A "less is more" approach helps me avoid analysis paralysis. The handful of analog units I have I know well enough to know where they will shine. And the number of plugins I use on a regular basis is pretty small (maybe 25). Less to choose from means less overthinking, especially once you have leanred each tool thoroughly.
i think or I suspect what mr.loaner mue meant by gain etc.... some engineers ,which btw I've seen time and time again and ever since I incorporated as well cz' it's easier ,use a gain plugin of some sort post all the processing plugins right before the ch fader ,for setting levels post automation ,for then the fader is stuck in automation reading all the time ,yes you can adjust the entire automation lane up 'n down but it's way easier to jut dump a gain plg at the end of the chain done, of course in pro tools that's got a solution by creating vca's and ever since in other daws as well but again we tend to strive for speed ad that's way faster than set up a vca assign channels to it blah blah , it's a matter of taste I think .
2:36 - I think the guy meant mixing engineers using a gain/volume/trim plugin for balancing gain instead of the faders. Basically, you can do whatever you want as long as you're getting the results you want. I do this on a live mix just because the fader adjustments are not linear - first inch is like +/-6db then second bar is now half an inch but it does an additional +6/-6db, 3rd is even shorter and so on. So if you're riding a fader the micro adjustments are harder if you're already on the 3rd bar compared to the first bar where you can easily make a big move that is only a +/-3db adjustment compared to the lower bars where a small move might be +/-6db already.
I do a rough mix on my faders, then I circle back and assign the volume gain/loss imparted by the fader to the media item itself (in Reaper). That way, I can return my faders to zero and be at my rough mix. Then I can use the faders for small adjustments
Love these shows, great idea, so very very helpful. Thanks for sharing the knowledge. Here’s a question,best plugin you ve found to bring out high frequency without sibilance?
Forgive me, I’m pretty new. I’m running a “pair of Capi Heiders into a Serpent sb4001 bus compressor, into a pair of Neve 542’s, then into SPL Big”, as my analog stereo mixbus. After hearing this, I have 2 quick questions. 1. If this was all that you had, would you take the time to print each individual track through this attenuation, back into your daw prior to even beginning to mix? Just for character’s sake? 2. Is what I said worth the effort, in your opinion? It seems like mixing through these preamps, especially as a super crushed parallel bus, brought back in under the mix, allows some sonic advantages that would not exist had I not processed through my bus. Is this just crazy talk? I appreciate your channel and do value your opinion and thoughts. And it caught my ear that mixing through preamps was not recommended. Regards and best wishes.
Whats your reasoning behind saying that mixing/mastering with headphones is not a viable option? Im interested since i dont have a treatef room etc, and am mixing with headphones, and i have heard grammy winning mix/master engineers saying they mix and master with headphones (checking the project occasionaly on monitors).
Great video, as always! Many thanks. I am a bit confused on the mono Rap vocal hard pan left / right. I wasn't aware of any difference between a mono signal or the same signal split across 2 channels routed left and right. I tried this with a mono vocal, soloing two channels panned L/R, the vectorscope on my RME digicheck remained mono, correlation +1. If I understand the question correctly (and I'm not 100% sure I do!) Studio One is doing something odd? If there's no latency or time delay, and they are equal gain, should it not produce a centre signal if both left and right channels are doing the same thing at the same time? Apologies if missing something here! Also not familiar with 'correction mode' in Studio One and what that's indicating. Cheers.
Mono is the same exact signal in both left and right. That's what mono is. The question obviously wasn't taking about that scenario but most likely the usual copy, nudge/delay one, or simply have a double
Spot on as always. But I think you misunderstood mrloaner_mue's question. The reason they're using trim might be because they're still processing the signal and want to gain stage - all the processing is pre fader.
@tv Surely every process involves gain-staging? You adjust the output on each plugin / device to make sure your gain stays somewhat level going into the next one / out to the fader and isn't doing a drastic leap? I'm Pretty sure that's what he's referring to and doesn't realise that the fader isn't the same as the gain...?
A question David: you mentioned that having no mono vocals is not good and I agree with that; but is it ALWAYS a mistake? Because in some of my songs I have some gang vocals to have like a call-response with the lead vocal (to have kind of a Bohemian Rhapsody vibe): they're all hard panned and to me sound very good even when played in mono. They're not copy and pasted vocals I recorded each of them separately.
Not a mistake. There are plenty of cases in which it is perfectly fine to have fully stereo with no mono lead. But it's, like in your case either a call response or a special section
thx for gain staging point. I dont know why f.e. in Reason its so idiotic, GAINs are little knobs absolutely on the top, so you must scroll. Ive find them like after 10 years of music production :D. To that point I always used faders and just paid attention to headroom and clipping. Btw this "I need to know everything bout everything before I touched" is great sentence, I must reconsider this.
