This was a masterclass bro. You make it look so simple. Indeed the most fascinating statement is the power of gain staging you mentioned which affects the whole sound and not just a portion of it. Never thought about it that way.
Thank you so much for making so detailed mixing videos, there is so much to learn from them, and this is so clearly explained ! One question though : the beat you produced sounds very cool, but the second chord in the rhodes part is a D major chord, over an E note at the bass. For sure, having this kind of chord ( D major over E) is absolutely fine, but, from a music theory perspective, keeping a low D note in this D major chord for the rhodes seems to create a big clash with the E note in the bass part. In that case, what we learn with the help of music theory for composing music is to dispatch the chord differently in order to avoid two low notes (in that case, E and D) being too close from one another...Or, the bass would have to play the same notes as the rhodes low notes ( C, D, E progression) as a second solution. Did you leave this harmony "clumsiness" on purpose ? Just a genuine question, as I'm far more competent on the subject than mixing (reason why I'm so glad a youtube channel like yours exists !). Thanks again for all this shared knowledge ! As some other comments say, this is pure gold
Thanks a lot for your answer ! I'm (almost) ready to bet that explains it for the most part , indeed! The low notes in the rhodes part are probably the "guilty ones". If those notes are kept, in that case, the bass could follow the rhodes progression (c , d , e) . One of those two solutions should probably do the trick. Best regards
This is such an amazing and comprehensive video Matt thank you! I love how you shaped the sound of that Rhodes. It gave me some ideas because i will use cymatics origin ro down sample a sound but then its too dark and dull but i may spend more time shaping the sound after to get the results i want. Just the explanation and breakdown of your thought process is awesome.
Thank you for another amazing tutorials... please what are your thoughts on how loud a beat should be when sending it to an artist...also, please do a video (if possible) on recommendations for programmed drum kits for modern production. With lots options out there and the challenge of not having excellent monitoring, it can be hard to tell what's good quality
Finally a actual beat mix only I can finally comprehend easily and understand quickly this is a masterpiece frfr … Thanks my only request would be a part 2 on a more 808 heavy trap style beat just my personal reference lol but frfr thanks man great lesson!
You’re such a good teacher, so many mixing videos make it to be so incredibly incomprehensible. Thanks for this. Also, very curious about the EVO 251, would be awesome to hear a 1:1 comparison.
I'm *attempting* to contract with a few different 251 style mic creators to do a blind shootout. Circle Audio is of course already on board because they know I love their mic. Hoping to get a few others, and just provide the stems so people can make their own decisions.
With regard to the brightness of the cymbals I feel at the point in the track where you were deciding how you wanted them to sound darker was better BUT I also think that this is a case for automation so that they could be brighter elsewhere in the arrangement.
Thanks, Matthew. Really great video, you are so incredibly good at articulating sound concepts. I was wondering, you described EQ as boosting level in a specific range, and compression as cutting volume that goes above a volume, do you happen to have a description for panning and what effect that has?
What I love here, is the great effort to try and explain in a meaningful way, something ultimately slippery and amorphous. As a producer, I struggle with mixing, it drives me literally insane, I complete a production that I like and then typically the mix will be a process of destruction, because I don’t really know what more I’m trying to achieve, afterall - have I not already achieved my goals in the production? And if I haven’t, is that more production or is it now up to the mix to get it over the line, or, get this - is it actually mixed? Perhaps I have balanced and compressed, eq’d and reverbed all I needed to, perhaps I just need to tidy up a bit and its done. However, one piece of the puzzle will allude if I do not consider the mix as a separate process. Loudness or clarity. Here in, is where it gets messy and often my productions might collapse. When I start pursuing clarity and loudness, the symbiotic relationships of some instruments will lose their initial inspirational qualities. Once I hear the bass pull away from the kick, I ask myself…is that good? Bad? Better or worse and am confronted with an overwhelming, indeed infinite universe of possibilities. If I don’t consider the mix and instead ‘housekeep’ the production, a loud, car stereo compatible mix is not forthcoming, instead it is at best dark and lite sounding, at worse muddy and flat sounding. What do you think Matt? I personally struggle with taking away frequencies that otherwise make the production feel full and vibey and will always doubt that the thinner albeit with better definition, is actually an improvement at all.
