Hello.
I wanted to make a thread were the members of the board can post their experiences with mixdown and Mastering, post some Tips or where the Newbie Music Producers can ask some Questions the guys from the EE-Board because there are a few how released already some Tracks.
So feel free to use this Thread for all the specific questions. 
Yeah as you can see the first one am i.
I`m working with Software and as you can hear on my new Track "Robot Dream" there is nothing working out right.
Dunno What I´m doing wrong but usually i start off with making a Sub-Bus and routing all the Drums (Kick, Snare, Hi-Hat) in there and then i work with Eq`s and compressors on every Bus and i`ll at least try to bring all in the right position.
Then everything sounds right more or less (i still do the mixdown with my Headphones because i have no money for the Speakers) and then i put a L3 Multimaximizer on top.
So, why sound my tracks not good and wide, clear and loud 
Has this something to do with my Soundcard (Audiophile 24/96) or is it whatever
Would be nice if someone is so kind and helps me.
My Target is to make a good Song and Release it some day.
Oh, man what a feeling it must be to have your own Track on Vinyl.
Good idea for a thread.
Can i ask what DAW (sequencer) you are using?
I can also tell you that it doesnt matter what soundcard you have.
Rendering to wav or mp3 doesnt use the soundcard at all, only your computer cpu.
Hello DJR21.
I use Renoise (Mod Tracker) to make the song and Cubase for the Mixdown and Mastering.
I render the files that i`m working with (Kick, Snare, Bass, Lead) to 44.100 hz and 24bit.
Thx for Help.
Quote from Genista;37206Display MoreHello DJR21.
I use Renoise (Mod Tracker) to make the song and Cubase for the Mixdown and Mastering.
I render the files that i`m working with (Kick, Snare, Bass, Lead) to 44.100 hz and 24bit.
Thx for Help.
Hmmmmm sounds like you got some good stuff going on.. I would recommend for the mixing part just to adjust the levels to something you feel good about.. use your monitors properly and also experiment with headphones, boombox, car stereo, and if possible PA system.. You just got to get a real feeling of how loud you want each of your parts to be and where you want them to fit in the mix... Try to find that sweet spot that sounds good to you and is at the same time acceptable on various formats and make sure there is not too much sub-bass to damage speakers/sound crappy.. and apply only minimal if any effects to percussion before you figure out your levels...
As far as mastering and the final stages.. I recommend getting a friend who knows about this kind of stuff or hiring a specialist.. cuz think about it.. you are listening to your track SOOOO many times, and if you are like me, something can always bother you about it and it can drive you crazy... get someone else to master it.. It is also a good way to support the community and have others participate in your creative process as well as get some advice on your tracks
hey, new to this forum and also new to the whole production thing but I have managed to learn a couple things the last 3 years. For one... mixing with headphones doesn't give you a accurate reference of what the song will sound like on a normal sound system. Headphones is for critical listening.
Cheers and have a great day
Yeah, this means buying proper speakers, but i don`t have the money 
even low budget monitors (pair of active monitors) can give you idea how that sounds , 300e for pair of active speakers will be good investment for proper mixdown
Quote from The CoDeC;37243hey, new to this forum and also new to the whole production thing but I have managed to learn a couple things the last 3 years. For one... mixing with headphones doesn't give you a accurate reference of what the song will sound like on a normal sound system. Headphones is for critical listening.
Cheers and have a great day
i recently doing mixdowns with headphones and depends what headphones you using i use akg 142 hd , that's hi consumer headphones but very accurate for frequency and space(stereo,delay.reverbs,etc...) listening , not much for leveling but if you volume down your mix (let's say -12 db as 0 db ) you will hear everything ... and ofcourse experience and listening on various sound systems (laptop speakers,ipod/mp3 player , very cheap speakers for computer and etc...)
Quote from alavux;37261i recently doing mixdowns with headphones and depends what headphones you using i use akg 142 hd , that's hi consumer headphones but very accurate for frequency and space(stereo,delay.reverbs,etc...) listening , not much for leveling but if you volume down your mix (let's say -12 db as 0 db ) you will hear everything ... and ofcourse experience and listening on various sound systems (laptop speakers,ipod/mp3 player , very cheap speakers for computer and etc...)
I have to agree, the more systems you reference on, the better.
No one?
Not much doctors around here ay 
forget it........
we are mostly def (mainly) :))))))))
Quote from Genista;37456No one?
Not much doctors around here ay
forget it........
.............................Whhhhaaat???? 
1st of all, the secret is in the mixdown. no amount of mastering will fix a weak mix. Ideally, it should sound as if hardly any mastering is needed.
Check the EQ of everything, roll off anything below 40hz on everything (we can't hear this low and any signal down here may affect mastering compressors from working properly).
High-pass filter (or good EQ) on EVERYTHING that doesn't have bass - hats, snares, any synths, etc. This will free-up the low end for bass and kicks and keep your mix clearer.
Speaking of bass and kicks, use a spectrum analyzer to determine which frequencies they occupy. They shouldn't be fighting for the same space (eg both peaking at 80hz), if they do your mix will sound muddy and flat.
If you use a sub-bass, make sure your kick is peaking at about 100hz and doesn't have too much sub-bass.
If you think they are interfering with each other, consider using a compressor on your bass sidechained to the kick so it 'ducks' a bit when the kick hits - this free up breathing space i nyour low-end.
Also you mentioned you use a compressor on every bus - don't unless you absolutely think you need to. An over-compressed track will lose dynamics and may sound weak or just unpleasant.
And when you've got your mix sounding good, make sure you leave plenty of headroom (3dbs or so) when you render it out - this allows your mastering plugs to work properly.
BTW, I used to mix in headphones before I got my monitors - having studio-quality headphones helps, but generally it's impossible due to the extreme stereo field of 'phones and the way they re-produce bass.
However, that said, I found I could get MUCH better mixdowns using this plug-in:
http://112db.com/redline/monitor/
Whack it on your master-out channel and it works wonders.
Great tips from Beagle there.
I only generally whack a compressor on the drum tracks and bass track.
If something needs a lift, consider a limiter rather than a compressor.
I would personally avoid using those Waves maximizer plugs, i didnt like them. (imo..waves are over rated and over priced)
Get the mix sounding good before any master compression/fx is the main aim.
If you want to fatten up a mix at the master stage, consider a tube warmer plug in.
The PSP vintage warmer works wonders, but there are many others.
Beagle hit the nail on the head in regards to EQ and everything having its space.
Avoid the temptation to whack up the bass on everything, same applies for highs.
Zero'ing all the channels then bringing them back in 1 by 1 is a great trick for seeing which parts are causing problems.
Its one subject everyone has their own ideas on, the more you do it, the better you will get.
There really is no 1 step solution!
Thanks Guys......
Very good Tips indeed
everyone will be thankful for that, so am i
I use my monitors direct out of my soundcard and it's fine.
^^yes, it's no problem to do that.
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