Why Can't I Get Pro Tools To Sound Like A Record? Need Help Bad!

[Hardnox]

Man, great thread. I am 22 years old and have done some mixing. I would say that I was afraid of compression and things like that. Then one day in this forum I found a link to an article on Tom Lord-Alge. Granted, I don't mix rock music, but instead hip-hop style music. In the article on T Lord-Alge he talked about his love for compression. He said that he "Pins the meters" so hard that he doesn't even no how much gain reduction he's really using. He said he wishes that the meters would go 360 degress so he could actually see how much gain reduction is happening. That very day I went into PT, put on an 1176 and just cranked the meter on a synth that I wanted to "crunch". MAN there it was! I learned right there that there are techniques but no rules. I've had the opportunity to meet some veteran engineers and they tell me "the only f--kin rule is that there are no f--kin rules...do what sounds good." I still find myself getting too technical often instead of doing what sounds good because every sound is different. There is no rule on how to do this or do that. This is what makes it so hard! You can't just create a preset plug-in setting for everything you do. You have to treat things on their own. What sounds good on this, makes that sound like sh-t. I am working these days on getting my low end right and cleaning up the "mud". I also learned in here to keep your levels lower in PT. I tried that (not hitting the mix bus too hot) and then when the level gets brought up in mastering I think there's more "warmth." Also, I'm sorry but some of them Digi-racks aren't gonna cut it. Fork out $300 or so and get McDSP Filterbank, and maybe also get the Reneisance stuff. Save your pennies and get the Waves Gold or Platinum bundle, then you're pretty set (if you have to pick one, save $ for the Waves bundle). Get those good EQ plugs, and then you can boost them highs a little more and brighten the mix up. Hey, that's the fun of this biz, we're never done buying "toys." Think about it, this would be no fun if you had "everything." Anyway keep posting, I'm reading.

[Hardnox]

Ohh, one more thing. get the sounds "tight" in teh studio. Low end especially. Consumer systems I've found "loosen" everything. If my low end is boomy in the studio, it's gonna fall apart on the home stereo. All that time listening to Dr. Dre beats in the car I heard that bass boom in the trunk. Take that same CD to some monitors, I noticed that even that hip-hop bass is tight, no boom. Smooth, hits, drops and goes away. Here's that link to the Lorad-Alge article:
http://www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/apr00/articles/tomlord.htm

[Felix]

i've found the most helpful thing is HPF and LPF, and other forms of subtractive eq that help to "wedge" tracks into their respective areas. i like the analogy of needing a crow bar to fit things in a ProTools mix. less is even more. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
now if someone would design an Oxford-like EQ that kept the above eq parctices in mind. (ex. the option to use only HPF's or LPF's) McDSP understands this need, so i hope they are working on it.

[BaRaq']

Ok Yall, I'm back from New York City & I do appreciate all of the posts. I really do think it's the room. I have AURELEX Foam on the walls and more in the back stacked in a corner but I do not have any test equipment to tune the room or do I KNOW how to use test equipment to tune a room. I called a friend of mine at Washington Pro Systems and He told Me that it would take 2-3 hours @$90.00 a hour to tune My room. This is getting expensive but in the long run quite worth it. Yes! I am doing a lot of Hip-Hop production. I am working real hard on a opportunity that came to Me 3 weeks ago. I received an offer to do some tracks for a platinum rap artist & an up and coming artist. I sent 2 CD's with 10 tracks each then I included an alternative disc just in case they didn't like the first ones. So far the response was positive. I have to wait until this Friday for the artist to judge but the person who does the recruiting of tracks really liked what he heard and asked If I could create tracks that was outside of My genre. I said that I feel in My heart that I am capable. So.....My point is to record tracks as close to studio quality as possible because if I am hired to do these projects I just want to take my DDS4 tape to New York, Load the thing and get PAID!

