If you could give one tip...

[X14Halo]

Somebody who has very little experience with mixing and EQ'ing is given a bunch of raw guitar and drum recordings of good quality. They are told to make it awesome. Let's just say they are using a free DAW like Reaper. You have one tip, trick, or piece of advice that you can give them (or a couple, whatever)...what is it?

 

[Clark Kent]

That it's all about volume balance in the end.

Low cut on every track esp. guitars.

 

[osiris8]

Read WDYRSLA and ermz Systematic Mixing. Also, use eq to take away crap instead of trying to boost the good stuff.

 

[rob w]

Reaper's free? Dammit, they said i had to buy a license. Scamming bastards!

 

[KHE]

learn to trust your ears.

 

[osiris8]

Reaper's free? Dammit, they said i had to buy a license. Scamming bastards!

Not free, just because you can abuse the trial forever doesn't mean you don't have to pay. But at $60 for personal use it's almost free.

 

[rob w]

Not free, just because you can abuse the trial forever doesn't mean you don't have to pay. But at $60 for personal use it's almost free.

Yes thankyou, it was a joke.

 

[osiris8]

Yes thankyou, it was a joke.

Yes obviously - when I read it again .

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Don't clip your fucking converters.

 

[ForHerDeadEyes]

It's not about getting a tip/setting to make it awesome..
What I did before I even started posting on this forum was to go back as far as the site would let me (although I know through google you can reach older threads)..
Start here: http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/production-tips-449/index225.html
If you click the scrollwheel on your mouse, while over a link, it opens (should) the link in a new tab.. at least in FireFox..
So.. go back and start opening up all the threads that you think could help you..
I did just that.. a lot of good reading.. and when you've reached the first page, you'll have learned a whole lot o' good stuff..

 

[xFkx]

watch out for inter-plugin digital clipping, first thing that will drain the life out of your mix.


and on a more new age spiritual mambojumbo: have patience and use your ears

 

[Sloan]

A good mix is built from thousands of tiny and seemingly insignificant good decisions.

 

[egan.]

Look less, listen more.

 

[Emdprodukt]

Highpass Filter on EVERYTHING

 

[Butt Nekkid]

Proper gainstaging and enough headroom.

 

[Sonic75]

DO WHAT YOU NEED

 

[HostileEx]

Reference. Reference often.

 

[dcb]

don't do it. instead pay an expert.

 

[Jrich4967]

I think the guy is looking more along the lines of HOW to do it. When i was getting started, I asked a guy who's shit sounded amazing how he did it, and his answer was "I just think about how i want it to sound and i make it like that". Not very helpful. He is probably looking more at how to get a guitar tone, or drum sound. Information like use a tube screamer with the gain all the way down and the level all the way up to get a good start for distortion in an amp might be more helpful (i know, not a set rule, YMMV). Not presets necessarily, but how the things actually work. how you can use what to get a certain tone.

so yeah, i agree with the guy up there. start by looking and reading all the stuff you can. some people have actually contributed positively in this forum, its just hard to find

 

[K Odell]

Look less, listen more.

This times a million