When you say don't mix with a limiter, do you mean having it on the stereo out while your mixing? ..Then after the mix you can put a limiter on if you want.
Yes, try not mixing into a limiter, essentially if you want to get loud, using other tools to get a full, loud mix (without the limiter) will then allow you to put the limiter on after the mix and push it even a bit further, but if you mix into a limiter your more likely to rely on the limiter to achieve this full, loud sound and you have less room to push it further
ruclips.net/video/wosFpVo8zHM/видео.htmlsi=o3VFFGj0IfMumUUX ruclips.net/video/iJs_U4UMsvQ/видео.htmlsi=0oYw6ZAjCkmoLW7k I've explained in depth, many times.
In Logic Pro X, if I split an audio region, into say parts and then raise the gain by 3dB for the middle part, is that the same as automating the fader to lift by 3dB for that section?
no it is not the same. if you automate the gain, it will effect all your processing on that track. for example you have a compressor on that track, then the compressor will work harder. If you would automate the fader instead, then the workload of that compressor will stay the same, and you just simply make the track louder. So gain is the strength of the signal, and the fader is the volume. But the gain has an influence on the volume.
@@kristianmarschewski1590 but that is the first thing I do. I will go through say a vocal or guitar part and if I get to a part that is a bit too loud, I’ll split the track and use the region gain to lower the energy and if I find a quieter part, I’ll do the same but lift the gain so I end up with a more even performance. I then add all the inserts and sends etc. But I take the point that using the gains in place of a fader for volume automation is not the same. However, it can work and may even work creatively if it pushes the compressor etc harder at certain times.
You don't like headphones for mixing, ok. But saying "i think it is not a viable solution for mixing" when it is been already proven that perfect mixes can be made with them...
A "less is more" approach helps me avoid analysis paralysis. The handful of analog units I have I know well enough to know where they will shine. And the number of plugins I use on a regular basis is pretty small (maybe 25). Less to choose from means less overthinking, especially once you have leanred each tool thoroughly.
Absolutely one of the best channels for music production out there. Thanks David for sharing all you knowledge
Thank you for the support Christian!
Love the blatantness of the responses. Much needed in this realm
i think or I suspect what mr.loaner mue meant by gain etc.... some engineers ,which btw I've seen time and time again and ever since I incorporated as well cz' it's easier ,use a gain plugin of some sort post all the processing plugins right before the ch fader ,for setting levels post automation ,for then the fader is stuck in automation reading all the time ,yes you can adjust the entire automation lane up 'n down but it's way easier to jut dump a gain plg at the end of the chain done, of course in pro tools that's got a solution by creating vca's and ever since in other daws as well but again we tend to strive for speed ad that's way faster than set up a vca assign channels to it blah blah , it's a matter of taste I think .
2:36 - I think the guy meant mixing engineers using a gain/volume/trim plugin for balancing gain instead of the faders.
Basically, you can do whatever you want as long as you're getting the results you want. I do this on a live mix just because the fader adjustments are not linear - first inch is like +/-6db then second bar is now half an inch but it does an additional +6/-6db, 3rd is even shorter and so on. So if you're riding a fader the micro adjustments are harder if you're already on the 3rd bar compared to the first bar where you can easily make a big move that is only a +/-3db adjustment compared to the lower bars where a small move might be +/-6db already.
You can do whatever you want sure, but gain is for gain staging, and faders for mixing. Studio ain't live
@@mixbustv yeah. I think the guy could have phrased the question better.
I do a rough mix on my faders, then I circle back and assign the volume gain/loss imparted by the fader to the media item itself (in Reaper). That way, I can return my faders to zero and be at my rough mix. Then I can use the faders for small adjustments
I learned quite a few things in this simple 15+mins Q&A. Thank you David.
In David we trust!
Cool out west I went to Namm 2023 , I enjoy the channel . Thanks
Great episode David, very enlightening. 🙂👍
Love these shows, great idea, so very very helpful. Thanks for sharing the knowledge. Here’s a question,best plugin you ve found to bring out high frequency without sibilance?
5:36 - that's the heaviest hand clasp in history! Lol. :D
lol u was targeting me in this lol im just kiddin love the work
Forgive me, I’m pretty new. I’m running a “pair of Capi Heiders into a Serpent sb4001 bus compressor, into a pair of Neve 542’s, then into SPL Big”, as my analog stereo mixbus. After hearing this, I have 2 quick questions.
1. If this was all that you had, would you take the time to print each individual track through this attenuation, back into your daw prior to even beginning to mix? Just for character’s sake?
