MY MIXING SKILLS SUCKS PLEASE HELP
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Posted on Jan 02, 2011 12:20 am
Kidwithadream
Member Since: Jan 01, 2011
[Ok Let me start from the beginning I will try to make this short]
Ok Im recording Hip Hop Music Genre
Im trying to knock out this project around march 11
I Mix my own stuff but I have A budget
With that said. I have A Toshiba Laptop *Yes I KNOW TOSHIBA*
But it has 250 gb and 4 gb of ram so hey
I Have A M audio Inter Face mobile pre usb
Akg 120 Microphone *NOT USB*
Monster Cables
M Audio Speakers
I Use Cubase 5 To record in *Had Pro Tools but Slowed My Cp Down*
I Have Iztope Plug ins Ozone and Alloy
Ok I know the basics to mixing LIKE BASICS BASICS
But thats it
Heres one of my songs to compare quality - hulkshare.com/custgy9r481i
And heres another song some one else did -
and Here is Semi Commercial Quality -
[I Know Im Not Going to Get Commercial Quality In A Home Studio With the Equipment I Have But What ever I can get thats better then what I Have]
I Need to get my quality up to either one of those other tracks
I need to know how to warmth my vocals make it stand out Know how to make it seat well in the mix etc
If some one has presets for this and wants to send me them And I can tweak them a Lil bit then thanks
OR
GOOD YOU TUBE VIDEOS LIKE GOOD ONES MOST OF THE VIDEOS ALL THEY DO IS SHOW OFF AND NEVER REALLY EXPLAIN HOW THEY DID THE MIX
APPRECIATE THE HELP
P.s Im only 16 just thought I would Add this in there
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cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Jan 02, 2011 03:44 am wait, Tiron has an album named mustard now... I guess that makes sense. ha ha.
Anyways, so first thing I noticed is that on your mix, your vocals clip more than a couple times. I would pay attention to when you are recording, not to let the input (your vocals) clip. After you get that straight, I would say the main difference between your vocal mix and the others is compression. What are you using to compress your vocals and what settings are you using. I think you could probably compress a bit more. Also, you could add a LITTLE bit of reverb to your vocals and it will help them mesh more with your instrumental. Basically the reverb will make the vocals not be so up front. I know this might not sound like a good thing, but it will help them blend with the beat better. Also, aside from the mix, the mastering job will also help your track sound more professional. But that is a whole new set of skills (well really the same ideas, just approached from a different angle.
Your rapping skills are nice for a 16 year old.
Jan 02, 2011 12:17 pm Damn sounds pretty easy Ill give that A try . haha yea tiron going wwith mstrd hahaha .. And Thanks for that hope You will see me on 2 dope boys in 3 months when I get this project done . Just trying to learn how to mix thanks
Jan 02, 2011 01:59 pm Hello, I am an independent recording/performing artist, producer, label CEO and sound engineer. Here are the proper steps for exporting your final mix-down. Be sure to keep your eyes open for my posts, as I will soon be adding weekly installments on the art of mastering.
But before we can master, we must mix!!!
1. You should have NO effects on your master buss. No limiter, no compressor, nothing. You want your track as raw as possible to allow your sound engineer to have a maximum dynamic range to work with. If you MUST have effects, remember to use them VERY sparingly.
2. When exporting your final mix-down, no single channel should be peaking above -20db. The best way to do this is to trim the soundwave pre-fader but if you do not know how, then turn each channel you're using all the way down. Go to your main track (i.e. your beat) and slowly turn the volume up until it is peaking no higher than -20db. repeat the same process for each channel using your ear to be sure that each channel is not peaking above -20db and is at a proper volume in relation to the other elements of your track. (i.e. your b/g vocals should not be peaking at the same volume as your primary verse vocals.) Once you have properly leveled each channel so that it is not peaking above -20db and is properly mixed with the other elements of your tracks, you are ready to export your mixdown.
3. You may double up your drums channels if you like, but it is not necessary...
4. Your final mix should be exported as a high quality stereo .wav but do NOT add stereo enhancement plug-in effects. After you have exported your mix-down listen to it a few times a day, at different times of the day for at least 3-4 days so that you can be 100% sure you are happy with your final mix. You don't want to send your track out for mastering to have the engineer master the track and send you back your first draft just to find out your snare is too loud, or your b/g vocals are too low, this will frustrate the sound engineer and cost you more money because the engineer has to start all over from the beginning after you re-mix your track.
5. Leave room in your arrangement for vocals. Vocal frequencies are as unique as the person providing them, but here is an excellent reference tool which should help with this topic: (I was unable to post a link here due to having a new account) Google search "music production vocal frequencies" and go to the third site down mixingtips,org. This is where I was trying to link you...
6. MOST studios will not clean your audio for you (i.e. clicks, pops, breath sounds, dead air "noise") it is best to do this yourself...
Last, let me add that mastering is an art as unique as the sound engineer who is doing the mastering. While an amateur may be able to produce "decent" sound quality, it will never be as good as a professional sound engineer with a spectral analyzer and professional knowledge and experience since the average musician knows very little about waveforms, wavelengths, decay time and how room dimensions can affect a soundwave.
I provide professional mixing/mastering services at a VERY competitive price. I will mix/master two tracks absolutely free ($300 value) for every new customer who is a member of homerecording.com
If interested, please pm me, I have samples of my work available and references...
I hope this has been helpful, have a great day...
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Jan 02, 2011 06:36 pm Eh, so once you're done with the project let me know. Also, if you want an extra pair of ears to listen to the mix, I'm happy to do that too. I got tiron (ketchup) and kendrick lamar joints on my laptop. Basically, what I'm trying to say is I listen to a lot of hip hop and like to think I have a pretty good ear for mixes. You can check my website to see the sound quality of what I put out... anyways, the offer is out there if you want it. Good luck with finishing the project and getting it out there.
Jan 02, 2011 06:46 pm Ok I will email you right now . be on the look out for that
