Harbal question

Posted on

www.dorian-music.co.uk
Member Since: Apr 04, 2008

Howdy everyone,

Im recently getting to grips with harbal and have a really stupid question.. but asking it will help me understand how it works so i can look to fix my problems! Anyway here goes...

When i analyse a commercially recorded track and then match my own track exactly to the harbal reference, why doesnt it sound exactly the same?

I know that is really stupid as obviously there are other processes like compression etc to take into account. But i was wondering if therefore harballing each track individually and matching each track (e.g. a commercially recorded guitar part to a guitar part of mine) and doing it that way if I would be more likely to get an overall better sound?

At the moment I mix in nuendo, then ozone, then harbal.

My main problem is getting the bass replicated well between different speakers.

Cheers!

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Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002


Apr 08, 2008 08:16 am

All that will do is give your music the same frequency spectrum as the music you are copying...like you mentioned, there are so many other facets to each instrument and the overall mix it would be virtually impossible to exactly copy any given sound more detailed unless you know the amps, mics, processing and such that the original artist used.

Czar of Turd Polish
Member
Since: Jun 20, 2006


Apr 08, 2008 12:10 pm

Indeed, as DB said it will match the spectrum but since your recording will be different an exact match could actually be a bad thing. I never use the match function except when doing one of my own tracks to a previous track that I did (same amps, processing). You want to use it basically as a reference to get you in the ballpark and then use your ears.

Bass on different speakers, watch out for Ozone in this area. The exciter and multiband comp always have a bump to the low freq's which just tends to muddy things up.

Mans reach exceeds his grasp
Member
Since: Oct 23, 2007


Apr 08, 2008 09:01 pm

I don't have Har-Bal, but I've been wanting it for a while now; just kinda stupid, fast and curious question: at what point would you employ it? After bouncing to a 2 track .WAV from your DAW, or after applying mastering effects with software like Wavelab?

Czar of Turd Polish
Member
Since: Jun 20, 2006


Apr 09, 2008 01:24 pm

I use harbal after mixdown, my mixes at this point usually peak around -6. I balance it to the best of my skills and then run it through the rest of my mastering process.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Apr 09, 2008 01:30 pm

Quote:
matching each track (e.g. a commercially recorded guitar part to a guitar part of mine)


I wonder if you're gonna get a commercially recorded track from the group you're emulating?

I know of a few (Reznor comes to mind) but that's pretty much it.


www.dorian-music.co.uk
Member
Since: Apr 04, 2008


Apr 10, 2008 07:42 am

Well thats a problem in itself yeah. At the moment i think I am just looking for any bass/guitar/vocal/drum track that I can just use as a reference.. some kind of indie/rock based band.

Some bands release wav files of their tracks for remix - radiohead most recently have allowed you to buy the instrument parts of their song "nude" so you can remix it. Unfortunately for me radiohead are now mostly synth based so their are no guitars.. and plus you have to pay for it.. Athlete did a similar thing for free a few years back but I have since lost the tracks.

Reznor you say?

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Apr 10, 2008 08:23 am

NIN did this, released some song of theirs for re-mixing.

Isn't that reznor?

www.dorian-music.co.uk
Member
Since: Apr 04, 2008


Apr 10, 2008 08:29 am

Yeah, trent reznor..

I managed to find the files - its for a song called "the hand that feeds".

Will check them out later tonight! Thanks for that! Also found the Athlete track files - though they are mp3 format... but will still give me somethign to play with. If anyone wants the links let me know and ill post them

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Apr 10, 2008 11:08 pm

I belong to Reznors inner sanctum so I already have them all. And yes, there are many more then The Hand that Feeds.

He has been doing this for longer then the others. He was probably one of the first to really grasp what the internet could do for him in the long run. His sites have evolved over the years as he has.

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