Recording and Mixing

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Steve1234

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Apr 17, 2009
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Hi, i'm pretty much new to metal production or any music production for that matter. I pretty much can't mix to save my life so i guess i'll start with what gear i have/use.

My guitar is recorded direct through PODxt to my computer via USB, i can upload patches or audio files if it helps to get an idea of the sound i have. For drums i'm using addictive drums and at the moment for bass i'm using a fairly basic sound module but i'm hoping to improve that at some point.

I know about doubling and panning when recording etc but i don't know an awful lot more than that. Really i'm just looking for something to get me started with that will help me improve my tracks and stuff. I'm not sure where to begin with mixing and also what's the best way to track stuff? Also should EQ/compression etc be applied as you're recording or after everything is tracked?

Thanks for any help
 
I'm sure clips of your work so far would help to give any useful help.

About EQ/compression: Both might be applied while recording as well as during mixdown for a number of reasons. However appling EQ/compression while recording only makes sense if you know what you're doing and have good gear.
 
imo... ditch the podxt... from my point of view they are absoloutly discussting for anything even close to metal... you need tube warmth :D
 
In order for anyone to really help you out we need to hear what you have going so far.

I think the POD can be a good starting point, especially for someone on a budget. I would say the metal pack is a must though, and you would definitely want to use impulses rather than the cab sims in the POD (which suck). Get yourself a few good patches and some impulses and give that a try first.

Read these for background on impulses and convolution reverb:
Wikipedia Impulse Page
Wikipedia Convolution Reverb Page

Then read this:
Impulse FAQ

For some general EQ stuff read:
General EQ Guide
 
Cheers for the reply. Unfortunatly its not really possible for me to record tube heads and top quality cabs at the moment due to the face my room is really small and i'm a student on limited budget haha.

As for the PODxt's, i know you're not going to discover the next big tone out of them but i have heard recordings with them and was impressed I'll look into getting the metal shop it's been on my list of things to get. The tone i have at the moment i think is ok but of course you guys would probably think differently because you know what works well.

Thanks for those links i'll look into them i've never heard of impulses before so i'm glad i'll definetly be able to learn something there :). I also have no idea how to use compression
 
I'd say you could easily live without the POD. I was considering getting one, but with the all the latest FREE amp sims (solo c and 7170), I havent given it a second thought.
And, as mentioned above, impulses will make a world of difference. I was ecstatic when I first discovered them (thx to this forum).
 
ok wow, people dissing the pod.....have you heard any of joey sturgises work? or brian hoods recent stuff in rate my mix forum? check it out and then come back and tell me how crap pods are...
 
Ok so with the pod i should impule on just the cab or reamp the whole sound? If that's the case then wouldn't the pod just be used as an interface? Also do you need a mic preamp or just DI?
 
I would definitely recommend the metal pack. You can find some great patches on here for the metal shop expansion. Since you've already got the POD I'd would say stick with that for your tone. Simply turn off the cab simulation. It won't sound good when you're recording since its essentially just the signal that WOULD be going to your cab. The impulses models the cabinet and the microphone positioning. GuitarHack's impulses are great and I just saw the main page has some Studio Fredman Style Impluses, which I haven't looked into yet.
 
I'll get the metal shop addon at some point i don't think it's too expensive is it? Like £30 something like that.

I didn't know it worked like that to be honest. I thought when you recorded you just generally recorded Head and Cab. So you're saying the PODs amps are good but the cabs aren't good enough? I guess i need to learn how this impulse works. Will i just need my PODxt to do impulsing? I can change my cab with impulses?
 
I've tried doing a few impulses and i can see how they can be useful. I just want to make sure i'm doing this right. I've got a patch in PODxt and everything is recorded the same except that the cab is switch off? I'm using Voxengo Boogex VST in Reaper to do impulses. So my PODxt amp should be on as well. Not quite there with the tone i don't think but it'll get there
 
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