Why do my mixes suck

[WRX07]

I am using a 002 with an Apogee converter, a Mac G5, nice mics and preamps, and Mackie HR824's. Also, my room has been treated with RealTraps. In Pro Tools everything sounds good(I record at 24 bit 44.1k). My mixes sound good, not as good as professional mixes-but still full.

When I choose the Master Fader and bounce the mixes down to stereo interleaved/16 bit/44.1k and burn them to a cd in iTunes, the mixes sound like complete crap. It sounds like a four track recording down in a garage. It sounds really thin and just terrible. Is there something im doing wrong or something I should be aware of? Thanks

[Slim Shady]

I personally can't mix on the Mackie's, they make everything sound good, even when it's not (IMHO). Something about their frequency response really blends the sound together, which sounds great, but what I want is something that exposes the imperfections. I prefer monitors that sound like crap (NS-10s) because when I make a mix that sounds good on them, it sounds amazing everywhere else.

If you're using the same speakers to listen back to your iTunes mixes and you're still hearing a noticable difference, make sure you're using a good dither when you bounce from 24 to 16 bit, and also make sure all of iTunes sound processing functions are turned off (Sound Enhancer, EQ etc.)

[DigiTechSupt]

Try playing back the file in Quicktime and see if you hear a difference.

Also, make sure that all the options in iTunes are turned off - sound enhancer, etc.

[tommy gunn]

I had a similar problem,, thought I was losing my mind my mixes sounded great on my monitors but crappy after the bounce,, I noticed a setting in the prefrences for conversion quality,, to my suprise it is default set to a medium level,, set that setting to tweakhead and you will notice a difference...... also,, when you go to burn a cd (unless your drive is really new) burn it at 1x,,, i thought this concept was crazy but I had a situation where I mixed a rock band and the recording was awesome,, but when I made there CD it had no balls what so ever and it was brittle nasty,,, so I did a lot of net research and came up with a place that recommended burning at 1x and I swear it made the difference and the band was convinced that I had completly remixed the project!

any ways hope this helps at all


tommyg

[WRX07]

I'm talking about listening to the bounced mixes in my car, not iTunes. It just sounds like [bleep]. I think the conversion quality only applies if youre bouncing to a different sample rate right? Cause I'm not changing TO 44.1, so I don't get the option to change it, I think.

How do the new Yamaha HS' compare to the NS-10's?

Could it be that iTunes is screwing something up? I have whatever cd burner comes with the first generation G5's. Would a stand alone burner be better?

[Slim Shady]

iTunes is fine for burning, none of the built-in processing within iTunes is applied to just burning a CD, it only applies to playback. Burning CDs, no matter what app you use, is bascially just copying the ones and zeros onto the CD media.

What you're talking about it the way your mixes transfer to other environments, which is a direct result of your monitors and your mixing environment. I mentioned before my opinion on the HR824's - I owned a set for 3 years and was always very unhappy with my mixes, although they always sounded great in the control room, which is when I realized that they just make everything sound great which isn't helpful when you're mixing. I sold them for a pair of NS-10s, a good Hafler amp, a Yamaha sub and never looked back (not to mention I pocketed back about $200 in the process). My mixes have improved a hundred-fold since then, and a part of that is definitely just a few more years of experience and learning from other pros, but a lot of it is also that I can now hear what's going on soooo much better. Don't get me wrong, NS-10s aren't pretty sounding, but like I said before, if I can get a decent mix going on them, it usually sounds great no matter where I take it. I can't help you with the HS series, I haven't shopped for monitors in ages and the only other set of speakers I mix on is a 5.1 Genelec system based on the 8030A's, which are also pretty nice, but for just straight stereo mixes I still prefer the NS-10s.

Most retail pro-audio stores have a room where you can compare monitors, and some may let you take a pair home and try them, or if they have a decent return policy you can do this on your own. I'm sure there's lots of opinions on monitors floating around in the archives of the DUC (check out the Search feature), but using your own ears is the best way to go. If you do decide to replace the Mackie's, make sure you bring your own reference CDs of stuff you know REALLY well when you go to check out speakers, and bring some of your own mixes along too so you can see which speakers reveal the problems you're hearing and which ones don't.

[martian]

I did a side by side comparison of the mackies and Yamaha MSP series - around the same price - previously I was working with Genelec's - the mackie's just hype everything up.. the yamaha are much less prejudiced! They are a natural sounding speaker.

Why not try borrowing or hiring in a different set of speakers -

I actually thought I was going to buy the mackies until I heard the Yamha side by side-

I listened to every genre in the shop - pop. classical, rock, drum and bass and R n B ( yeah the mackies really helped that genre out- but on say metallica's black album a whole lot of mud came in on the mackie - but hte yamaha were clean on all..

if they make rock/metallica sound muddy then when u mix on them u would want to make things less muddy - hence on other less hyped speakers a thin mix results

[albee1952]

I noticed your process said you bounce to 16 bit while recording in 24 bit. Are you using a dither plugin(I hope so).

[WRX07]

No, I don't use a dither plug-in. Hopefully someone here can educate me

I have a RA300 Alesis power amp. Will this be ok to use with NS-10's?

[Musick]

Well, well, what can I say...
Everything matters while bouncing, but what also matters is everything else before.
Meaning, your EQs, Compressors, Reverbs, Delays, and whatever else you use, if that...
I've learned that "great engineers can make bad equipment sound great, and of course, bad engineers can make great equipment sound horrible." All I'm saying is it'll take time. Remember, this is an art. You obviously have good converters. My guess is in your mix. Treat it well. Your monitors will work, just listen to something you really like and try to tune your ears. Try to match your mixes. Good luck.