Grrrr...why is that? (mixes in Reason and FL5)

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Ok. Few things.

I am not skilled musician(whatever this does mean) 8)
I dont have complete room acoustic :cry:
I have good sound card and somwhat good speakers and monitors (terratec sound card, Alesis monitors) 8)
I am poor in typing english :hihi:
I do not prefer any host here stated :!:
I just ask why is that :?

Why my mixes sound muffled when they are composed in Reason?

And why my mixes sound crisp and full of energy when they are created in FL 5 ???

How can this be possible :bang:

I will say once more. I am not skilled. I read in past few books regarding mixing and mastering but that is all. I know few rules and i try to work with that rules in my head. And this is drivin me crazy :dog:

Is this because of different synths? But still when i use samples (drums especialy),they sound soooo crisp in FL. There is so much space and air in sound...:nutter:

But in Reason....It seems to my ear that when i start something in Reason lets say Redrum. Load few samples and ok. Sound same. But when i add more and more devices sound is more and more...dunno....weird...More devices, more bad :scared:

Mybe this is because of FX? What do you say? I use FL compressor and PSP VintageWarmer....


Whish i never get my FL....i get this piece of software with my sound card. Arggghhh... :nutter:

One more time. I do not prefer ImageLine! I do not prefer Propellerhead!

I just ask what i do different that my mixes sound drasticaly different between those two apps

:help:

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HI

Sound like Fruity is good for you :shock:

Why not :hihi:

Sounds good :lol:

Use Good :-o

What problem is :nutter:

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Well problem is that i am moron i think :hihi:

Dunno. Tere is no problem. But i just wanna be sure that i am not doing something wrong. And if i do how to solve this.

I mean, sometimes i load up Reason because i like his so sweet interface. Workflow is IMHO realy good. For me. Then i work on something, day or two and i end up with some muffled mix :-o

Oh anyway....i must focus on music....

:band2:

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You must tell us what you mean by "muffled"! Is it lacking high-end frequencies? Or is it merely a lower volume?

Could you possibly record a few bars of similar music in both hosts (using the same samples) so that we can compare with our own ears?

- m
Markleford's band, The James Rocket: http://www.TheJamesRocket.com/
Markleford's tracks: http://www.markleford.com/music/
Markleford's free MFX, DXi2, DR-008 modules: http://www.TenCrazy.com/

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It sounds like a mastering issue... and I wouldn't recommend mastering in either product.

However, Reason 3.0 is coming with a full on top-drawer mastering suite MClass. I think that will change everything in terms of how Reason "sounds".

Also worth knowing that the summing in Reason's mixer is odd. You might like to try sending stereo outputs from synths/samplers into 2 channels of ReMix, rather the default of one. This apparently helps maintain the correct output levels.

To my ears, each piece of software I have used has a different "colour" to the sound. I agree with you that the sound of FL is very crisp - though I have also noted that it easily goes into distortion (perhpas because of this) or can end up sounding thin if you are not careful with effects.

Live 4 sounds - as one guy here recently put it - metalic. Everything you do in Live sounds like its been shoved kicking and screaming through a plate reverb... except without the actual reverb :wink:

Reason can sound dull if you are not careful with EQ. Using version 2.5 I recommend that you build in some EQ and compression BETWEEN the mixer and hardware interface - i.e. after the mixing stage. This will create a pre-master, if you like.

hope this helps.

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It's probably the 3db of attenuation on reason's mixer because of the panning law it uses. 3db of difference is insidious because it's not enough to detect in an a-to-b comparison that it's at a lower volume, but is enough to think it doesn't sound as good, because louder always sounds "better" (punchier/brighter etc.). :?

Panning laws have a lot to answer for...it used to be Cubase/Logic comparisons with Cubases' mixer's panning law involving more attenuation so the mix "doesn't sound as good in Cubase"...now, perhaps, it's history repeating, only this time with Reason/Fruity comparisons based on panning law illusions. :)

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Run your main output from your reason mixer through a Scream4 distortion unit. Set it to tape distortion mode, low compression, high speed. Adjust "damage" to taste. Don't use the "body" controlls. Boost the High cut just a little too. :wink: :D

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kmonkey22 wrote:Ok. Few things.

