Proper Final Mix-Down Procedures
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Posted on Jan 02, 2011 02:00 pm
FineTunedAudio
Member Since: Jan 02, 2011
So, your track/album is finished and you're ready to send it out for mastering, or are you...?
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...
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Jan 02, 2011 06:15 pm I have to bring a few things into question -- Per your point numbers:
1) Buss compression is common. I'm certainly one to suggest avoidance of excessive buss compression (and/or buss limiting), but a bit of buss compression is a "taste" thing that should be left to the mix engineer.
2) Doesn't make any sense. I'm a whore for headroom - Been taking flack for it for decades. But there is no reason whatsoever to look for a specific maximum level on a track. During tracking, I could see it - at least as a guideline -- During the mix, although most typically well-recorded tracks are going to be bouncing around somewhere in the -20 to -15dBFS-ish area, there's no applicable 'rule of thumb' other than ensuring some amount of headroom at every stage. It's also very program-dependent. In any case, the tracking level is far more important than the playback level during the mix - assuming the main buss isn't in danger of clipping.
3) Makes no sense.
4) Can't argue with much of that, but a "be happy with your mix" would've sufficed. Remixes happen - Frequently. Sure, I'd love it if that weren't the case ("back in the day" it was a rarity - Now, it's all too common), but it's going to happen.
Now this...
Quote:
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.
Without getting into the whole "condescending" thing, you rarely ever see "professional" and "spectrum analyzer" (of all things) in the same sentence.
Don't get me wrong here -- I'm personally well-aware of the benefits of having a professional ear on a project. But some of the best recordings I've ever worked on were made by "rookies" with very little experience and reasonably modest gear. And I'd submit that anyone who relies on a spectrum analyzer should be working on his listening skills...
JovhatoMusic is everythingMember
Since: Apr 01, 2010
Jan 03, 2011 07:00 am I think this guy's (FineTunedAudio) gonna copy/paste this post to anyone asking mixing questions.
Jan 03, 2011 12:18 pm I was following a thread on another forum (where he pasted the same thing) and I can tell you that his attitude is perfectly representative of why I stopped taking interns that are/were attending recording schools.
