[ostaz]

I am a bit dissatisfied with the way my mixes are coming out in the highs
range (5K and up). I'm noticing that everything sounds really nice while
I'm mixing (using Tannoy passive Reveals + sub) but when I listen through my
home system (Harmon Kardon system with Klipsch KG-1's + sub) the highs seem
cold and a bit harsh and don't sound sweet at all. This is almost
exclusively noticable on the VSTi's and Gigastudio sounds....which make up
the majority of the arrangement, especially the cymbals and hh. Anything
recorded from outboard synths
sounds great. I'm not boosting any highs and in some cases, I've been
trying to roll them off a bit in the extreme range. Does anyone else
experience this.. I'm not sure what I'm hearing exactly...but there's a
certain quality there that I don't like...and I don't think that it is
Cubase's fault. Is there something about VSTi's that make them inherently
harsh and cold sounding? Is there any way to bump up the quality of the
highs without dulling the sound? When I do a side by side comparison
between my mix and a good reference...I notice that the difference is not in
the "level" of the highs....more in the quality of them. It's almost like
the VST highs are not sparkly clean perhaps...dare I say "distorted" in some
weird digital way.
In the following example, the intro guitar is an outboard synth...which
sounds fine...however, most everything else is virtual and it all sounds
great through the Tannoys...but the highs sound funny through the home
system.

www.synthesimusic.com/Dancing.mp3


Pete

[ostaz]

Sorry, I should also mention that I am using:

M-Audio Delta 66 interface
Yamaha P-2200 amp.
Passive Tannoy Reveals
Infinity sub
Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs headphones
Cubase SX 3.1
Har-Bal
WaveLab 4

"ostaz" wrote in message
. ..
I am a bit dissatisfied with the way my mixes are coming out in the highs
range (5K and up). I'm noticing that everything sounds really nice while
I'm mixing (using Tannoy passive Reveals + sub) but when I listen through
my
home system (Harmon Kardon system with Klipsch KG-1's + sub) the highs
seem
cold and a bit harsh and don't sound sweet at all. This is almost
exclusively noticable on the VSTi's and Gigastudio sounds....which make up
the majority of the arrangement, especially the cymbals and hh. Anything
recorded from outboard synths
sounds great. I'm not boosting any highs and in some cases, I've been
trying to roll them off a bit in the extreme range. Does anyone else
experience this.. I'm not sure what I'm hearing exactly...but there's a
certain quality there that I don't like...and I don't think that it is
Cubase's fault. Is there something about VSTi's that make them inherently
harsh and cold sounding? Is there any way to bump up the quality of the
highs without dulling the sound? When I do a side by side comparison
between my mix and a good reference...I notice that the difference is not
in
the "level" of the highs....more in the quality of them. It's almost like
the VST highs are not sparkly clean perhaps...dare I say "distorted" in
some
weird digital way.
In the following example, the intro guitar is an outboard synth...which
sounds fine...however, most everything else is virtual and it all sounds
great through the Tannoys...but the highs sound funny through the home
system.

www.synthesimusic.com/Dancing.mp3


Pete

[Romeo Rondeau]

ostaz wrote:
I am a bit dissatisfied with the way my mixes are coming out in the highs
range (5K and up). I'm noticing that everything sounds really nice while
I'm mixing (using Tannoy passive Reveals + sub) but when I listen through my
home system (Harmon Kardon system with Klipsch KG-1's + sub) the highs seem
cold and a bit harsh and don't sound sweet at all. This is almost
exclusively noticable on the VSTi's and Gigastudio sounds....which make up
the majority of the arrangement, especially the cymbals and hh. Anything
recorded from outboard synths
sounds great. I'm not boosting any highs and in some cases, I've been
trying to roll them off a bit in the extreme range. Does anyone else
experience this.. I'm not sure what I'm hearing exactly...but there's a
certain quality there that I don't like...and I don't think that it is
Cubase's fault. Is there something about VSTi's that make them inherently
harsh and cold sounding? Is there any way to bump up the quality of the
highs without dulling the sound? When I do a side by side comparison
between my mix and a good reference...I notice that the difference is not in
the "level" of the highs....more in the quality of them. It's almost like
the VST highs are not sparkly clean perhaps...dare I say "distorted" in some
weird digital way.
In the following example, the intro guitar is an outboard synth...which
sounds fine...however, most everything else is virtual and it all sounds
great through the Tannoys...but the highs sound funny through the home
system.

