Hello,

I'm sure this topic has been debated to death, but I need some help
with my final mix of a few tracks. Basically I think my problem is
peak levels which are dragging the rest of my mix down. I've tried
limiting, normalizing etc... and I can't seem to find the culprit.
I'm assuming it's my drum tracks, in particular the kick drum, since
it's obviously going to have the most drastic peaks when it hits.

I know obviously there is no A + B + C = the perfect mix formula.

Can anyone give me a few just general starting points on how much I
should compress or limit my drum tracks. They have to be the problem.
I guess it could also be my bass, but it's so much more constant, no
real peaks on that one.

My mix sounds good overall, nothing is drowning anything else out and
it's all nice and clear, I'm just missing that overall loudness, which
I know is because I need to limit or compress something. And the
drums just aren't slamming like I want them to be.

I'm running a Mackie 32*8 board with all my drums bussed to 1-2, which
then has a stereo compressor inserted on it. Do you think I need to
compress it more and then turn the output up? Or do I need to only
compress the kick and leave the rest alone?

Any help would be much appreciated.!

Thanks,
S

Splattercell wrote:

Hello,

Hi.

I'm sure this topic has been debated to death, but I need some help
with my final mix of a few tracks.

Yes.
http://prorec.com/prorec/articles.ns...256C2E005DAF1C

Basically I think my problem is
peak levels which are dragging the rest of my mix down.

Using at least a little bit of the available dynamic range is a Good
Thing(TM). Too many pop / rock CD's of the last few years are WAY TOO
LOUD TO SOUND GOOD. Don't follow that example please!
Those peaks belong there. Don't chop 'em off.

Can anyone give me a few just general starting points on how much I
should compress or limit my drum tracks.

As much as is needed to get the _sound_ you want. Not more, not less.

They have to be the problem.
I guess it could also be my bass,

Could be.

but it's so much more constant, no
real peaks on that one.

Maybe you're using too much compression on the bass then.

My mix sounds good overall, nothing is drowning anything else out and
it's all nice and clear,

So.. keep it that way!

I'm just missing that overall loudness,

Turn up the volume if you want it louder.
That's what volume knobs are there for.
Don't mess with the mix if you like how it sounds now.

which
I know is because I need to limit or compress something.

Not if it sounds good.
Compression and hard limiting can easily kill a good mix.

And the
drums just aren't slamming like I want them to be.

I don't know exactly what you hear now and how you want it to be.
Maybe you need more compression, maybe less or with different comp
settings. Maybe you just need to turn up the volume.

I'm running a Mackie 32*8 board with all my drums bussed to 1-2, which
then has a stereo compressor inserted on it. Do you think I need to
compress it more and then turn the output up? Or do I need to only
compress the kick and leave the rest alone?

Try it and decide on what sounds the best to you, not what gices you the
most average volume.

I don't know what it sounds like now. I don't know what you want it to
sound like.
Bypass the compressor.
Now turn the compressor back on.... is this closer to what you want to hear?

Any help would be much appreciated.!

If you really need it as loud as possible, take your mix to a good
mastering place. They can probably get it louder than you can without
completely destroying the mix.
Still your mix might be a lot better when it's _not_ that loud.
read this article:

http://prorec.com/prorec/articles.ns...256C2E005DAF1C

Sander

run the whole mix out to a nice stereo compressor like an SSL 384, then run it
HOT into some nice A/D. I use the Lynx II. The snare and kick should light
the clip lights just a tad. Then use your peak limiter a tiny bit. Thats how
its done in the real world and if done right it sounds fine.
Steve

I'm sure this topic has been debated to death, but I need some help
with my final mix of a few tracks. Basically I think my problem is
peak levels which are dragging the rest of my mix down. I've tried
limiting, normalizing etc...
What software do you have available for 'mastering' after digitizing
final mix, ready to burn a CD?? You don't mention this. It would help you
a lot if you had Audition or CoolEdit or Goldwave so you could LOOK at
the waveform of your mix and see what's happening. If you have CoolEdit,
for example, and you see that the drum hits are at 90 percent and the
rest of the mix is at 50 percent, use the "Hard Limiter" with a gain of
6Db or so, and see what you get. You need to experiment and watch the
waveforms, but use your ears to tell you the relative volume in the mix.
You can turn the knob anywhere. What RELATIVE levels do you want??
Find 2 or 3 songs in the genre you're working with, and extract them to
wave files, and LOOK and LISTEN with CoolEdit etc. Calibrate your ears
AND your waveform presentation tools, whatever they are. And don't mix
at a high level! About 80 Db SPL at your head is my favorite. Then crank
it some to judge bass levels etc.

But mainly you need to listen to a lot of good mixes, and learn to
understand what it is they did.

Look at:
www.audiominds.com
at the mixing and mastering sections. And see
http://www.audiomelody.com/Tutorials...troduction.htm
and get StudioBuddy at
http://www.studiobuddy.com/txi/download.html
for a great set of basic information.

Keep on mixing and learning and listening!

--
Regards, Terry King ...In The Woods In Vermont

Capturing Live Music in Sound and Images

http://prorec.com/prorec/articles.ns...256C2E005DAF1C

Sander


That was a good article, thanks! I guess what I'm concerned with in
my CD is that it doesn't sound "3 Dimensional" as most of the
professionally manufactured CD's I have sound. What I mean is, when I
put on a CD I purchased and play it in my car, or home stereo or
whatever, it sounds like the music is coming from all around me. When
I put on my CD, it sounds like the sound is all coming from under the
dash or something. I assumed this was because it was not loud enough.
I certainly have things panned all around in my mix, it's not like I
mixed in mono and have everything panned dead center.

I just want the whole mix to sound nice and loud and clear and it
doesn't. I'll keep working with it I guess...