2. Is what I said worth the effort, in your opinion? It seems like mixing through these preamps, especially as a super crushed parallel bus, brought back in under the mix, allows some sonic advantages that would not exist had I not processed through my bus. Is this just crazy talk? I appreciate your channel and do value your opinion and thoughts. And it caught my ear that mixing through preamps was not recommended. Regards and best wishes.
after watching this video (more than usual) i realize i don't know that much about mixing. 🌝
Whats your reasoning behind saying that mixing/mastering with headphones is not a viable option?
Im interested since i dont have a treatef room etc, and am mixing with headphones, and i have heard grammy winning mix/master engineers saying they mix and master with headphones (checking the project occasionaly on monitors).
Great video, as always! Many thanks. I am a bit confused on the mono Rap vocal hard pan left / right. I wasn't aware of any difference between a mono signal or the same signal split across 2 channels routed left and right.
I tried this with a mono vocal, soloing two channels panned L/R, the vectorscope on my RME digicheck remained mono, correlation +1.
If I understand the question correctly (and I'm not 100% sure I do!) Studio One is doing something odd? If there's no latency or time delay, and they are equal gain, should it not produce a centre signal if both left and right channels are doing the same thing at the same time?
Apologies if missing something here! Also not familiar with 'correction mode' in Studio One and what that's indicating.
Cheers.
Mono is the same exact signal in both left and right. That's what mono is. The question obviously wasn't taking about that scenario but most likely the usual copy, nudge/delay one, or simply have a double
@@mixbustv Thanks for confirming. Much appreciated.
Spot on as always.
But I think you misunderstood mrloaner_mue's question. The reason they're using trim might be because they're still processing the signal and want to gain stage - all the processing is pre fader.
You do gainstaging before starting a mix, not in the middle of it
@tv Surely every process involves gain-staging? You adjust the output on each plugin / device to make sure your gain stays somewhat level going into the next one / out to the fader and isn't doing a drastic leap?
I'm Pretty sure that's what he's referring to and doesn't realise that the fader isn't the same as the gain...?
A question David: you mentioned that having no mono vocals is not good and I agree with that; but is it ALWAYS a mistake? Because in some of my songs I have some gang vocals to have like a call-response with the lead vocal (to have kind of a Bohemian Rhapsody vibe): they're all hard panned and to me sound very good even when played in mono. They're not copy and pasted vocals I recorded each of them separately.
Not a mistake. There are plenty of cases in which it is perfectly fine to have fully stereo with no mono lead. But it's, like in your case either a call response or a special section
@@mixbustv ok thank you very much!
thx for gain staging point. I dont know why f.e. in Reason its so idiotic, GAINs are little knobs absolutely on the top, so you must scroll. Ive find them like after 10 years of music production :D. To that point I always used faders and just paid attention to headroom and clipping. Btw this "I need to know everything bout everything before I touched" is great sentence, I must reconsider this.
When you say don't mix with a limiter, do you mean having it on the stereo out while your mixing? ..Then after the mix you can put a limiter on if you want.
Yes, try not mixing into a limiter, essentially if you want to get loud, using other tools to get a full, loud mix (without the limiter) will then allow you to put the limiter on after the mix and push it even a bit further, but if you mix into a limiter your more likely to rely on the limiter to achieve this full, loud sound and you have less room to push it further
ruclips.net/video/wosFpVo8zHM/видео.htmlsi=o3VFFGj0IfMumUUX
ruclips.net/video/iJs_U4UMsvQ/видео.htmlsi=0oYw6ZAjCkmoLW7k
I've explained in depth, many times.
In Logic Pro X, if I split an audio region, into say parts and then raise the gain by 3dB for the middle part, is that the same as automating the fader to lift by 3dB for that section?
no it is not the same. if you automate the gain, it will effect all your processing on that track. for example you have a compressor on that track, then the compressor will work harder. If you would automate the fader instead, then the workload of that compressor will stay the same, and you just simply make the track louder. So gain is the strength of the signal, and the fader is the volume. But the gain has an influence on the volume.
No. Gain is pre inserts.
@@kristianmarschewski1590 but that is the first thing I do. I will go through say a vocal or guitar part and if I get to a part that is a bit too loud, I’ll split the track and use the region gain to lower the energy and if I find a quieter part, I’ll do the same but lift the gain so I end up with a more even performance. I then add all the inserts and sends etc. But I take the point that using the gains in place of a fader for volume automation is not the same. However, it can work and may even work creatively if it pushes the compressor etc harder at certain times.
Dont try to fix a problem that is not there, save yourself some time.
Have you tried mixing with headphones like audeze mm-500? Hd600 is okay but there are no subs or tight transients
I don't mix on headphones
what city or cities are your studios ?
Los Angeles California
Told you
I put a limiter at 2db because the snare will just disappear when i master if i dont.
You don't like headphones for mixing, ok. But saying "i think it is not a viable solution for mixing" when it is been already proven that perfect mixes can be made with them...