Today the focus was on Music! I was looking forward to this.
I started a lot later, but at home I already had to work on the volumes on the test song I started earlier.
When I had to show it it turned out I didn't do it well. I did remember him saying the drums being -25, but in this case I should have started over.
I had to start with the kick and it needed to be a lot louder.
Kick: average of - 8
Kick out has to be lower than kick in - if the mix peaks then always start lowering the aux.
Snare: Can be as loud as the kick, if not louder or softer. It depends on the peaking.
In this mix the Top 1 and 2 are highest at around -10 and snare bottom and snare aux are slightly lower on volume.
Toms: Are louder than both the kick and snare with an average of -4.5
Aux is also lower on volume than the other two.
Hi-hat: Is on the level of the toms.
Cymbals: Are the loudest, they are on an average of -3
Then the bass comes and that one is louder than the drums. Watch out with the mix as when you do the bass louder than 0, the whole mix can peak. There needs to be a nice balance.
We didn't get much further as I couldn't listen to the EQ preview. I might get Nuendo for this type of mixing.
But the bass need less bass and more high ends.
The guitar also still needed EQ.
We moved on to the other studio where I got to watch the whole mixing process.
Always start with the drums as that sets the whole thing!
Some things got EQ-ed (guitars) and it had the same setting as the vocal.
The most important things I learned while watching is:
* Put an instrument on another track when you find it has to be louder. DON"T Mess around with the volume of individual parts. Keep the tracks together on one volume so that makes it easier.
* Move the lead instruments to a louder track, for example guitar solo's. This makes them stand out more.
* When there are no vocals the lead instrument has to take over.
* Watch the reverb in vocals as you will have the final mixdown to do. You don't want the notes to drag on too long.
* It's important to have all the levels balanced properly. Try to avoid peaking. Mess around with the volumes of the instruments that are too loud by lowering it slightly or by fading a part in if it occurs there.
* Reverbs, levels and EQ-ing should be done in the early stage.
* Don't have the music too loud on the background
* If needed set master volume to -2 before exporting
* In the final mixdown start by maximizer. Have the treshold on -2 as well as the other one. I forgot the term, but that one means to how far it will stretch, you don't want it to peak so -2 is good. This goes for songs with vocals. Instrumentals will have other settings.
* EQ depending on what the song needs. Only use higher tones like the human voice or also add a little bass or get rid of it.
* Add a reverb. Have it around -31 - -37 with it being a small or medium room, not larger than that.
* Add dynamics if needed with the graphic dynamics, this balances it some more. Though this does not always work.
I also learned that this process takes quite long. You have30 instruments to work with and all of them need EQ and balanced in levels.
I was home at 7:30
I started a lot later, but at home I already had to work on the volumes on the test song I started earlier.
When I had to show it it turned out I didn't do it well. I did remember him saying the drums being -25, but in this case I should have started over.
I had to start with the kick and it needed to be a lot louder.
Kick: average of - 8
Kick out has to be lower than kick in - if the mix peaks then always start lowering the aux.
Snare: Can be as loud as the kick, if not louder or softer. It depends on the peaking.
In this mix the Top 1 and 2 are highest at around -10 and snare bottom and snare aux are slightly lower on volume.
Toms: Are louder than both the kick and snare with an average of -4.5
Aux is also lower on volume than the other two.
Hi-hat: Is on the level of the toms.
Cymbals: Are the loudest, they are on an average of -3
Then the bass comes and that one is louder than the drums. Watch out with the mix as when you do the bass louder than 0, the whole mix can peak. There needs to be a nice balance.
We didn't get much further as I couldn't listen to the EQ preview. I might get Nuendo for this type of mixing.
But the bass need less bass and more high ends.
The guitar also still needed EQ.
We moved on to the other studio where I got to watch the whole mixing process.
Always start with the drums as that sets the whole thing!
Some things got EQ-ed (guitars) and it had the same setting as the vocal.
The most important things I learned while watching is:
* Put an instrument on another track when you find it has to be louder. DON"T Mess around with the volume of individual parts. Keep the tracks together on one volume so that makes it easier.
* Move the lead instruments to a louder track, for example guitar solo's. This makes them stand out more.
* When there are no vocals the lead instrument has to take over.
* Watch the reverb in vocals as you will have the final mixdown to do. You don't want the notes to drag on too long.
* It's important to have all the levels balanced properly. Try to avoid peaking. Mess around with the volumes of the instruments that are too loud by lowering it slightly or by fading a part in if it occurs there.
* Reverbs, levels and EQ-ing should be done in the early stage.
* Don't have the music too loud on the background
* If needed set master volume to -2 before exporting
* In the final mixdown start by maximizer. Have the treshold on -2 as well as the other one. I forgot the term, but that one means to how far it will stretch, you don't want it to peak so -2 is good. This goes for songs with vocals. Instrumentals will have other settings.
* EQ depending on what the song needs. Only use higher tones like the human voice or also add a little bass or get rid of it.
* Add a reverb. Have it around -31 - -37 with it being a small or medium room, not larger than that.
* Add dynamics if needed with the graphic dynamics, this balances it some more. Though this does not always work.
I also learned that this process takes quite long. You have30 instruments to work with and all of them need EQ and balanced in levels.
I was home at 7:30
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