Mixing: Tips, Tricks and Techniques

[bargeloobs]

Like most things it's all about the tricks you know and I admit I Don't know a lot.
When recording I always aim for the cleanest take of any instrument I can and then play with the effects and eq later. I also tend to keep the raw original track and only eq and add fx to copies. For example I might make 3 copies of a guitar track, eq 1 so it's all bottom end. Eq 2 so it's all top and put some fx on the third then play with volume and pan envelopes to mix the 3 together and bring out the parts I want to be dominant at certain parts of the track.
Easy to do on most pc software nowadays, bit harder on the old 4 track I used to use (and still have lol)

Yeah thank F#@k for computers alright, back in the days trying to bounce down a full rock band on to 4 tracks and in the end you just had a muddy mix that sounded like it was playing out of someones car stereo with the windows wound up.
Clean tracks are so important alright, if you can get the best takes at tracking it makes the whole job of mixing soooo much easier and means you're not trying to chase your tail polishing turds.

[lunaticthighs]

Yeah thank F#@k for computers alright, back in the days trying to bounce down a full rock band on to 4 tracks and in the end you just had a muddy mix that sounded like it was playing out of someones car stereo with the windows wound up.
Clean tracks are so important alright, if you can get the best takes at tracking it makes the whole job of mixing soooo much easier and means you're not trying to chase your tail polishing turds.

still got some alright tracks from the old 4 track though, well good enough for radio airplay back in the day but then there wasn't so much competition lol.

also best tip I ever got was to listen to any recording on as many different systems as possible. Especially the car and an old shitty bop deck to pick up any issues before commiting it to the final mix.

[bargeloobs]

still got some alright tracks from the old 4 track though, well good enough for radio airplay back in the day but then there wasn't so much competition lol.

also best tip I ever got was to listen to any recording on as many different systems as possible. Especially the car and an old shitty bop deck to pick up any issues before commiting it to the final mix.

Yeah that's why sending out your final mixes to dedicated mastering suites is pretty much the norm these days for the simple fact that they've got the gear, the listening environment and the monitors to replicate all manor of systems and adjust your mix accordingly.
I'm just waiting for a sample back from these guys http://channelfusemedia.com and if they can do a reasonable job I'll definitely be using them.
$200 for a full album mastered (up to 80 mins) and that includes -

1 RedBook Master Disc
1 Reference Disc
1 Data Disc with MP3's
Complete Error Check
Track Sheet Printout
Technical Feedback Letter
Mastering Revisions

Man I hope they don't suck hehehehe

[kimball492]

http://www.pensadosplace.tv/2015/02/24/mixing-vocals/

[bargeloobs]

Just thought I'd share my latest mix/master effort.
My mate Jones sent me a vocal and some rough guitars and asked me to write some music for a track for an up-coming Southern Rock album he's putting together.
Unfortunately Soundcloud takes a perfectly good lossless .wav file and transcodes it into a shitty 128 kbps mp3 so there's some really bad anomalies on the top end (It wasn't me I swear) most noticeable on the open hats.
Soundcloud issues aside this would have to be my best mix to date I reckon, although once Jones re-does the vocals we'll probably get it professionally mastered.
It's a cool song and you heard it here first.


https://soundcloud.com/sodacupkiller...st-mix/s-HcSyT

[wokkaboy]

sounds awesome Barge, you are a wicked axe player, were you using Bladecatcher bro ?
I'm really impressed cuz

[bargeloobs]

sounds awesome Barge, you are a wicked axe player, were you using Bladecatcher bro ?
I'm really impressed cuz

hehe cheers bro, yeah that was with the Bladecatcher and my crappy $200 LTD bass. It's kind of becoming my go to guitar when playing anything distorted now.

[wokkaboy]

good stuff, it sounds great through my very low watt PC speakers.
So you must have got the gardening done, the forum is waiting for the Barge and Woks show haha

[bargeloobs]

good stuff, it sounds great through my very low watt PC speakers.
So you must have got the gardening done, the forum is waiting for the Barge and Woks show haha

It doesn't sound as good as it should but you get the idea. Yeah we've been leveling out ground and putting down a heap of grass seed since most of the section was a baron wasteland when we moved in, planted a heap of trees yesterday too so a bloody productive little gardening stint. Not as fun as building guitars or sitting at the home studio but satisfying all the same:-)
I haven't seen any build progress out of Wokka lately, or did I just miss it?

[wokkaboy]

yeah I've been building still Barge, just been slack updating build diaries. My dropbox account expired and I can't be bothered uploading photos from my phone.
Good work on the gardening bro.
Although I haven't been as productive in the workshop with side projects, did a heap of paving last weekend and building 3 axe racks took some time.
Hope to start building a jarrah table and benches for the pizza area this weekend, another side project !