BIGGER DRUMS!

Hey everyone so I'm always telling my producer friends the same thing, 'Make your drums bigger' so why not I explain a couple techniques you can use to make your drums, BIGGER!

One technique, very simple, is Mult: If you have a snare you can send the signal to three different aux or fx tracks or you can duplicate the tracks giving you a total of three snare drum tracks. What you are doing now is treating each track differently with some eq and compression to blend the sound together. The first one you can focus and enhance the "attack" of the snare. The second you can add some "body" to the snare. The third you can focus on the "tail" end really what ever you want to bring out and create an epic snare drum. Once you have the three different versions, you really just blend them to your taste, experiment.

Second technique, Parallel Compression: Parallel compression is really fun to do and can really be used on anything and I see it being used on vocals a lot more. what you will do is you can send the sound to an aux track or fx track, or you can duplicate your sound. On the duplicated track you will add a compressor so now you have one dry and one compressed. Next, you use the compressor to get your sound, punchy, smooth, warm, etc. and blend the two together.


#EveryDetailCounts!

hey I make music, you do too?/Vocal Widening

So I've been swamped a bit scheduling meetings, sessions, mixing, sound designing, and a whole lot of other personal tasks so sorry I did not write up a post last week but I promise I will make it up with something very useful and you will enjoy.

This business is a business and a very crucial one I may add. It doesn't have to be like that! Yes it is a BUSINESS and YES you do have to take care of "BUSINESS" but to be honest with you, you can run your music business without the stress, without the worries, and without FAILING!

To start you off, you need to build relationships. That is the most important aspect, your relationships with artists, engineers, producers, song writers and everyone else who falls in the category of entertainment. As long as you are a person who can say "hey I make music, you do too? let's exchange contact information," you are already golden. Networking is a big part and that's what you need to do is network. Go out, have fun, and keep in mind, 'I make music' something that everyone loves!

Ok so enough about all that if you have any questions feel free to send me a message and I'll do my best to address it.

So an awesome trick I have been doing lately to add width to vocals like a chorus or hook, when the artist didn't record multiple takes before sending it to me is to nudge the audio over slightly. You will duplicate the vocal take and move the copy 20ms to the right and another copy 20ms to the left to give it a full stereo effect. That is one way you can do it without any plugins. If you want to use a delay and get just about the same results here are the settings i use and almost every time its perfect.

Here how it will look when you nudge the audio over.

 Duplicate

nudge left and right 20ms

Here is the same effect using a slap delay plugin.

this is the stock slap delay in protools.

Try that out let me know if it works for you and if you have any suggestions let me know i would love to know what you do when you mix.

thanks,

#EveryDetailCounts!

LCR Panning

What is LCR panning? Sounds are only panned hard left, hard right, or in the center.

Why should I consider LCR panning? It widens the image and really frees up space to add effects and extra percussion into the mix.

Shouldn't I take advantage of the ability to softpan? Yes but it should be rarely done.

For example, you might have a kick, bass, and vocals down the center, maybe a guitar hard right and a piano hard left. This would be a pretty clear and definite sounding mix. You can then softpan background vocals and effects or pan them hard right and left. You can stack instruments to the left or right they shouldn't clash and if they do you will treat them with an EQ and compression.

Stereo is an illusion, and that's the thing to remember, stereo IS an illusion.

Don't overthink it and when in doubt why not pan hard right and left and if you feel it's too far then you can always pull it back!

These are my thoughts about LCR and really because I finally decided to start doing it and I Love the results. 

Hope this helps!

#EveryDetailCounts! #PowerUp!

A Lot of Little Tweaks

When mixing, you need to keep in mind it's making many small subtle tweaks that bring the song to life. You are not going to make one adjustment that will make the song perfect or use your best plug-in and the song will sound great. There isn't even a trick you can use to make your song sound complete. You have to go through the song and carve away frequencies; 1-3dB here and 1-3dB there to let other instruments cut through, add harmonics, compress to keep instruments in there place and create width. Everything will be subtle as you work through it. Listening  from the starting point and to the finished product will pay off to taking the time and making all these small adjustments that are necessary to make the song sound its absolute best.

