Huge Sounding Mix. How To?

[Andrew_Anakin]

Hey guys! Just watched this out and liked this huge sound! Especially i liked low range here! Where's the secret of the massive mixes?

Song: Adept - The Toughest Kids



My latest mixes:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qx4flhbwsc6ine5/CHS sample.mp3 Preview of the local band i've recorded/mixed/mastered
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s41j2xqgzlrqej9/Arterya.mp3 My fast mix with my fast idea

Tell me please how to make the sound more powerfull and interesting)

 

[HCL]

cheating, usually

 

[Daybreak]

Key to getting a huge mix is realizing not everything can be huge. The song you posted have very weak drums, as an example, leaving rom for guitars, which indeed are, huge.
"Hugeness" can be achieved by panning to, if too much is panned in the middle it doesn't really get that width. Also realizing not everything can be loud is essential too. Depth is really just different volumes, but you need to make sure that each instrument has their own space, so some instruments can be low and still be heard.

 

[Nolly]

Tight performances/editing and bass guitar. It's pretty much carrying the whole mix you posted.

 

[Andrew_Anakin]

Yeah! get it! Want to watch or read maybe few tutorials how to mix tight in the low frequencies so the sound will be big and punchy!
Can somebody send here really useful tutorials?
Thank you!

 

[Max Morton]

It's hard to add anything to what has been said above. For "tight", you need great performances, edited properly. For "massive" or "huge" you need a certain tasteful disbalance, i.e. "fat, well defined bass, massive kick and snare/somewhat less defined riffs" or "huge wide guitars with enormously powerful low end/just drums and almost no bass guitar". A perfect balance is not always something that works for a song or for a band. But keep in mind that there is always an edge between a great mix with flavor and ... a bad mix))

P.S. Nice to see you here mate

P.P.S. Speaking of tutorials, I wouldn't recommend you relying on any tutorials too much. Try using references. Your favorite records. Check them often while mixing and it'll improve your skills and understanding of what should and what should not be done. Besides, how do you imagine it? "HOW DO HUGE MIX"?))

 

[Andrew_Anakin]

It's hard to add anything to what has been said above. For "tight", you need great performances, edited properly. For "massive" or "huge" you need a certain tasteful disbalance, i.e. "fat, well defined bass, massive kick and snare/somewhat less defined riffs" or "huge wide guitars with enormously powerful low end/just drums and almost no bass guitar". A perfect balance is not always something that works for a song or for a band. But keep in mind that there is always an edge between a great mix with flavor and ... a bad mix))

P.S. Nice to see you here mate

P.P.S. Speaking of tutorials, I wouldn't recommend you relying on any tutorials too much. Try using references. Your favorite records. Check them often while mixing and it'll improve your skills and understanding of what should and what should not be done. Besides, how do you imagine it? "HOW DO HUGE MIX"?))

Thank you for a comment! And cheers mate!))
I've imagined it like There was some rules to make a good mix with a good low end and stuff) Of course mixing is very individual and these "rules" not always works good, def!

 

[Erik Monsonis]

Make sure the bass is loud enough across the whole spectrum, not just enough lowend but also enough grit, honk and is not making everything else muddy. Make sure the kick has got enough sub-low frequencies, as they won't fight with the main bass frequencies, allowing you to have both massive kicks and bass.

Guitars are just midrange, so they shouldn't be a problem when aiming for a huge sound.

But to me, those massive sounding albums are 80% massive bass and drums.

 

[Mago]

^sure helps to have huge drums and bass, but the rest has to sit in REALLY nice in between to get the sense of "huge mix" and not "huge rhythm section"

I think "imbalance" helps to get a mix huge...so not 100% the same sounds on both sides, really really tight playing but not a lot of editing (or very natural tight editing) on guitars especially.
(Drums and bass have to be tight too of course).
Pocketing helps too, especially for that kind of rhythmic stuff.

I guess what might be part of that too, is that you really define the panning and make the FX (delay, reverb and all those effekt guitars) the widest.

So the mix is huge in both directions, frequencies and panning.

 

[Max Morton]

And it's obvious that the arrangement and selection of tones for each instrument should be great. Otherwise "huge" will turn into "muddy" immediately.
When I think of fat ass mixes, I immediately recall Nickelback 2008 ablum. I don't enjoy the music, but the mix on that album is insanely fat, punchy, tight and clear. Another example is what Jens Bogren does on some of his works (I'm a huge fan of what he does). Very punchy stuff starting with James LaBrie and ending with Leprous.

Oh, by the way. How could I forget Limp Bizkit - Golden Cobra? It's the fattest mix I've ever heard. Pretty damn loud and still breathing with some dynamics. Check it out if you haven't. Not metal, but very, very interesting to analyze.

 

[Marcolobo]

Oh, by the way. How could I forget Limp Bizkit - Golden Cobra? It's the fattest mix I've ever heard. Pretty damn loud and still breathing with some dynamics. Check it out if you haven't. Not metal, but very, very interesting to analyze.

THIS.
I thought i was the only one, that Limp Bizkit's album is incredibly huge.