It looks to me like you just might be over thinking things. Concepts like loudness and clarity are really just components of the bigger question: what do I want the listener to hear? Just for the sake of experiment, try a mix of your production where you don't do anything except balance the levels and pan things the way you want - slap a limiter, and take that to the car. Hear how it sounds.
@@WeissAdvice You’re right, I do overthink things. Recently been approaching mixing differently…I’ve been caring less about fidelity and instead, what do I want to hear and then, who cares what anyone else thinks. The landing of your video re-enforces this, but I’m still prone to get distracted from that mission, I think I may have problems with focus, my daughter was recently diagnosed with ADHD, I’m like - uhm, I’m exactly like her.
if you got more like this I would like to subscribe and give back....I can write ten paragraphs about how helpful this is but im so inspired to keep watching ...please give us more like this god bless !!
I don't understand why producers don't mix their own music. Mixing is an essential part of creating music. How can they just half-heartedly create a piece that needs to be refined and finished by someone else?
a lot of time producers lose objectivity so fresh ears can lead to better mixing choices since most think that everything they put into a track is dope
I don't know a single producer who doesn't mix their beat.. atleast basic leveling and adding effects.. artists usually have a mix engineer that they go to.. so you just kinda pray they don't F up the drums to much ... my goal is to be a large enough producer I can have input on the mix .. like if you touch my drums your fired type of input lol
You are the best at explaining intention in each move you do. Thank you so much for these. Best teacher by a hundred miles!
pure gold right here !! you dont see industry mixing engineers explaining this kind stuff !!
Great gems in here 😃
This was a masterclass bro. You make it look so simple. Indeed the most fascinating statement is the power of gain staging you mentioned which affects the whole sound and not just a portion of it. Never thought about it that way.
Thank you so much for making so detailed mixing videos, there is so much to learn from them, and this is so clearly explained !
One question though : the beat you produced sounds very cool, but the second chord in the rhodes part is a D major chord, over an E note at the bass. For sure, having this kind
of chord ( D major over E) is absolutely fine, but, from a music theory perspective, keeping a low D note in this D major chord for the rhodes seems to
create a big clash with the E note in the bass part. In that case, what we learn with the help of music theory for composing music is to dispatch the chord differently
in order to avoid two low notes (in that case, E and D) being too close from one another...Or, the bass would have to play the same notes as the rhodes low notes ( C, D, E progression) as a second solution. Did you leave this harmony "clumsiness" on purpose ?
Just a genuine question, as I'm far more competent on the subject than mixing (reason why I'm so glad a youtube channel like yours exists !).
Thanks again for all this shared knowledge ! As some other comments say, this is pure gold
I just played it out - but the bass doesn't feel totally right to me, and maybe that's why
Thanks a lot for your answer !
I'm (almost) ready to bet that explains it for the most part , indeed! The low notes in the rhodes part are probably the "guilty ones". If those notes are kept, in that case, the bass could follow the rhodes progression (c , d , e) . One of those two solutions should probably do the trick.
Best regards
This is such an amazing and comprehensive video Matt thank you! I love how you shaped the sound of that Rhodes. It gave me some ideas because i will use cymatics origin ro down sample a sound but then its too dark and dull but i may spend more time shaping the sound after to get the results i want. Just the explanation and breakdown of your thought process is awesome.
Thank you for another amazing tutorials... please what are your thoughts on how loud a beat should be when sending it to an artist...also, please do a video (if possible) on recommendations for programmed drum kits for modern production. With lots options out there and the challenge of not having excellent monitoring, it can be hard to tell what's good quality
Finally a actual beat mix only I can finally comprehend easily and understand quickly this is a masterpiece frfr … Thanks my only request would be a part 2 on a more 808 heavy trap style beat just my personal reference lol but frfr thanks man great lesson!
You’re such a good teacher, so many mixing videos make it to be so incredibly incomprehensible. Thanks for this.
Also, very curious about the EVO 251, would be awesome to hear a 1:1 comparison.
I'm *attempting* to contract with a few different 251 style mic creators to do a blind shootout. Circle Audio is of course already on board because they know I love their mic. Hoping to get a few others, and just provide the stems so people can make their own decisions.
With regard to the brightness of the cymbals I feel at the point in the track where you were deciding how you wanted them to sound darker was better BUT I also think that this is a case for automation so that they could be brighter elsewhere in the arrangement.
Great video, tyvm...