Instrument Frequencies/ EQ Chart

Here is a chart you can refer to, so you can understand where the instruments sit in your mix and what frequencies you can roll off using your HPF that wont ruin the sound but clean up the low end for these specific instruments.

Chaining Compressors

Using a great sounding compressor is awesome but sometimes when it is pushed too far it just sounds awful or it will cause unwanted effects so you should chain 2 compressors together to ease the load on the one by itself.

If you use a compressor that has a slow attack on something that is very dynamic like vocals, you can have it cause a breathing or a pumping effect. To fix this problem you can use a fast compressor with a high ratio and threshold first to treat the dynamics. After place a slower compressor with a low ratio and threshold to smooth everything out.


so for example you can use an 1176 to limit the signal then smooth it out with a LA2A

Hope this helps!

#EveryDetailCounts!

Limit Yourself...

I recently stumbled upon Graham Cochrane's eBook "The #1 Rule of Home Recording" and he discusses setting a limit on yourself. He says, "Limit your options like your life depended on it." The more I read his eBook the more it made sense to me and clear it became. What is the purpose of limiting yourself and not taking advantage of the unlimited undos, plugins we can use, or even setting a deadline for the project you're working on? Well it's simple, it's so you can focus on the creative part of the song and not focus on every single breath being perfect. The creativity the song is putting out is what the audience will remember and hear. They aren't going to catch the flaw of that small breath that you hate that you are going to mute out. In fact, all the flaws in the song create a sense of it being a real person, a real song, a person with emotions that they are sharing with you. There are many more examples and truths about the concept of limiting yourself and I found for myself not only is it saving me time, money, and my mixes are coming out better than ever but I am less stressed worrying about editing my songs before I mix them.

Like Graham said "Ask yourself these questions: Are there any pops or clicks that need to be cut out? Does anything cut in or out too abruptly? Are my drums and bass lining up in a nice groove? Am I missing any parts that I'll want in the mix?"

That's the main thing to focus on and then just mix the song and get creative with it! I highly recommend reading his eBook; it's a quick read I only 16 pages and you can finish it within 15-25 minutes. It helped me and I hope it helps you as well.

Thank you my readers, you are awesome and thank you Graham Cochrane for sharing a vital piece of your knowledge that every engineer should consider.

#EveryDetailCounts!

Checkout The website http://therecordingrevolution.com/ and subscribe and download the eBook!

Analyze your mixing room

I thought I should help out by writing up or doing a video on testing and analyzing your mixing room, then i happened to stumble upon this video which shows you a very easy way to analyze your room. Just by knowing your room your mixes will come out a lot better because you wont be tempted to add too much high end too much low end and so on.. check the video out here:

Mixing Tutorial: How to Test and Analyze Your Home Studio Room

Hope this helps! #EveryDetailCounts

Stereo Buss Comp Before Mastering

Don't feel like you can not use the buss compression when mixing just make sure you know what it is doing to your mix. It should be making an improvement.

I get asked this question every now and then and I say go ahead and use compression on the 2-bus if it is for aesthetic reasons and not to make the track louder. First thing to ask is do you need it. Don't do it just because you think you're "supposed to," or because your favorite engineer does it. If you choose to, then have a reason. For example if the 2-bus compressor is being used to add a pleasing coloration to the sound, go for it. If it's being used for loudness, take it off. Also buss compression is fine as an effect (for color etc) if it is done properly and not for achieving extra level. Don't do anything purely for level. Other than that, whatever makes it sound the way you want is fine. The mastering engineer will take cues about your creative intent from the way you make the mix sound. If you have lots of bass, in the absence of directions to the contrary, one could reasonably assume that you value the bass.

SN: make sure to A/B listen with it level-matched. If you have the output turned up, psychoacoustically you'll tend to be drawn to the louder one. Once you listen to both at the same subjective level, you'll often notice that the compressed one actually sounds worse.