www.synthesimusic.com/Dancing.mp3


Pete

Seems like the cymbals could come down in the mix a bit, also the bass
guitar synth seemed a little too hot. Maybe you are mixing high
frequency instruments louder to overcome the loud bass? The tone of the
cymbals and HH sounded OK from here, I think it's a balance issue.

[Michael Wozniak]

"ostaz" wrote in message
...
Sorry, I should also mention that I am using:

M-Audio Delta 66 interface
Yamaha P-2200 amp.
Passive Tannoy Reveals
Infinity sub
Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs headphones
Cubase SX 3.1
Har-Bal
WaveLab 4

"ostaz" wrote in message
. ..
I am a bit dissatisfied with the way my mixes are coming out in the highs
range (5K and up). I'm noticing that everything sounds really nice while
I'm mixing (using Tannoy passive Reveals + sub) but when I listen through
my
home system (Harmon Kardon system with Klipsch KG-1's + sub) the highs
seem
cold and a bit harsh and don't sound sweet at all. This is almost
exclusively noticable on the VSTi's and Gigastudio sounds....which make
up
the majority of the arrangement, especially the cymbals and hh. Anything
recorded from outboard synths
sounds great. I'm not boosting any highs and in some cases, I've been
trying to roll them off a bit in the extreme range. Does anyone else
experience this.. I'm not sure what I'm hearing exactly...but there's a
certain quality there that I don't like...and I don't think that it is
Cubase's fault. Is there something about VSTi's that make them
inherently
harsh and cold sounding? Is there any way to bump up the quality of the
highs without dulling the sound? When I do a side by side comparison
between my mix and a good reference...I notice that the difference is not
in
the "level" of the highs....more in the quality of them. It's almost
like
the VST highs are not sparkly clean perhaps...dare I say "distorted" in
some
weird digital way.
In the following example, the intro guitar is an outboard synth...which
sounds fine...however, most everything else is virtual and it all sounds
great through the Tannoys...but the highs sound funny through the home
system.

www.synthesimusic.com/Dancing.mp3


Pete



I hope you aren't mixing with the headphones. Mixing with hph is usually a
bad idea, and having had the same 'phones as you, I can definitely say that
they are not good for mixing.

Mikey
Nova Music Productions

[ostaz]

I hope you aren't mixing with the headphones. Mixing with hph is usually a
bad idea, and having had the same 'phones as you, I can definitely say
that they are not good for mixing.

Mikey
Nova Music Productions

Definitely not. I only use headphones for tracking so as to not disturb the
rest of the household with my incessant music-making! (In reality, it keeps
out the household noise from disturbing me.) They have a decent sound for
tracking and are quite comfortable for extended sessions. Since I use them
every day for about 4-5 hours, I've actually gone through several pairs of
them over the past several years.

Pete

[[email protected]]

