Hobbayne Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I picked up a Boss BR 900 8 track from ebay pretty cheap, and spent most of the bank holiday weekend fiddling with it. Using the inbuilt effects and drum machine I recorded a version of Creedence Clearwaters 'Fortunate Son' adding several tracks of guitar, bass and keys and a rather dodgy vocal The thing is, I,m trying to mix it all together, but keep redoing it again and again. I,ll listen to it last thing at night, and it would sound good, but in the morning I,ll listen again and think to myself, the bass is too low or the drums are too loud, and do it again. Anyone any tips? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 take breaks from it. Play it on other systems. Compare it to other mixes you like the sound of on the same monitoring system. Have sh*t loads of patience... That's as far as my amateur advice gets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockfordStone Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 when i mix, i take regular breaks, as you can get too set into listening to what one part of it sounds like, taking a break freshens the ears and lets you revaluate. i also tend to play it back through other speakers, or just step back and listen to it without trying to mix it. i think the big tip is if you make a change, keep it small, for example, if you add reverb to a guitar, keep it minimal, as once you get too heavy handed it impacts on the rest of the mix, and youll be going round in circles trying to mix it all over again. generally i find the first mix is usually a good indicator, and tweaking should be kept minor after that. above all, don't let it stress you, if you think too much on it you'll change things, when you change things it affects everything in the mix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) Oh boy, welcome to mixing Are you listening to your mix at very different levels late at night vs first thing in the moring? Fletcher-Munsen curves mean your hearingworks very differently at different volumes. Other than that, well sound engineering is a skill all about compromise, the trick is knowing what is 'right'. I'd strongly advise regularly A/Bing your mix against a commercially released CD track with production you like, and literally use that for a levels 'template' throughout the process. Just be sure to match the overall volume of the CD track and the track you are working on, no A/B is worth a damn if there is a volume difference as well. Edited April 13, 2012 by 51m0n Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Fairly quick trick, play the song a little bit louder and listen from another room Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I like the Joe Strummer method of putting it on tape/cd, and playing it through an ordinary stereo system. If it sounds good from there, sorted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1334321819' post='1614482'] I like the Joe Strummer method of putting it on tape/cd, and playing it through an ordinary stereo system. If it sounds good from there, sorted! [/quote] I claim no great skill at mixing but I have had a go and one of the biggest challenges I've found is getting a good sounding mix across a variety of reply systems. I've emailed out the results of a recording session ot my band members and received wildly differing comments because the songs have been listened to in the car, on an ipod, on a smartphone and on a laptop. Try getting a good mix for that little lot! The more mixing I do the more I realise how difficult it is to do really well. I'm now wondering how long it takes before this feeling is reversed and I start to think I'm actually making some progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 [quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1334323531' post='1614533'] I claim no great skill at mixing but I have had a go and one of the biggest challenges I've found is getting a good sounding mix across a variety of reply systems. I've emailed out the results of a recording session ot my band members and received wildly differing comments because the songs have been listened to in the car, on an ipod, on a smartphone and on a laptop. Try getting a good mix for that little lot! The more mixing I do the more I realise how difficult it is to do really well. I'm now wondering how long it takes before this feeling is reversed and I start to think I'm actually making some progress! [/quote] That comes down to what speakers you use to mix on mostly (+ experience). For example my Yamaha HS50m Monitors are meant to be very similar to the Yamaha NS10's. The NS10 speakers were commonly regarded as "If they sound good on them it'll sound good on bloody anything". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 You have to know yourlistening environment very well, and especially its shortcomings, which is the really hard bit to figure out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Yes, I've heard that about 'proper' monitors. I can sort of understand it, though a laptop is always going to sound crap isn't it?. What made me laugh was the comment about the lack of bass in my mix from the guy who listened on a laptop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Well no, a laptop will always filter out your low end, say anything from 250Hz and down on most of them. But if you really are good you can leave the suggestion of the bass somewhere above there, and your brain will help fill in a lot of the info you need to hear the bass line withion the tune. Doesnt work so well on super dub bass sounds mind, but anything with a bit of mid info, or a transient that can be made loud enough in that environment but not so loud that it detracts from the bass sound in a better listening environment can work.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) I've found a little (narrow) boost around 800hz can give the bass some body even when I've had to cut lower to make room for the kick drum. Horses for courses though. I really need to get myself some monitors, I'm mixing on a set of DT100s at the moment which is not ideal... Edited April 13, 2012 by Wil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironside1966 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Welcome to the wonderful world of mixing. The most common mistakes I find in beginner mixes is engineers trying to get every sound has big and full has possible, they simply boost frequencies that make the instrument sound good. Try to match the same level coming out of the processor to the one going in, That is the only way to accurately judge what is happening. Fletcher-Munsen curves means we hear different frequencies at different volumes, put simply we perceive a louder sound has having more bass and treble . See http://www.surfacedstudio.com/music/louder-is-better-the-fletcher-munson-curves. Also don't over use compression. Try low ratios like 2-1 or below and set the threshold so that everything is compressed or try using higher ratios so that only the loudest parts show gain reduction. Try using High pass filters, keep raising the fitter until you start to hear the sound change then roll back slightly , you can do the same with a High pass filter too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Excellent link to explain Fletcher Munsen curves, I can never find one that nicely put, great post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbayne Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 Thanks for the tips guys, its been played through headphones, the little player in the kitchen and the in the car too. If anyone is remotely interested, i,ll post it in the recordings section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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