#EveryDetailCounts

Favorite Compressor...Why?

My personal favorite is the 1176. I prefer the T-Racks Black 76 over the CLA-76 or BF76. 

I like the sound a bit better; it sounds good almost on everything and it practically makes everything sound better. I sometimes put it in my chain just for the sound with no to little compression.

This compressor can be used on vocals, bass, guitar, and drums. The thing about the 1176 is it adds just a touch of attitude. The only thing I don't care for it on is an acoustic guitar.

The beauty about owning the three different plug-ins (all bought none cracked) is that they all have a slight different sound so I can bounce to the CLA or BF version to get those characteristics that I am looking for.

Lastly, my favorite thing about the 1176 is the simplicity. The only thing I think can be better is owning the hardware!

Universal Audio 1176

CLA-76

BF76

T-Racks Black76

Create a Dynamic Delay Effect

There is always more than one way to get somewhere, experiment.

If you don't have a dynamic delay plug-in or you like the sound of a different delay and need to create the dynamic effect here is how to do it: Side-chain

1.  Setup your delay how you would like it to sound in your mix.

2. insert a compressor with side-chain after your delay effect in the Aux track.

3. send your vocal track to an available bus

4. activate the key side chain on your compressor and assign it to the bus you selected

I understand there are plug-ins that already do this but this is so you can create your own if the plugin is unavailable or the studio you are working at happens to not have one or you can also take this guide and apply it to analog gear. Also keep in mind since all delays sound different and work differently if you happen to love the sound of a certain delay you can use this trick to get the dynamic effect for it instead of settling for a different one.

Hope this helps!

#EveryDetailCounts!

Learn from others

Don't be afraid to learn from others and say you can't do something. take the time to STUDY! Its very important to study.

I was sent this video by a friend of mine, a really good producer and an even better engineer! This video helped a lot in the understanding of not over thinking and just to do what needs to be done!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPH9LrLAmmo

#EveryDetailCounts!

Questions to ask when using references

So I got these questions from a book I read "Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio" by Mike Senior,  and they help a great amount to get that commercial sound you are going for.
1. How does the overall mix tonality compare?

This is something that can eas-ily be out of line, because it’s difficult to stop your ears from adapting to a skewed tonality while you’re stuck into detailed mix activities. If the tone feels wrong, then insert an equalizer over your mix to see if you can correct the frequency imbalance. You can subsequently apply this same EQ setting on your mix project’s master buss or rebalance the frequency response of individual instruments with reference to it.

2. How does the balance compare?

Concentrate primarily on the most impor-tant instruments here, because they usually offer the least leeway within any given musical genre. I usually make a point of checking at least kick, snare, bass, and lead vocals, but the more parts of the mix you direct your attention toward specifically, the more representative you’ll be able to make your own balance. Don’t just listen for overall levels, but also consider how much dynamic range each instrument has.

3. How does each instrument’s tone compare?

Again, concentrate primarily on the most important instruments. Also, if the tone of any instrument in your mix appears to be less appealing, then ask yourself whether there’s actually anything you can do about that without upsetting the balance.

4. How does the use of reverb and delay effects compare?

Listen for how well the different instruments blend with each other and how any different size reverbs have been used. Give a thought to overall reverb/delay lengths and levels as well.

5. How does the stereo image compare?

This is partly a question of the apparent width and placement of each individual instrument, but you should also consider how wide the stereo image is overall in different regions of the frequency spectrum.

Hope this helps!
#EveryDetailCounts!

Create a Vocal Exciter

This is to show you how to make your own vocal exciter if you do not have access to one or a plugin one you can use stock plugins, now here's how.

1. Duplicate the track. (You can also use an aux track but I will be duplicating it so you can see everything much easier)

2. Add an EQ of your choice to the duplicate track. activate your HPF and roll off around 4.35kHz. Boost around 5kHz about 10dB.

