Hmmmm

Jaymz

Jaymz

Stymphalian Productions
May 20, 2006
7,425
11
38
York
www.facebook.com
Ahoy!

Ive just had a look at the waveform of my first mix and can see its not exactly good lookin'!

Here is a screen dump.

The first waveform on top is Dream Theater (a good and respectable band), under is my piece of mott juice (my mix).
Its clearly not flowing very well, it looks gated or something, its not clipping either.

Im just curious. Im really wanting to open my mix out a lot, everything sounds quite decent solo'd but when everything is together they all seem to battle to get to the front! Ive done a lot of EQ'ing which has helped but im still looking for everything to sit in its place nicely without sounding TOO much like a bedroom job!

It may be 2 seperate questions. Any responces are welcomed. I know I ask a lot of questions however ill never know/learn if I dont ask :) Plus I trust you all!

PROS!!! :kickass: lol


Clips1.jpg
 
SONAR!

Right man, it just looks like everything has been compressed to death (like each instrument/mic) and so there are zero dynamics squishing it to fuck.

Lay off the compression and try adding everything in element at a time to see what is killing it....


My 2p.
 
-Gavin- said:
Man, you really have a rake of pish up on the top toolbar :lol:

I've managed to streamline mine to 2 lines of buttons...
Click to expand...

Hahahahaha yeah well a mate of mine was playing around with it.....then I stepped on *because I know what im doing :tickled:* and...ended up loosing all the toolbars so I had a search and whacked em all up there!

Im looking at the mix now, im only really using a C4 on the guitars and master channel....quite a lot of L1's to boost certain things. I have a l1 on the master is that whats giving me that dinner table of a waveform?
 
EDIT: Its an L2 on the master

Ooo OOooo OOoooo before I forget fellow Sonar user Gav do you know how too....see if I can explain this, you know the overall width of the track template, without any waveform on it ya know, how do you shorten it?

Because my friend somehow has made the bloody thing 25 minutes long even though the actual recording is 7 minutes so far, there is nothing at the end ive checked. So it takes me near enough half an hour to export the bastard LOL!

Any suggestions?
 
First, mixing by picture is a no-no. Big time. You'd get slapped across the knuckles with a ruler if I still had the number of that girl who liked to dress up as a nun, but I don't, so you'll have to do it yourself.

First, it might help to start mixing in mono. There are a lot of ways of making things pop out, and working in mono will eliminate the stereo placement and also make you instantly aware of phase problems that may have been hidden. What's more, because everything is squished together you'll have to figure out where each instrument lives and breathes and alter audio accordingly - if you can start to hear things 'right' in mono, popping it back open into stereo, with the pieces all put in their respective places that much better *and* the benefit of spacing, you'll start to get along the track of things jumping out of the mix.

Another thing would be to try compressing and limiting individual tracks less and see what you can tinker with as far as limiting the whole mix - if you limit individual tracks too much and try to mash them together, you've switched the assignment from 'mash the Brady Bunch into a phone booth' to 'inflate the Brady Bunch to approximately the size of a phone booth individually, and then mash them, all still inflated, into the phone booth' and it just sucks to have to fondle the maid that way.

Finally, post clips. We're looking at a waveform and taking your word for it that your stuff sounds mashed together, but hearing helps, so give that a shot.

Jeff
 
While i try and take a look,

Try setting up a start / end marker then just exporting the selection.

That should do as a temp fix till i take a look round and see what the craic is
 
Naw I tried doing that and it didnt work but ive uploaded a short mp3 of the start of the mix (cheers for the hosting!).

Sadly I couldnt fade it out due to my Soundforge being French....

http://www.upload.celtiaproductions.co.uk/uploads/test1.mp3 ;

Take no notice of the playing or timing because its all out etc etc. I think If i get the double kick part all nicely clean the rest should be fine.
There isnt any toms in that clip either so there is a few "fill" gaps which sound quite strange.

BTW: I whacked my Stagg headphones on *wink wink* and I can hear what sounds like an ice cream truck in the background of my mix !?!??

I dont have a clue wtf that is! Mind you anybody got any headphone recommendations because the left side has just broke. OBV its stagg! Far too bassy anyway. :goggly:
 
Thanks man! Yeah the guitars and maybe cymbals are the few parts that I feel are lacking. The guitars are my fault at the recording stage really, I did it a wile ago and my micplacement was directly aimed at the cone thus giving me a ton of noise and I used a lot of gain on each guitar. Good job I know this now, ill be sure to rectify these next time! :)

Ive had to scoop almost every freq besides the mid out of the cymbals lol. Nothing to do with mic placement there due them being electric kit samples anyway :P

Ive recorded half of that song to test my mixing etc before I record it fully when I get my new amp after ive sold my current one...which isnt going too well :( Just sounds a bit BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR when It will kicks in.

Ill lower the guitars and probs the whole mix slightly. That clip has the L2 on the master but ive taken that out now and im sure that has made the signal move more freely.

Ill stop there for now :P
 
Right ive just re-harshed it a lot, I took out all the channel l2/l1's etc and mixed from there. Really opend it out a lot, everything seems to fit better. Its still not brilliant but I can actually hear how the china sounds as an individual cymbal! Ive still got the L2 on the master to bring it out as a whole yet turned it down as opposed to whacking it up before. Ive also had a look at the waveform compared to before, its still a bit compressed but it actually has dynamics just up to a certain point then it cuts off. I think its that L2 on the master :)

Will no doubt post a recent clip to compare too in a bit.
 
There's a thread about clipping and limiting that was up a short while ago, it might help you get that right blend of openness and volume. I'll try to find that one.

Jeff
 
Awesome thanks a lot, thats what I really need now. Im basing my mix on Devildriver tbh. I always thought in the main section it was the crash that was killing everything else but Im sure it cant be, ive turned it right down and knocked shit loads of fizz outta it. Eeeesh DD seem to have it nailed!
 
Man this is starting to blow my mind, Im a bit confused over this RMS stuff...on Sonar the "volume" db meter goes -9, (then ur in the red, not clipping), -6 (then just before clipping) -3. Ive always been cranking the master up to around the -3 mark. Im guessing I should be looking at about -10?

I always thought running things in the red a tad without clipping was like ur getting the most out of something, now im not so sure ;\
 
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