How to complete a mix

[Crossfire26]

Hey guys,

I'm currently working on some hip-hop/rap beats in FL Studio, and I have a few questions about finishing them up...

1. Ok, people have told me that I need kick, bass, snare, and maybe hats centered, but everything else panned away. However, I don't want sounds such as piano coming out of one speaker. What do I do? I'm guessing clone those sounds and pan one hard left and the other hard right? Suggestions?

2. I know every mix is different, but can anyone offer some specs for what I should use in the Fruity Compressor? As in ranges that I should have each variable in. Also, is a compressor only on the master track suitable?

3. Is the Fruity Parametric EQ 2 worthy to use for all EQ-ing?

4. Should I put a limiter on the master track after I've compressed and EQ-ed?

I guess that's it...thanks!

[vurt]

for 1) dont hard pan, just enough to seperate anything in a similar freq range. eg in a rock track the two guitarists would be panned apart. most of this is what i call creative engineering, ie there are no hard fast rules be creative till it sounds right

2 and 3) dont use fruity myself so i wont be of any assistance.

4) forget that till you have a mix finished then well go into mastering properly(ie its a bit more than slapping a limiter here n there )

[Crossfire26]

Ok, so don't pan hard. Well I'm not trying to make a rock beat to sound like a real rock group on stage. This is just a simple hip-hop beat, so do I need to pan pianos, flutes, brass, and such? In what way? How do I make my mix stereo instead of mono?


Anyone else?

[vurt]

the principles are the same, i was just giving one example.
try listening to a few tracks with a similar soundset to your own and see how they have done it, then follow thhat.

[ahjteam]

only vocals, bass, kick and snare dead-centered, everything else panned atleast 15% off-center. think it as a liveband, draw them on paper like they would be on stage so that the drummer and singer is on the center and then pan the instruments accordingly.


If you have a stereo instrument like a piano for example, don't pan them hard left hard right because you just get "a big mono" that takes away too much space from all the other instruments, but for example something like 100L 50L (clearly heard on the left) or 35L 50R (close to the center but a bit on the right) etc.

[musicman]

Hey guys,

I'm currently working on some hip-hop/rap beats in FL Studio, and I have a few questions about finishing them up...

1. Ok, people have told me that I need kick, bass, snare, and maybe hats centered, but everything else panned away. However, I don't want sounds such as piano coming out of one speaker. What do I do? I'm guessing clone those sounds and pan one hard left and the other hard right? Suggestions?

2. I know every mix is different, but can anyone offer some specs for what I should use in the Fruity Compressor? As in ranges that I should have each variable in. Also, is a compressor only on the master track suitable?

3. Is the Fruity Parametric EQ 2 worthy to use for all EQ-ing?

4. Should I put a limiter on the master track after I've compressed and EQ-ed?

I guess that's it...thanks!

hi
I think all you have to do is just pan slightly each different instrument.
So kick,snare could be centre. hi hats panned slightly on to the left, then other sounds panned slightly left or right.
In Cubase, on each instrument channel output, you can just move the panning fader left or right depending on how much you want the sound to move.

Im sure in FL its the exact same.
Do like 20% to the right for one instrument, another 25% to the left, etc.
So that that instrument will be more prominent on the left or right, but you will still hear it in the other side too.
So you kind of create the stereo wide sound just by panning.
i think it also helps reduce any chances of clipping, as each sound will be panned different in its own area.

You don't have to pan everything hard left or hard right.