3. Add a Compressor to the duplicate track. set your threshold around -38 and add some make up gain.

not only does this sound great on back ground vocals or ad libs but it also can fix hollow sounding vocals. of course DO NOT depend on these settings completely USE YOUR EARS to fine tune them!!

hope this helps

#EveryDetailCounts!

Where to start Mixing

I've been asked many times "where do I start mixing?" It's really a preference in the way you work. As for me it depends on what song I am working on. 

Usually when I start I play the song once through and during this first pass I do some EQ, some Compression, Pan, and volume as best as I can in the first pass. I bounce it out and now that has become a reference track for me along with others I keep, one that the artist has sent over and other songs that I listen to during my breaks here and there. 

Another approach you can take is find the strongest part of the song, usually the last chorus, everything should be big and memorable. Make that as big as you can, sounding absolutely beautiful then work backwards so you'll be dimming things down until you get to the most softest point in the song. 

And the last approach that a lot of engineers take is starting off with the drums and mixing from the beginning of the song to the end, mixing vocals last. Some engineers also start with mixing vocals first but that depends on the song itself as well.

hope this helps.

#EveryDetailCounts!

Cut or Boost: EQ

What sounds best is the way to go, not how you get there.

I'm sure a lot of you were told to cut and not boost you add noise, boost frequencies that sound good and cut those that sound bad, or even my all time favorite cut narrow boost wide.

In a perfect world all these would be correct and unfortunately we do not live in a perfect world, so I decided to put my experience in on this subject and hoping it clears some questions up for you.

From my experience and what works best for me is I start by cutting not always narrow not always wide just what works. Most the time it's rolling off the low end and when there is an artifact on the recording I cut it out to my liking. Once done I listen to the mix hear how everything sits then if warmth is needed I add warmth by boosting, if presence is needed I add that, or some air I add that in as well. Adjust the Q and how much you boost or cut to what sounds good to you, that is why the artist chose you to mix the song it's your taste. If you need to boost +15dB go for it, as long as you get what you need. If you have an amazing recording engineer and don't need to EQ then don't do it. Do what you need to do to balance your mix. There are times when I have 4 EQs on a single vocal one to cut one to boost one to balance and last to filter if needed.

To put it simple LISTEN and then do whatever is needed. Boost, cut, wide, narrow, anything you have to do to put out the BEST product you can.

#EveryDetailCounts

Remove Reverb!

As an engineer your job is really to fix what needs to be fix.

For some reason I have been receiving sessions to mix that has the reverb recorded on the vocals. Most of the time it is a BAD thing lol and thats really because the recording won't sit right or when you boost a frequency it will boost the verb as well, creating MORE NOISE! Other times the artist can't help it and it's the natural reverb in their vox booth. In this situation the artist doesn't always want to redo the cut or have the time, money, or emotion to deliver "the golden take" i like to call it, so what's left to do? well your job, fix this reverb! 

The first way to approach it is think about, what is the reverb doing?

-creating space, warmth, thickness...

with that in mind, you need to start with the space reduce the spatial image. You can use a M/S encoder/decoder, there are free plugins like Voxengo MSED or Massey Tools. you can also setup an M/S encoder/decoder using stock EQ's! Takes some time to setup but once done its great especially if your studio doesn't have fancy plugins. I'll post up the steps in a future post unless you want the steps now I can email or post up sooner!

next take out some warmth and thickness easily done with an EQ. 

Last, take care of the sustain of the vocal if there is one, put a gate on adjust to your liking and that should help a ton with that nasty reverb there....

#EveryDetailCounts!

Fresh ears are the best Ears for playback

When playing a mix back for yourself listen with fresh ears the next day or bring in someone to go over the mix.

Recently during a mix i spent countless hours on, My ears were quite tired and I was rushing to get it done and what was happening was because I was focused in on the pieces i was adjusting I couldn't get the small details to sit right. In my case it was super simple as the vocals were too low in the song and all I had to do was raise the volume and add a compressor to bring them out "in your face!" Since I was tired and rushed it actually took me three passes to get the job done right. I ended up having to bring in a fresh pair of ears to go over the mix the third time.

