through this amp for me. All the times i haven't used it I wish I had!

3. Dbx 160xt on snare. Same as the vid above, I use it on every serious mix I do. Great comp. Wish I had more of them! I only have the one piece of hardware. Only hardware comp I have in my rack that stays permanently hooked up to my interface.

4. SIR with briscasti or lexicon impulses. I use a variety of verbs for tracking and some special effects but once I get to the mixing stage I end up stripping them all and replacing them with these. Really nice verbs. The only reason I do't use them for tracking is the latency.

5. NastyVcs channel strip. Last 6 months or so this has been finding it way onto every mix I do. It's pretty versatile and the saturation on it is great. Been using it on drum bus, snare bus, vocals and occasionally guitars. I tend to only use a touch of compression with it but it's saturation gets used on loads of stuff. And it's free!

Post yours!

 

[HOFX]

I wouldn't consider myself a master mixer, at least definitely not on the level of fellow sneapsters, but hopefully someone finds value in my contribution. With the exception of obvious things such as high pass and low pass on tracks, my top 5:

1. Waves SSL channel on bass. Fast attack switch on the compressor lets through a click-like attack on the bass on each note/pick the helps the bass guitar's percussiveness (if that's a word) and reinforcing the drum groove, and to stand out as a separate instrument to the guitars. Kind of a 90's early 2000 approach, but I prefer it to the modern bass sound of constant amplitude.

2. Lextac as VST amp. Like you said with the JCM800, this vst brings out a nice earthy distortion. I like it. Also, ReaEQ to notch out the buzzy/whistley high frequency resonances.

3. Slate VCC and VTM on each track. These plugs also allow me to apply high shelf boosts with out the digital harshness, and bring more air to the mix.

4. I use a pair of Rode NT5s in XY config when recording acoustic. In addition to this, I always record a track with ORTF set up of the mics, and with some chords/arpeggios that complement as a background. I don't always use the recorded track in the final mix, but it's there if I want more depth/width to the acoustic part.

5. ReaDelay on vocals with 2 quick delays (of different time, stereo panned) to thicken the vocal track.

 

[abaga129]

1. Fuck everything up
2. Beat my head on my desk in frustration.
3. Start over
4. Fuck it up again.
5. Profit

 

[thefalloftheheretic]

1. Side chain compress the kick and snare. I use Kjaerhus.

2. Use Kalthallen cabs on something or other. Seriously, some of the best impulses I've ever used.

3. Put either the Devildriver snare or one of the Death Snares under my main snare.

4. Wonder why my mix is sounding weird.

5. Find stupid mistake, fix, profit.

 

[Bay Studio]

Pretty cool stuff you guys are using! Here´s mine:

1.) I ALWAYS parallell comp the drum shells. And i always clip them to hell and back. I just love the sound drums have when they crush and explode, haha.

2.) bx_shredspread is definitely always on all guitars to give them more spread and shred. Cool audiosuite plugin, check it out!

3.) dbx 166A - I love this outboard unit! Great limiter/comp/gate. Use it on drum shells/vocal tracking (slight 1-2 db gain reduction to even out the keels)

4.) My Avalon pre-amp. Love it! ALWAYS on guitars. It just gives the guitar more grit and pushes the signal real nice.

5.) Sub drops/Reverse Cymbals/Reverse Snares. Even though i HATE them already cause everyone is over-doing them, they still end up atleast once in every mix.

 

[RedDog]

1. Drum group color compression, only enough to get it pumping.
2. Bass section riding, compression, more riding, 1176 or fast limit on the back end, (even on synth wtf).
3. Satson channel everything. just do it.
4. Bricasti snare, toms, and ambient leads.
5. Master bus extremely low ratio, deep threshold, slow attack glue.

 

[Morgan C]

1) VCC on everything. Usually the Brit N, and usually driven with input and drive maxed, as long as it doesn't start clipping the plugin. Fuck subtlety.

2) Split my bass tracks up, with one track purely for the lows, and then whatever is necessary for the rest.

3) Make a frankensnare.

4) Set up the drum ambience with room SAMPLES. Verb is only added slightly, if at all.

5) Way too much EQ on the guitars.

 

[Skinny Viking]

^ what he said ... almost exactly except I only set drive between 2-4 and input only as high as 1 just to get the meter hitting 0 if it needs it

 

[xFkx]

- VCC on most channels

- Always some type of Lex Verbs, love them

- CLA Bass on bass (duh), indispensable

- Trigger on kick drum, either complete replacement or augmentation

- Mixing through a ssl 2bus comp plugin (waves or ssl duende)

 

[lanky noob]

-sid chain the bass low end to the kick with c6

-waves ssl compressor on drum sub

-way too much eq on guitars

-verb the shit out of the snare

-split the bass tracks into lows, mids/highs and dst

 

[ze kink]

1. Reamp at least one thing through a Marshall MS-2 micro amp
2. Flanger on at least one track
3. Use the ballclap samples, they are the best samples
4. Mic the drummers butt and compress it to hell, remember to check the phase though
5. Related to micing bottoms, always mic the tom bottoms if possible

Extra! When doing FOH, remember that overheads are for pussies, use underheads instead because it looks cool.

 

[abaga129]

^ This guy

 

[Mikaël-ange]

My drum mult always stay the same gear wise.
Same thing for lead and bg vocals.
Track and send/return layout stay the same.
Same thing for fx

 

[Jaymz]

- VCC on every track

- Darkglass B7K for bass grind

- DBX 164 on vocals

- Layer up 5-10 snare samples

- Limit with Ozone 5

 

[botus99]

1. Print Nebula console and tape saturation on every track
2. Use the Dolby-trick on overheads
3. SSL buss comp on the drum buss and master fader
4. Automate the overheads, bass, and vocals
5. Perform the mix in the least amount of time possible

 

[colonel kurtz]

1. suck
2. suck some more
3. wonder why i suck so bad
4. get pissed and quit
5. get hammered

 

[Habsburgs]

1. Use Ezmix on Drums
2. Use Ezmix on Bass
3. Use Ezmix on Guitars
4. Use Ezmix on Vocals
5. Watch money pour in

 

[schwinginbatman]

1. Compress and use tape saturation on the drum group.
2. Use tape saturation on the guitars.
3. 808 on upper-mids to blend on bass.
4. Plate reverb on vocals and all drums except kick and room.
5. Stereo widening and limiter on Ozone.

 

[jangoux]

1- Distortion on the drum bus
2- Use a sample on the kick (well, there are a couple of times I didnt use it...but like 95% of the time)
3- Curse one of the band members
4- the 'grit' channel on the bass. A lot less distortion lately, just enough to hear its hi end moving.
5- 1176 on the vocals. ALWAYS.

 

[AntonioPetrole]

1. Sidechain the kick to duck the bass (unless it's super fast double bass)
2. Vocal Bus send smashing the ever living this out of it and blending
3. Hating my mixes
4. Mixing into my master
5. Trying to find where my snare drum has gone