Mixing help
Well the thing is that I really want to understand how to mix beats and have a few questions.
The first question is whether the drums should be louder, then the melody also how loud should the bass be in accordance to the drums,melody and master?
The next question I have is whether the drums and melody should be in the same bus? Or is it ideal to put them on different FX buses? Should the drums be on the same bus as the bass?
My third question is how do you guys pan your drums. Is it true it's best to pan snares to the right and high hats to the left or right slightly if they are panned at all?
My last question is how do I get my beat to sound louder (or mastered) with out going in the red in the mixer? Which effects are master effects?
I know it's a lot but I'm lost here. Thanks in advance and I'm into making hip hop or RnB beats if that makes a difference.
The first question is whether the drums should be louder, then the melody also how loud should the bass be in accordance to the drums,melody and master?
The next question I have is whether the drums and melody should be in the same bus? Or is it ideal to put them on different FX buses? Should the drums be on the same bus as the bass?
My third question is how do you guys pan your drums. Is it true it's best to pan snares to the right and high hats to the left or right slightly if they are panned at all?
My last question is how do I get my beat to sound louder (or mastered) with out going in the red in the mixer? Which effects are master effects?
I know it's a lot but I'm lost here. Thanks in advance and I'm into making hip hop or RnB beats if that makes a difference.
Comments
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In the meantime just very carefully listen to tracks where you feel like the mix sits nice, and study study study... Listen to those tracks on different systems, and see what comes thru no matter what system you hear it on. All of the knowledge is already in front of you, you just gotta go out and grab it!
Good luck!
But there are some decent starting points that will help you
I will give them to you here...
Because mastering needs headroom remember to mix quiet...this is also good for not getting tinnitus. -6db should be you peak! There are many opinions, i have tried alot of them...maybe all of them...this one is the magic number.
Most producers and beginning engineers misunderstand the "summing" that occurs when mixing...every time you add a track it will add frequencies that will sum with the current sum of the total mix....
Example: if a kick drum is hot at 80hz mono...and your bassline is hot at 80hz they will sum causing that frequency to eat the total bandwidth. So for example when they hit at the same time your vocal may become less coherent...your hi lead may disappear of you could get boxy lo end.
If the two things absolutely must occupy the same song...try to see what you can subtractive eq from both sources to make them occupy the same space...if not, well you can always trigger them to play notes opposite each other...<!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->
A good place to start the vocals is -12db moving to -9db
A good place to start basslines is -10db
If you are doing hiphop...vocals are usually loudest in hooks, then kick, then snare, then bassline...everything else...the seasoning....also try to avoid busy riffs with rhymes at the same time as this confuses the listener. After the hook, the vocal usually sits around the same level as the kick....then its the same. These are not rules...these are starter spots!
There are no rules <!-- s;) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s;) -->
Remember take quiet breaks often to protect your ears...and also once you have ear fatigue your ability to judge stereo and high frequencies is gone.
Also tip: keep intros short, first hook by 50-60 seconds, most people fail to keep the second verse interesting so this one needs the most excitement, remember loops are boring...and of course im always around if ya want more help.
Normal earbuds
A car stereo (stock)
A quality sound system
Monitors
Quality headphones. Athm50s or better!
Drebeats are crap...dont waste your money...