Tips for making your mixes translate to radio.

[tempe]

So long story short the local hardcore / metalcore scene in my town is going really strong, and there are a few local radio stations popping up and a few of the bands I have worked with are getting some air time. Some of my mixes are translating ok, and some are getting crucified. It doesn't seem to be a mono compatibility issue as I figured it would be the mono push that happens during broadcast, but on the mix that just got played the vocals got a little buried as the guitars came up...

If anyone would like to take a listen to what's been getting played, the first four tracks on my facebook player here; http://www.facebook.com/templestudios have been getting played.

Thanks!

 

[C_F_H_13]

So long story short the local hardcore / metalcore scene in my town is going really strong, and there are a few local radio stations popping up and a few of the bands I have worked with are getting some air time. Some of my mixes are translating ok, and some are getting crucified. It doesn't seem to be a mono compatibility issue as I figured it would be the mono push that happens during broadcast, but on the mix that just got played the vocals got a little buried as the guitars came up...

If anyone would like to take a listen to what's been getting played, the first four tracks on my facebook player here; http://www.facebook.com/templestudios have been getting played.

Thanks!

Whenever you're mixing for radio, always have the vocals way louder then they would ever be on a record. Radio equipment always seems to push the sides of a mix WAY UP, or at least that's my experience.

The other thing to maybe try is check that your mix translates across all systems. The way I do that is I have a few eq curves on my master buss that I pop in an out and make sure I can still hear everything at the right balance. It's kind of like mixing on an auratone and switching back to your main monitors.

I got 3 different presets:

filtered up to 200hz and down to 2k
filtered up to 100hz
filtered down to 6k.

I just pop all these in one at a time, and make sure I can still hear everything. The 200-2k one is great to see if the gtrs or vocals are actually too loud. With such a limited range, how balance your mid range is will be come pretty apparent.

 

[tempe]

Thanks so much! I've been told by everyone that my centre will come up, turns out it's the opposite! I think I might have to start printing vocal up mixes but I doubt any of the bands have enough sense / the initiative to give them to radio stations, as all of the stuff that's been getting played is unsigned.

 

[P-E]

The other thing to maybe try is check that your mix translates across all systems. The way I do that is I have a few eq curves on my master buss that I pop in an out and make sure I can still hear everything at the right balance. It's kind of like mixing on an auratone and switching back to your main monitors.

I got 3 different presets:

filtered up to 200hz and down to 2k
filtered up to 100hz
filtered down to 6k.

I just pop all these in one at a time, and make sure I can still hear everything. The 200-2k one is great to see if the gtrs or vocals are actually too loud. With such a limited range, how balance your mid range is will be come pretty apparent.

Agreed. I always do stuff like this, sometimes only listening to the lows and the low-mids too, really helps.

 

[Morgan C]

Whenever you're mixing for radio, always have the vocals way louder then they would ever be on a record. Radio equipment always seems to push the sides of a mix WAY UP, or at least that's my experience.

The other thing to maybe try is check that your mix translates across all systems. The way I do that is I have a few eq curves on my master buss that I pop in an out and make sure I can still hear everything at the right balance. It's kind of like mixing on an auratone and switching back to your main monitors.

I got 3 different presets:

filtered up to 200hz and down to 2k
filtered up to 100hz
filtered down to 6k.

I just pop all these in one at a time, and make sure I can still hear everything. The 200-2k one is great to see if the gtrs or vocals are actually too loud. With such a limited range, how balance your mid range is will be come pretty apparent.

I'm a bit confused, did you do a typo? The first one should be filtered down to 200hz and up to 2k, but I'm not sure if the others are typos. Are you filtering up to 100hz and checking out the lowend, or filtering down to 100hz and checking how the kick/bass sits without the lowend? Same with the 6k (would make more sense filtering UP to 6k, I can't see much use coming of checking out just above 6khz).

Agreed. I always do stuff like this, sometimes only listening to the lows and the low-mids too, really helps.

Yeah, it's good for checking out the relationship between bass and kick way down there.

 

[C_F_H_13]

HPF to 100hz
LPF to 6k

Should of been more clear. But yeah all of them are more focusing on the midrange.

 

[TomCase]

Hi,

Are you sending them self "mastered" tracks. Radio smashes the fuck out of everything. Give them non limited tracks and i bet you it translates much better.

Don't worry about your loudness, radio's been fighting the war way longer than we have. Your song will be just as loud as the next one, only it will sound better.

Tom

 

[John_C]

AM radio tops out at 10kHz in the US, so try out your mixes with a LPF there for a start.

FM can get up to 15kHz

 

[Clockwork]

Hey guys I did a quick video tutorial on this. Cheers!

(sorry I couldn't resist)