I see we have some multi-trackers here and was wondering about the order you guys add FX, Mastering EQ, Pan /DB changes etc.Im noticing that it makes a big difference where I really wouldnt have thought. It seemed to be more stable and have a more "pure" lookin WAV (less spikes) if I did all the DB edits, Envelopes, FIRST before Compression, and FFT Mastering EQ.. I was sure this was backwards. It made more since to do this totally vice versa thinking the FX would change EQ and DB levels . Curious to hear about your exps of the steps takin to edit stereo mixes.
8 Comments |
 | pipefitter61 says:
1/29/2011 9:56:43 AM
Hey John, I'm not an expert by any means, but I do have considerable time behind a mixing desk in the analog world as well as live monitor engineer experience throwing mixes for all types of music (not just bluegrass). While there are many schools of thought on the matter, it is my experience that unless you have to compress...Don't. (unless it's a Les Paul guitar, and that's the sound you're after) At any rate never while tracking. Once it's printed to tape or HD whichever anything you do to it after the fact only magnify's the effect. Everything is best added in the mixdown. Final mastering is a whole nuther topic. Hope this helps
Ed
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 | Banjophobic says:
1/29/2011 10:29:43 AM
I agree with Ed about the compression,haha-especially on banjo. Im a relative newbie to actually recording myself, but most engineers prefer to do the FX at mixdown.
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John Kuhn says:
1/29/2011 11:57:06 AM
Oh yeah , I most agree with you guys about banjo or any single instrument. Im specifically talkin about editing a stereo mixdown using the type of ' multi band"comression that will add "PUMP"and presense givin to all feqs at different levels as you choose.This is what I add to all of my mixes that have a punching bass line with drums. and some times a drivin BG tune.Just wonderin about what stage "givin the op to add" you would? stage
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 | Stuart Bowen says:
1/29/2011 12:19:11 PM
My experience is all acoustic music without drums. I track without any effects and plenty of headroom. First the individual tracks are cleaned up to get rid of unwanted noises. After clean-up and before starting the mix, I add compression to the bass and maybe to the vocals if needed. Next I may EQ the guitar and bass tracks to avoid too much overlap in the frequency spectrum. I'll also decide where I want to place the instruments in the stereo field and pan each track to a preliminary setting. I usually have the bass, vocals and guitar in the center. Any additional effects on individual tracks are added, as needed, while the mix progresses.
After the mix is finalized, I use multiband compression and EQ on the stereo tracks (other effects rarely needed). I like a dynamic range of about 9 to 15 averaging around 12 for overall compression.
I'm not saying this is the only way to get good results, I'm always looking for better ways and suggestions. Hope this is helpful. Stuart
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John Kuhn says:
1/29/2011 4:07:41 PM
Ya know Stuart, Thats the way I started out in the digital realm back in 07...I got WAY to much DB gain on each track, and had no head room come mix time.This last session "Rosanna" had a HUGE noise floor becuase of 11 continuos runnin tracks and had to go back in a cool parts down as much as 4-5 DB
Im a pan freak..LOL so no worries there.Always tryin balance out the sonic spectrum.
See , what I may need to explain is I believe all this final edits need to be made in destructive mode so I dont have to run the software through a mixdown process again. OH , I COULD load all these FX into busses and do this in real time (Multi track) but I wouldnt have the "undo" once its mixed. I may try it both ways..All I know is from exp, when ya keep mixin down, even in diggy realm, there IS some loss.. You can see and hear it ever so slightly. All my gear is from the 80s'and 90's (old software and analog baord so I gotta take quality when and where I can get it..LOL
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| Stuart Bowen says:
1/29/2011 10:22:23 PM
Well, I still have my old multi-track track tape set-up from the 70s and a hard disk recorder as well, but I'm mainly using Presonus equipment and Studio One Pro DAW software on the Mac lately. Let me know if I can ever help with anything.
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| pipefitter61 says:
1/30/2011 12:46:58 AM
As a general rule John, if you are using an analog board to do the tracking, remember your SNR ratio. Cut them HOT, and flat. You can always back them out in the mix. bypass any and all of your eq while tracking as this is where a good bit of your noise will come from. Plus as I mentioned, if you print the eq while tracking, and then add say a little more 12k on the final mix, you will enhance any "hiss" you may have had naturally. I'm a position freak in analog. I learned that "pan" really doesn't exist in pro tools. I used to track things such as guitars, and other inst, and put them at different positions in the mix. Ie: guitar at 9, and 3. Banjo at 10, and 2. Mando at 11, and 1 O'clock.. Pro tools doesn't really see it this way. In the final mix they basically cancel each other out, and they wind up at 12.
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John Kuhn says:
1/30/2011 6:22:52 AM
I WISH I had an analog baord to ride the gains!!! I got good at it in the 80's and here in 07,I could not understand how in the world you were supposed to mix if the tune wasnt actually playing..LOL
Yeah, I had have the boys not set any pan values before sending me thier tracks becuase they would cancel out my values in Adobe Audition. OMG!!! Speaking of pans,last night I mixed 2 banjos on a Classical piece with 15% being too little and 25 too much.Never had that happen.Most of you guys on Sound Off have heard my pans "slowly "start comin into the center more. When I first started posting, I was 75...LOL.. Then 50 maybe, now its between 20-30.I never realized what a BIG diff just a few cents makes!
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