Questions about balancing audio

[dmantacos]

https://soundcloud.com/user-380726434/going-under-instrumental
The above is a track i made awhile ago with the intent of adding lyrics. I revisited it recently but after listening to it in many different mediums it seems terribly low quality. I'm pretty new to making digital music in general and have a very hard time balancing volume and distortion, i feel like all of my tracks recently are either distorted or super quiet. If you guys have any tips for balancing audio or could tip me off to some good free online resources for learning these things, I would be very appreciative. I feel like the content of my music is pretty good but it's completely overshadowed by the poor quality and unbalanced audio. Thank you guys so much for your time!

[albee1952]

Seems to sound fine to me, so here are some guidelines as you move forward:
#1-proper record levels. this includes more than just the meter on the track you are recording(which should bump the yellow while tracking). Its entirely possible to distort the microphone(and track meter will not tell you). With external mic pre's, you can also clip the pre with no notice inside of PT

#2-your monitors and room...how accurate is what you are hearing? The best monitors in a poorly treated(or untreated) room can sound awful(IOW very inaccurate). Its tough to make a good mix when you can't trust what you hear.

#3-Does it sound fine in Pro Tools, but sound bad elsewhere? If so, what might be going on elsewhere? Some people bounce into iTunes and listen in iTunes, and may have some odd sound settings in iTunes or Windows Media Player, etc. Most of those programs have lots of options to change the sound(spatial enhancers, EQ curves, etc) that you don't want in play(and you may not realize they are).

#4-the toughest thing to get right is the low end(below 200Hz) as most rooms have serious problems in that range, so its a good practice to check the bass on the best headphones you have.

#5-what format are your final mixes? Low bit rate MP3 is going to sound crappy as compared to a wave file, or even a high bit rate MP3, so keep the resolution as high as possible.

#6-Not sure about Soundcloud, but many(most) services like Spotify will force your audio files into a narrow range of level. So, if you upload a soft mix, they will make it louder, which may change the balance a lot. Or, if you self-master for as loud as you can make it, Spotify will crush it, and that can also mess with your intended balance.

Last 2 cents; mixing is not simple and nobody gets good at it in a short time(I've been at it for 30 years and still struggle much of the time), so give yourself time to hone your skills and artistry(good mixing requires both)

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by albee1952

Last 2 cents; mixing is not simple and nobody gets good at it in a short time(I've been at it for 30 years and still struggle much of the time), so give yourself time to hone your skills and artistry(good mixing requires both)

And have somebody else other than just the client listen to mixes. When I think I'm done I have my wife come in and listen to a mix. Sometimes I'll also make a change here or there while she's listening and ask her opinion. She's helped me pull back a few mixes where I've overdone it with mid/side processing.

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by musicman691

And have somebody else other than just the client listen to mixes. When I think I'm done I have my wife come in and listen to a mix. Sometimes I'll also make a change here or there while she's listening and ask her opinion. She's helped me pull back a few mixes where I've overdone it with mid/side processing.

Good advice^^^ I also tend to listen to mixes from the next room. Its surprising how often that exposes a mix issue

[DonaldM]

And listen in your car and on ear buds.

[amagras]

Most useful purchase I've made in a while. This headphone amp allows me to route the out from my interface to several headphones and consumer audio devices so is a breeze to check mixes on them any time.

[EGS]

Monitor mixes on big/medium/small speakers, plus headphones.

[dmantacos]

Originally Posted by albee1952

Seems to sound fine to me, so here are some guidelines as you move forward:
#1-proper record levels. this includes more than just the meter on the track you are recording(which should bump the yellow while tracking). Its entirely possible to distort the microphone(and track meter will not tell you). With external mic pre's, you can also clip the pre with no notice inside of PT

#2-your monitors and room...how accurate is what you are hearing? The best monitors in a poorly treated(or untreated) room can sound awful(IOW very inaccurate). Its tough to make a good mix when you can't trust what you hear.

#3-Does it sound fine in Pro Tools, but sound bad elsewhere? If so, what might be going on elsewhere? Some people bounce into iTunes and listen in iTunes, and may have some odd sound settings in iTunes or Windows Media Player, etc. Most of those programs have lots of options to change the sound(spatial enhancers, EQ curves, etc) that you don't want in play(and you may not realize they are).

#4-the toughest thing to get right is the low end(below 200Hz) as most rooms have serious problems in that range, so its a good practice to check the bass on the best headphones you have.

#5-what format are your final mixes? Low bit rate MP3 is going to sound crappy as compared to a wave file, or even a high bit rate MP3, so keep the resolution as high as possible.

#6-Not sure about Soundcloud, but many(most) services like Spotify will force your audio files into a narrow range of level. So, if you upload a soft mix, they will make it louder, which may change the balance a lot. Or, if you self-master for as loud as you can make it, Spotify will crush it, and that can also mess with your intended balance.

Last 2 cents; mixing is not simple and nobody gets good at it in a short time(I've been at it for 30 years and still struggle much of the time), so give yourself time to hone your skills and artistry(good mixing requires both)

sorry for such a late response! i came down with some gnarly food poisoning, Thank you so much for your input, i feel like my audio is always distorted and quiet at the same time? Anyways, thanks all who responded :)

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by dmantacos

sorry for such a late response! i came down with some gnarly food poisoning, Thank you so much for your input, i feel like my audio is always distorted and quiet at the same time? Anyways, thanks all who responded :)

Distortion can happen at many stages(even before the audio gets into the DAW). "Quiet" is often down to mastering, so its very common for your project to sound softer than any commercial release.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by albee1952

Distortion can happen at many stages(even before the audio gets into the DAW). "Quiet" is often down to mastering, so its very common for your project to sound softer than any commercial release.

Insert any comments about Death Magnetic here