First Mix Session: need Help?
 

I'm doing my first mix session and I'm a little nervous [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

1. What's up with normalizing? Do you run this on all your tracks that appear uneven in level (before using compressors).

2. Do you mix your drums first and then sub them to two channels or maybe one stereo channel? I know it's a matter of preference, but I'm just looking for pointers and CPU savers.

3. How do you set up your Reverbs? Do you have one on the Master and then set up others as needed on Aux channels and route them accordingly, like to vocals and snare and guitar (whatever)?

4. What do you have for plugins on the Master; compressor?, L1+, another Reverb? C4 if you've got it?

Any other pointers are appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve

Re: First Mix Session: need Help?
 

Hi Steve,

welcome to the madness. First, DO NOT NORMALIZE, unless you´re only doing only one song.

Route your Toms to an aux channel and eq them there. You might also want a compression plug in to add punchiness and evenness

Set up a couple of reverbs(one long for vocals and lead guitars maybe, and one short for percussion for example)on aux channels and send to them whatever you need, on the snare you might even want both reverbs... but do not use one on the master fader (I wouldn´t).

I don´t waste CPU power by adding anything to the master fader. I´d rather set up a new ¨mastering¨ session, import your stereo, 24 bit mixes and use all your horsepower to EQ, Compress and limit until it sounds LOUD and clear.

Have fun,

Jorge

Re: First Mix Session: need Help?
 

1)dont normalize until youre ready to master the track or tracks. some tracks really dont need to be normalized so listen carefully.

2)i record the drums individually on each track then bounce them to stereo with dynamics printed

3)jorge is rite about th verbs

4) i also use a separate session to add plugs on my master fader.. q10>c1>big bottom/clarity enhancer> s1> L1+

Re: First Mix Session: need Help?
 

I see quite a lot of people bounce to 24 bit stereo and then bring the mix back in to master. When you do your first 24 bit st mix, do you use the +L1 Ultramaximizer on the master? I've been reading my Waves manual and it says to only use the +L1 function if it is the very last time the mix will be edited (something to do with the dithering and the noise shaping technology employed).
Thanks for the pointers in mixing, that was all helpfull.
I'm still confused about Normalizing, like when and where? Is it most usefull on low level signal tracks? But I will avoid it for now.
Any other mixing techniques out there?

Thanks,
Steve

Re: First Mix Session: need Help?
 

the best thing to do is reference commercial cd's on your system
put on dark side of the moon on your pt system and go back to your mix then make a pot of coffee [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

Re: First Mix Session: need Help?
 

I rarely normalize at any point in the recording, unless I've made an engineering error and recorded the track levels WAY too low. For convenience then, I'll use the GAIN plugin or the Normalize plugin to get the levels hotter.

You can use the Wave L1 (not the L1+) on the master fader for your 24-bit mixdown file(s). Then you're not dithering the output. You don't need to dither unless you're reducing the number of bits.

When doing the 24-bit bounce, I don't push the limiter very hard (maybe a couple of db of limiting). It gives me more flexibility during the "mastering" session to then use the L1+ and the C4. The L1+ should be the final insert (unless you're using PAZ) on the "mastering" session.

Re: First Mix Session: need Help?
 

Hey Steve,

I normally start out eq'ing and compressing the kick and the bass a bit, then work my way around the snare, route the toms to a stereo aux channel (like Jorge does), and then route the OH to a stereo aux channel, eq and perhaps compress a bit (saves CPU).

To make drums sound a bit bigger, I create a stereo submix of the drums (minues the kick) and compress the snot out of it. Then, I mix it in with the other drums, but don't overdo it, otherwise you'll have big sound that is really really really compressed. Sometimes it's a cool effect, though. You might want to play around with the levels of each of the drums which you send to the submix aux channel.

If you use a "big" plugin for your drum submix, like channelstrip, or something made by Waves, you will get plugin latency, that will make the drums sound phasey. To avoid that, create another stereo aux channel and put the same plugin on it (bypass it), and route your original drum tracks through it.

If you feel like the plugin latency is making the drums to be too behind on the beat, you need to find out how much latency there is (# of samples, command-click the volume indicator twice) and nudge the drum tracks for that amount.

I know that sounds almost like hairsplitting, but I have neglected doing it for a while until I realized that it sounded A LOT better when I nudged the drums so that when they go through a plugin with a lot of latency, they still sound aligned, like they were played to begin with.

Mh, this is getting to be a bit long. One more practical thing though: Once you have put a bunch of plugs on your drums and bass, and you are getting to putting plugs on your guitar tracks, and on your voice, you might have run out of CPU power to put a Reverb on. I have found that it is a good thing to use AS plugs and apply the settings to the tracks which you think sound good. That might save you from tinkering with settings that were already good, and it will give you CPU back to use one or two Reverbs...

Juergen

Re: First Mix Session: need Help?
 

ONE MORE THING! BEFORE you apply AS plugs to your tracks, duplicate each track in the playlist, and keep the originals. Just in case you want to change the EQ or the Compression.

I usually name my original tracks with the word "orig" in it, so when I look at the playlist and I want to go back to it, I know exactly which one it is. I name the new effected tracks by the name of the plug. For example, "Kick 4BE Comp," "Toms 4BE ExpGt etc." (I use the letters that show in the inserts).

Sometimes I use the comments area to list the plugs through which the track has been run...

that's it.

Juergen