I am not skilled musician(whatever this does mean) 8)
I dont have complete room acoustic :cry:
I have good sound card and somwhat good speakers and monitors (terratec sound card, Alesis monitors) 8)
I am poor in typing english :hihi:
I do not prefer any host here stated :!:
I just ask why is that :?

Why my mixes sound muffled when they are composed in Reason?

And why my mixes sound crisp and full of energy when they are created in FL 5 ???

How can this be possible :bang:

I will say once more. I am not skilled. I read in past few books regarding mixing and mastering but that is all. I know few rules and i try to work with that rules in my head. And this is drivin me crazy :dog:

Is this because of different synths? But still when i use samples (drums especialy),they sound soooo crisp in FL. There is so much space and air in sound...:nutter:

But in Reason....It seems to my ear that when i start something in Reason lets say Redrum. Load few samples and ok. Sound same. But when i add more and more devices sound is more and more...dunno....weird...More devices, more bad :scared:

Mybe this is because of FX? What do you say? I use FL compressor and PSP VintageWarmer....


Whish i never get my FL....i get this piece of software with my sound card. Arggghhh... :nutter:

One more time. I do not prefer ImageLine! I do not prefer Propellerhead!

I just ask what i do different that my mixes sound drasticaly different between those two apps

:help:
If you want really prove it, so use (multiple!!) audio tracks recorded with anything. Maybe a construction kit alike audio multitrack project.

Mix it with both applications in clean fashion (no effects or mastering).

Finally listen to the result and analyze it with a spectrogram. Maybe this helps.

If is sounds the same, so the reason are probably the internal sound generators in both applications.


But maybe FL simply sounnds more "digital" and Reason sounds just more "analog" :?:

You know? Analog equipment sounds sometimes also (psycho-acoustical) more "muffled" in direct comparsion to pure digital recordings ...

.

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I'm certain you can achieve a less muffled sound in reason by adjusting the EQ for the various channels in the mixer. Or maybe EQ as an insert effect (I don't know much about reason).
To my ears, each piece of software I have used has a different "colour" to the sound. I agree with you that the sound of FL is very crisp - though I have also noted that it easily goes into distortion (perhpas because of this) or can end up sounding thin if you are not careful with effects.
I used to think this too. I was almost certain of it. But when I wrote the same melodies, used the same VSTs and wrote out to WAV, I couldn't tell the difference in an audio editor, either by listening or looking at the difference between waveforms.

I began to wonder whether the 'look' of an application affected the user's interpretation of how it sounded.

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if you're quick, you can grab a free NFR copy of Tracktion which is well regarded as a rewire master. (don't use re-wire myself..)

Perhaps Tracktion will produce better results than the reason mixers?

Best hurry though, the offer ends tomorrow.. :-o

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The problem is probably, once again, a difference in volume between these two programs. And ofcourse, you don't use those mastering plugs (the compressor and vintage warmer) in reason, and those probably fatten up your mix a bit.

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platinumears wrote:grab a free NFR copy of Tracktion
Best hurry though, the offer ends tomorrow..
I heard they stopped that offer on 01/01 :roll:
If the offer is still on, then hurry indeed!

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C00kie wrote:I heard they stopped that offer on
Same here, but posts on the T forum indicate this this one link still works for some reason..

don't question it I say!

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Heh. Yesterday i load same samples in FL and Reason. Some loops. Does not matter. Anyway i export them in to Wavelab. After normalise-ing i cant hear difference :cry: :hihi:

But i can swear it sound differnet in Reason. Maybe i realy need help :nutter:

Looks like Ceenda think right. Maybe look of an application can affect the user's interpretation of sound :tantrum:

Ahhh....but still there ramin fact that my older projects realy need some mastering skills. And in FL i dont need this. Mybe this new Reason 3.0 hype will do good for me because of new FX like better EQ and Comp.

We shall see :roll:

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headquest wrote:It sounds like a mastering issue... and I wouldn't recommend mastering in either product.
You mean mixing.

You can produce a professional quality result in FL and Reason. FL is easier as it can run VST's etc. That said, parametric EQ, compression and a flexible mixer are about all you really need. There is no magic to creating a good mix, just experience, decent monitoring and a few simple tools (as described above).

Mastering BTW: is the process of arranging a group of tracks ready for burning to CD. It's about getting the order, relative volume and final polishing of the sound.

Carb.

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