Side Note: don't rush take your time, you can't rush art as everyone says and also don't be afraid to ask for help.

#EveryDetailCounts

Crossfade I Use Every Session

I don't really have a tip for this but it's the best trick I was shown when editing. The following helps combine overlapping words onto one track and keeps it as a smooth transition!

1. Cut the track right before any sound or breath comes in.

2. Bring the waveform up to the above track so they are on one channel.

3. Highlight and select crossfade.

4. Set to none and set the fade in with a steep slope and the fade out with a curved slope.

Hope that helps.

#EveryDetailCounts

The Mute Button Can Help You be CREATIVE

When Everything is on it can be Distracting, Turn Things Off to Let the Music Inspire You to be CREATIVE!

A tip I learned from an interview Wyclef Jean did has helped me a ton when trying to come up with effects or adding backgrounds, adlibs, or anything to a mix that I feel is missing. That is taking everything off, this is what he said in his interview:

"I start by taking every effect off of everything. I just want to hear the sound raw and pure. When you put effects on a the sound right at the beginning, you lose the natural elements of the sound, the elements that inspire you. These are the raw elements that you build from. The human ear can hear three things at a time..."

I keep in mind that "the human ear can only hear three things at a time" so once everything becomes overcrowded it's time to remove some things or when you feel like something is missing it's time to remove some things so we can  hear what it is and add what is missing.

Here is a link to that interview!
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul04/articles/wyclefjean.htm

#EveryDetailCounts!

Compressing a Snare Hit

Small Adjustments on Your Compressor Attack and Release Times Can Make a Difference!

Small adjustments on your compressor attack and release times can make a huge difference. I think this will be very useful for those compressing a snare hit so they can visually see what the compressor is doing. The illustration is displaying fast or slow attack and fast or slow release times.

#EveryDetailCounts

How to Save a ProTools Session for a Mix Engineer

Even the Way You Save Your Sessions Can Help a Great Deal When Sending Out to be Mixed.

I figured I post this so everyone who reads my blog can know the best way to save their ProTools Sessions when sending out to mix. Not only will it guarantee all the session files are intact and plugins but it will be smaller in size...

• Go to ‘File’ and click 'Save Session Copy In…’
• Session Format: ‘Latest’
• Audio File Type: ‘BWF/.WAV’ 
• Sample Rate: Same as current
• Bit Depth: 24
• Make sure to Check ‘copy all audio files’
• Check “Session Plug-In Settings Folder’ and Root Plug-In Settings Folder
• Save session
• Then zip the the folder or “compress” (mac)

Hope this helps!

#EveryDetailCounts

References are IMPORTANT!

References Help Every Project: Pick at Least Two for Every Mix!

Recently I've had the privilege of mixing songs out of my usual area of work. First thing I remember thinking was, how am I going to do this?

What I did earlier in my career was mixing the song as quickly as I could in a few passes. After I had everything in its area I bounced it out, listened and found reference songs that I felt matched what I was trying to do.

Today, when I and even you are chosen to mix a song it's because that artist wants your taste and feel for a song, so I approach it in that sense.

Once I had my references, I mixed the song again starting from scratch. The process became a lot smoother and sounded clearer because I have done it before. I have a better visual to match not only my taste but the genre of the music I am working with. The reference tracks are the main tool I use to make the song sound commercial.

#EveryDetailCounts

EQ a digital piano

You can fix digital sounding instruments to sound more "realistic" with an EQ

Here are some starting point settings you can use for a piano:

HPF at 99Hz

-4dB at 395Hz

-4dB at 799 Hz

+3dB at 1.29 KHz

5.2 dB at 6.58 KHz

I've used this exact setting on a piano sample but of course every song is different so use this as a guide not a copy and paste situation.

#EveryDetailCounts

About my blog

I will be posting up tips and tricks that I use during the mixing of a song. I will do my best to add photos and or be as detailed as I can. I mainly use Pro Tools but what i post should be able to be used in any DAW. Hope you all enjoy! #EveryDetailCounts!