Thanks, Matthew. Really great video, you are so incredibly good at articulating sound concepts. I was wondering, you described EQ as boosting level in a specific range, and compression as cutting volume that goes above a volume, do you happen to have a description for panning and what effect that has?
27:39 lol then 1 minute later into watching I get here. I’ll watch the full vids before commenting from here on.
But I always reach for a backwards left handed somersault kazoo eq - it’s in my ableton favorites plugin folder
I like the way you explain things. I’m subscribing.
Excellent video. Well thought out and well executed. Useful, practical and insightful, thank you.
What I love here, is the great effort to try and explain in a meaningful way, something ultimately slippery and amorphous. As a producer, I struggle with mixing, it drives me literally insane, I complete a production that I like and then typically the mix will be a process of destruction, because I don’t really know what more I’m trying to achieve, afterall - have I not already achieved my goals in the production? And if I haven’t, is that more production or is it now up to the mix to get it over the line, or, get this - is it actually mixed? Perhaps I have balanced and compressed, eq’d and reverbed all I needed to, perhaps I just need to tidy up a bit and its done.
However, one piece of the puzzle will allude if I do not consider the mix as a separate process. Loudness or clarity. Here in, is where it gets messy and often my productions might collapse. When I start pursuing clarity and loudness, the symbiotic relationships of some instruments will lose their initial inspirational qualities. Once I hear the bass pull away from the kick, I ask myself…is that good? Bad? Better or worse and am confronted with an overwhelming, indeed infinite universe of possibilities. If I don’t consider the mix and instead ‘housekeep’ the production, a loud, car stereo compatible mix is not forthcoming, instead it is at best dark and lite sounding, at worse muddy and flat sounding.
What do you think Matt?
I personally struggle with taking away frequencies that otherwise make the production feel full and vibey and will always doubt that the thinner albeit with better definition, is actually an improvement at all.
It looks to me like you just might be over thinking things. Concepts like loudness and clarity are really just components of the bigger question: what do I want the listener to hear?
Just for the sake of experiment, try a mix of your production where you don't do anything except balance the levels and pan things the way you want - slap a limiter, and take that to the car. Hear how it sounds.
@@WeissAdvice You’re right, I do overthink things. Recently been approaching mixing differently…I’ve been caring less about fidelity and instead, what do I want to hear and then, who cares what anyone else thinks. The landing of your video re-enforces this, but I’m still prone to get distracted from that mission, I think I may have problems with focus, my daughter was recently diagnosed with ADHD, I’m like - uhm, I’m exactly like her.
A Hazelrigg plugin? Where? When? Couldn't see anything on their website.
plugin is a beta, I believe it will be out in a week or two
thanks boss dope stuff on this channel man
Do you personally mix vocals. I would love to work with you?
This video just helped understand mixing music as a whole. Including vocals too sound is literally our instrument 👏🏼
yup, same ideas apply
The track is sweet!
Like to get my hands on that Suzuki EQ you mentioned.😂😂😂
good stuff as always
Damn I can't seem to find that vlc plugin :(
it's a beta, probably be out in a week or two
Is that hazelrigg vlc an avalaible plugin? Cant find it
It's coming out next Friday, I believe. I'm going to do a video on it.
@@WeissAdvice Excited for that one!
Excellent video!!!
dammm dope beat
Absolute Gem!!!!
Deep knowledge here.
Great fan sir you aree doing sooo good
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Those chords sound just like Make It Last Forever by Keith Sweat 😉
Solid fundamental's.
Thanks for sharing.
if you got more like this I would like to subscribe and give back....I can write ten paragraphs about how helpful this is but im so inspired to keep watching ...please give us more like this god bless !!
💎💎💎💎💎
EPICCCC
niiiiiiiice
I don't understand why producers don't mix their own music. Mixing is an essential part of creating music. How can they just half-heartedly create a piece that needs to be refined and finished by someone else?
The mixing part is more difficult than making a beat
@@youngkush5429 They should learn :) I'm learning that incorporating mixing paradigms early on helps me create better music.
a lot of time producers lose objectivity so fresh ears can lead to better mixing choices since most think that everything they put into a track is dope
I don't know a single producer who doesn't mix their beat.. atleast basic leveling and adding effects.. artists usually have a mix engineer that they go to.. so you just kinda pray they don't F up the drums to much ... my goal is to be a large enough producer I can have input on the mix .. like if you touch my drums your fired type of input lol
Cymbals darker.