On Mar 12, 4:35 pm, "ostaz" wrote:
I am a bit dissatisfied with the way my mixes are coming out in the highs
range (5K and up). I'm noticing that everything sounds really nice while
I'm mixing (using Tannoy passive Reveals + sub) but when I listen through my
home system (Harmon Kardon system with Klipsch KG-1's + sub) the highs seem
cold and a bit harsh and don't sound sweet at all. This is almost
exclusively noticable on the VSTi's and Gigastudio sounds....which make up
the majority of the arrangement, especially the cymbals and hh. Anything
recorded from outboard synths
sounds great. I'm not boosting any highs and in some cases, I've been
trying to roll them off a bit in the extreme range. Does anyone else
experience this.. I'm not sure what I'm hearing exactly...but there's a
certain quality there that I don't like...and I don't think that it is
Cubase's fault. Is there something about VSTi's that make them inherently
harsh and cold sounding? Is there any way to bump up the quality of the
highs without dulling the sound? When I do a side by side comparison
between my mix and a good reference...I notice that the difference is not in
the "level" of the highs....more in the quality of them. It's almost like
the VST highs are not sparkly clean perhaps...dare I say "distorted" in some
weird digital way.
In the following example, the intro guitar is an outboard synth...which
sounds fine...however, most everything else is virtual and it all sounds
great through the Tannoys...but the highs sound funny through the home
system.

www.synthesimusic.com/Dancing.mp3

Pete

I've noticed the same thing with NI B4 and other DXI or VSTs. They do
sound harsh. I just upgraded my PC and hoped that would make them a
bit smoother sounding. Wishfull thinking, didn't help. I've recorded
some stuff from a new Roland Extreme
synth, it sounds fine. You get what you pay for!!

DaveT

[ostaz]

I've noticed the same thing with NI B4 and other DXI or VSTs. They do
sound harsh. I just upgraded my PC and hoped that would make them a
bit smoother sounding. Wishfull thinking, didn't help. I've recorded
some stuff from a new Roland Extreme
synth, it sounds fine. You get what you pay for!!

DaveT

Yes, but Gigastudio 3 plus my 80 gigs worth of samples are not exactly
"bargain price" either! Perhaps it is just an inherent characteristic of
the process. I'm thinking that it might also be that the engineers who
create these sounds might be "over-EQing" them in order to make them sound
brighter, more brilliant, and generally stand out from the competition. I'm
finding some luck lately in rolling off the lows and highs a bit just to
make the sounds more even and to sit in the mix a bit better.


Pete

[Mark]

On Mar 13, 3:21 pm, "ostaz" wrote:
I've noticed the same thing with NI B4 and other DXI or VSTs. They do
sound harsh. I just upgraded my PC and hoped that would make them a
bit smoother sounding. Wishfull thinking, didn't help. I've recorded
some stuff from a new Roland Extreme
synth, it sounds fine. You get what you pay for!!

DaveT

Yes, but Gigastudio 3 plus my 80 gigs worth of samples are not exactly
"bargain price" either! Perhaps it is just an inherent characteristic of
the process. I'm thinking that it might also be that the engineers who
create these sounds might be "over-EQing" them in order to make them sound
brighter, more brilliant, and generally stand out from the competition. I'm
finding some luck lately in rolling off the lows and highs a bit just to
make the sounds more even and to sit in the mix a bit better.

Pete

are you listening to the mix on the computer as a .wav and then on
your home system as an MP3?

Mark

[ostaz]

"Mark" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Mar 13, 3:21 pm, "ostaz" wrote:
I've noticed the same thing with NI B4 and other DXI or VSTs. They do
sound harsh. I just upgraded my PC and hoped that would make them a
bit smoother sounding. Wishfull thinking, didn't help. I've recorded
some stuff from a new Roland Extreme
synth, it sounds fine. You get what you pay for!!

DaveT

Yes, but Gigastudio 3 plus my 80 gigs worth of samples are not exactly
"bargain price" either! Perhaps it is just an inherent characteristic of
the process. I'm thinking that it might also be that the engineers who
create these sounds might be "over-EQing" them in order to make them
sound
brighter, more brilliant, and generally stand out from the competition.
I'm
finding some luck lately in rolling off the lows and highs a bit just to
make the sounds more even and to sit in the mix a bit better.

Pete

are you listening to the mix on the computer as a .wav and then on
your home system as an MP3?

Mark
No, 32-bit wave on computer and then mixed down to 16-bit CD.