[BaRaq']

I make beats much better than I can engineer. I believe that I can really master the craft of engineering if an engineer taught Me everything or If I spent more time in a commercial facility. I do know that My creative side is shot to hell due to the learning curve of all the new equipment. The countless hours of reading and experimentation. The tracks that I submitted to the A & R person was all done in ACID on a PC. I can't play Keyboard like Elton John as of this moment but one day I will. I'm looking for a slamming Keyboard player who can play by ear as well as read music. Also a Bass, Guitar, Sax & Trumpet player. My main goal is to put Dr. Dre into early retirement. This the only way I know how to make music! I have to compete with the best. If I can find a "Dream Team" like Dr. Dre I would put him out of business. If anybody meets or know someone who meets the above criteria just keep the thread going. I believe that since the day Pro Tools came into My life...........My life became more interesting!

[5down1up]

if you compete you are lost ... you will never catch the train you want to . come up with your own stuff and let the others run [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
if your goal is to be better than anyone else i wish you good luck ( r u serious ??? sorry i have to LOL ... maybe you take the wrong drugs ??? ) [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]
why should somebody else help you if its all about " being the best " ???
but i guess thats the american attitude .. hrhr ... the best in the world ( and again ... LOL )
theres no big deal about using a computer software , my mom can do that , too . you think its something holy cutting some samples and let em do bumbumbum ???
a lot of people in here are sharing there ideas and techniques ... and i guess not in fact to present themselfes ... i cant see that " i am the best " attitude ... so maybe you r getting it a little bit wrong .
or do u still believe that you will have your personal site in a history book in 200 years from now ???
" he was the best PT user on this planet "
... and believe me , all the " big people " arent like this at all


... alls gonna end < soon > [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[BaRaq']

Look Mr. Critic God,

Don't come to My thread talking garbage about the fact that I thrive to be the best like the ones that came before me. This WORLD was built on who's who! Can you understand that? Look at Jimmi Hendrix...The Best! Anybody who picks up a guitar strives with his soul to play like him or outdo him! Look at Bob Clearmountain.....The Best! Bob Ludwig.....The Best! Al Smidtt.....The Best! Earnie Grudman.....The Best! Muhamad Ali.....The Best! Do I have to go on Mr. Foulmouth Critic! And far as your MOTHER is concerned, if she could edit she would be getting a Pay Check but since that is unlikely leave your parents out of the forums. Oh, before I really forget Hip-Hop is a BILLION dollar industry that was founded and BUILT carving samples giving stars who had fallen' off a "NEW" life among the new generation who wouldn't even give their records 15 seconds until the "Sample Carvers" as you call us, gave them the 15 seconds. And for your information I must have carved those samples pretty good.....It got the attention of quite a few heads in New York & L.A.! Can You Say That For Your Mother Sucker! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[5down1up]

and once again ... lol [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

its just music , dont take it that serious [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

did u ever hear mr.zappa or davis say " man , i am da **** ??? "
this is an attitude you can proof real quick , if u are the best ,

" show me what u got "

dont play with the fire it can hurt real bad
[img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[5down1up]

what makes me wonder , too ...

if you are really that great ,
why dont you know how to do it ???


hrhrhrhr [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[ejsongs]

Since you do hip hop stuff, i find that the drawmer comp plugs and maybe channel strip are my favorites for making the kicks and snares really hit. When it becomes available get the logic tdm bundle. It has two plugs that are mind blowing...bit crusher and enveloper.

spend the money on the room. It is the best investment you can make. I've spent 2 years fighting with my room before i realized that I had the wrong accoustic panels that were abosorbing too much of the wrong things. I've got the gear and most of the plug out there. No matter what engineer I brought here to mix it was always a fight to get it right. I tried different monitors, curtains, ways of routing the playback and we couldn't figure it out. Finally someone sugeested that I start over with the room and try different pannels and that was the key. Now i'm happy.

If you make great beats then keep it simple and through it down as a stereo mix to dat or cd for now. As long as you use the right samples and it makes your head nod then peolpe will get it. Pro tools is cool but you definatley don't need it to do hip hop and get tracks placed.

ej

p.s. to 5down: Be nice. You know he is new to the game and your point about establishing your own Identity is well taken; but , striving to be the best helps motivate you to push yourself harder and only when you've been at this for a while do you realize that only way to be the best is to be the best at being yourself. I think you could have said it in a more constructive way.