KVR Audio

appledave · Post by **appledave** » Wed Dec 09, 2015 3:29 am

I was wondering how do you get a cleaner mix, I've done all the eq, but that doesn't seem to work. Also how do you get the drums to drive.

c_bomb · Post by **c_bomb** » Wed Dec 09, 2015 4:34 am

More EQ.

Don't solo channels when you EQ.

shroom81 · Post by **shroom81** » Wed Dec 09, 2015 5:30 am

Not more Eq, if you Eq everything to hell there will be nothing left

Subtractive EQ is best to clean up mixes and make space for everything. Cut the super low frequencies from every channel like from 35hz and under. Adding weight to drums try parallel compression and saturation/distortion.

This free plugin is ace for cleaning up stuff;
https://plugin-alliance.com/en/products ... ep_v2.html

toothnclaw · Post by **toothnclaw** » Wed Dec 09, 2015 7:53 am

Use cleaner sources maybe?

DJ Warmonger · Post by **DJ Warmonger** » Wed Dec 09, 2015 8:06 am

Post your mix so we could hear what is not clear.

NystagmusE · Post by **NystagmusE** » Wed Dec 09, 2015 8:46 am

A lot of it is how you organize your multitrack composition. Muting out unneeded parts helps to create space for those parts that are left remaining. Make sure no two things are competing for the exact same space in terms of the strereo field as well. Have some elements in mono and some elements in wide stereo for contrast. Have other elements autopanned.

a_Scientist · Post by **a_Scientist** » Sat Dec 12, 2015 2:37 pm

I think, its all begins with a source. Use only clean sounds. Synthesizer may be tweaked so it generates more noise than needed. Using too much sounds may be bad for mix too. Effects can matter. Bad impulse responses for Convolution reverbs...

sergiofrias · Post by **sergiofrias** » Sat Dec 12, 2015 3:40 pm

Gain staging!!!
Maintaining a proper level thru the entire chain keeps you away from distortion ,and leaves you with a lot of headroom to compress or eq.
Always check the inputs to see if it's from -12 to -18 dBFS/rms,if not please trim the input level.

How to gain stage?
1-insert a vu or rms meter at first (the average db level of the vu meter at 0vu is from -12 to -18 db)
2- trim the signal to the safe scale (-12db to -18db)
3-insert the fx you want (compressor/eq etc)
4-measure the signal again (vu/rms meter) and make sure the output it's at the same average level.
5-if to add another fx please repeat from step 1

EQ:

remove all the rumble using the highpass from 30-50 hz

hope it helped

joepiney10 · Post by **joepiney10** » Tue Dec 15, 2015 3:20 am

^^^ Thank you so much! I hear "gain stage" so much, but visuals always help.

shroom81 · Post by **shroom81** » Tue Dec 15, 2015 4:36 am

sergiofrias wrote:Gain staging!!!

Now that is one helpful picture, nice to see it laid out like that. Always try to stay at -18dB myself as I think it sounds "best" for me.

The Chase · Post by **The Chase** » Wed Dec 16, 2015 12:24 am

A lot of it will come in time as you develop your critical listening. Specific techniques you will pick up over time naturally as your critical listening develops; the fundamentals are always more important than the details, which have a way of working themselves out.

A lack of clarity in a mix can come from a lot of factors. Too many elements in one space, especially if they are too dynamically similar and have similar textures, which is why the arrangement itself is the foundation of a good mix.

The sounds themselves being too diffuse or noisy also contributes to a lack of clarity. Distorted guitars and cymbal overheads are often a big headache for this reason - each have a moderate amount of noise that is fine on its own, but 2 distorted guitars and hihats and crashes and rides all together can lead to an insane amount of noise that drowns everything out.

As mentioned, try to bias yourself towards subtractive EQ rather than additive. If you want to boost one part of one instrument, a big part of doing so will getting that part of other instruments out of the way.

Meffy · Post by **Meffy** » Wed Dec 16, 2015 1:57 am

I don't remember where I learned about this page — almost certainly the link was posted here at KVR.

http://www.ocularstudio.com/visual-aid-art-mixing

It's a set of 3D diagrams with axes representing left↔right, foreground↔background, and bass↔treble (the vertical axis). Each diagram represents how a piece in a specific genre might be mixed. There's more to it, but that's the basic idea. Helped me to visualize things that I'd been doing clumsily before.

NystagmusE · Post by **NystagmusE** » Mon Dec 21, 2015 6:38 am

When you do EQ, you have to create "lobes" of boosting or "valleys" of cutting. If you do everything evenly, it makes the sound incrementally more and more like pink noise or a flat frequency range. The ears and human hearing are sensitive to shapes of sound, irregularities, the lobes and valleys. So if you EQ, be sure to make it "textured". Some engineers describe this as, "when you boost a frequency range, cut the range right below it". If you experiment with graphic EQ's you can hear the effects of this, especially around 1 kHz.

manducator · Post by **manducator** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 9:16 am

Meffy wrote:I don't remember where I learned about this page — almost certainly the link was posted here at KVR.

http://www.ocularstudio.com/visual-aid-art-mixing

It's a set of 3D diagrams with axes representing left↔right, foreground↔background, and bass↔treble (the vertical axis). Each diagram represents how a piece in a specific genre might be mixed. There's more to it, but that's the basic idea. Helped me to visualize things that I'd been doing clumsily before.

This comes from a book and dvd called 'The Art of Mixing' by David Gibson.

It was great learning for me.

It looks corny but the info is great!!

a_Scientist · Post by **a_Scientist** » Wed Dec 23, 2015 8:06 pm

NystagmusE wrote:Some engineers describe this as, "when you boost a frequency range, cut the range right below it".

It's important seem to me. Any proof in the net?

no wait... I think the explanation is just wen you move down a band, all other relatively are up and more hearable.

How to get a cleaner mix